Bulging eyes and lethargic weak please help!

[Perlapaco]

Hi! My girl Perla is 1 year old, I have raised her since she was the size of my thumb. She has always been very healthy and lively. However for the past 5 days she has been extremely lethargic, and keeps closing her eyes for long periods of time. She will also have them bulging out and when this happens it seems to be very unconfortable for her, she keeps rubbing them on her plants/ sticks. She ate a couple worms yesterday, but she can barely strike her tongue. Today she has been mostly sleeping, she seems very thirsty but she hates when i spray her directly and im worried shes not getting enough water even though im spraying her cage at least 4x a day. Yesterday I tried giving her a warm steam shower, and I’ve made her a vitamin water slow dripper but I just have no idea how much she is getting down. I’m not sure what to do, I feel like a trip to the vet will stress her out a lot in her already weak state…. I have attached pics of her as well as the vitamins I have been giving her her entire life… any help would be so appreciated.
Also, for at least a week prior to this she was receptive and her coloring has remained pretty good for the past few days, however she is looking a lot more dull today.

 

[jannb]

Does she have a laying bin to lay her eggs?

I’d highly recommend a vet visit with a vet that has knowledge with chameleons. Where do you live? I might be able to recommend a good vet.

 

[Perlapaco]

Does she have a laying bin to lay her eggs?

I’d highly recommend a vet visit with a vet that has knowledge with chameleons. Where do you live? I might be able to recommend a good vet.

Yes she does have a laying bin, she successfully laid 21 fertile eggs about two months ago After we bred her to our male. like i said she has been receptive recently.. I scheduled a visit with the only vet that accepts exotics who could get me in tomorrow morning because I am worried its a progressed respiratory infection. I read up on it and she has been opening her mouth a lot and tilting her head up. I hope they will be able to correctly diagnose her tomorrow and give her some medicine.. I live in Santa Rosa California.

 

[jannb]

She looks to have eggs, too.

Here’s a good chameleon vet not to far from you.
Dr. Ken Harkewicz at Berkeley Dog and Cat is phenomenal. Best in the Bay Area. The drive might be a bit long but he’s worth it.

 

[Perlapaco]

She looks to have eggs, too.

Here’s a good chameleon vet not to far from you.
Dr. Ken Harkewicz at Berkeley Dog and Cat is phenomenal. Best in the Bay Area. The drive might be a bit long but he’s worth it.

Do you think she has more eggs in her and is eggbound? would the symptoms with her eyes be like that from being eggbound? Well I am taking her in first thing in the morning to a local vet that I found (after lots of calling) who could see her tomorrow, I really dont want to have her in the car for over an hour if I can avoid it because I dont want to stress her more..

Are the supplements im using efficient? I’m also wondering about vitamin A deficiency…
thank you for your reply you seem very knowledgeable and I appreciate any advice!

 

[Sonny13]

I agree with @jannb, first thing I thought without reading and seeing the pictures, is that she´s full with eggs and probably eggbound. However, after 2 months again is really quick, in general is more 4 months in between. The eyes bulging is always a serious red flag and good you´re taking her to a vet. I´ve never seen or read something, not saying it isn´t, about eye bulging being related to egg bound. It´s mostly a supplement thing, I had the same with my Jackson a few weeks ago, also sudden bulging eyes, extremely thirsty, bad aim (because of his eyes), but before I could get him to a vet it disappeared. Therefore I don´t know what caused it, only that he started to shed closely afterwards and before the bulging he was rubbing his eyes.

Keep us update please with the vet results and her condition, fingers crossed for the both of you

 

[MissSkittles]

Are the supplements im using efficient? I’m also wondering about vitamin A deficiency…

Your supplements are fine and she shouldn’t have a vitamin A deficiency. Reptivite contains preformed vitamin A, which is said to be better absorbable by chameleons that proformed.

 

[kinyonga]

Were all the eggs in the first clutch fertile? I know you said the 21 eggs were fertile...but is that all the eggs she laid?

Since she laid the clutch how much have you been feeding her each week? Please be specific....size of insects, etc.

 

[Lindasjackson]

Any updates on your Cham?

 

[Perlapaco]

Any updates on your Cham?

We have been giving her anti biotic shots for the past 10 days as prescribed by our vet, however the vet said she “couldn’t feel any eggs in her” but since our appointment she became gravid and I feel like its pretty obvious she has eggs in her now. Unfortunately her condition does not seem to be improving, except for she has not been opening her mouth anymore… she was starting to look herself and crawling around her cage seeming as if she was going to lay, but the past two days her eyes seem to be much worse, she wont even open them at all and is crawling around her cage blind at this point. I called the vet today asking to get a vitamin A shot because thats all I can think of at this point… she has been eating minimally, we have been putting about 20 medium crickets in her cage every 2-3 days and notice her eat at least 3 but hopefully more, I have noticed a few new poops however today im not sure how she could eat because she cant even open her eyes. Ive been putting her in the dirt in her lay bin so she knows its there but whenever I do that she just immediately wants to climb back up. I am lost at this point

 

[Perlapaco]

Here are some recent photos

 

[Perlapaco]

Were all the eggs in the first clutch fertile? I know you said the 21 eggs were fertile...but is that all the eggs she laid?

Since she laid the clutch how much have you been feeding her each week? Please be specific....size of insects, etc.

We threw away 6 that turned yellow and grew mold within the first week, so no, only 15 of them are fertile and doing well. I think it is clear she has more eggs, please see photos below. thank you so much <3

 

[kinyonga]

She needs a good chameleon vet before it's too late...and it may already be too late from the way she's looking and acting.

I think she retained eggs from the previous clutch and they may be blocking the organs or rotting inside her.nim not a vet...so this is just my feelings.

At one point you said you set up a vitamin dripper...using the reptivite? How much did you put in the dripper and how much might she have drank?
Are you using the reptivite more than twice a month lightly on the insects? What source of vitamin A is in the Earth Pro?

How much was she eating each week in the few weeks before the 21 eggs were laid? Since then?

 

[Perlapaco]

She needs a good chameleon vet before it's too late...and it may already be too late from the way she's looking and acting.

I think she retained eggs from the previous clutch and they may be blocking the organs or rotting inside her.nim not a vet...so this is just my feelings.

At one point you said you set up a vitamin dripper...using the reptivite? How much did you put in the dripper and how much might she have drank?
Are you using the reptivite more than twice a month lightly on the insects? What source of vitamin A is in the Earth Pro?

How much was she eating each week in the few weeks before the 21 eggs were laid? Since then?

She needs a good chameleon vet before it's too late...and it may already be too late from the way she's looking and acting.

I think she retained eggs from the previous clutch and they may be blocking the organs or rotting inside her.nim not a vet...so this is just my feelings.

At one point you said you set up a vitamin dripper...using the reptivite? How much did you put in the dripper and how much might she have drank?
Are you using the reptivite more than twice a month lightly on the insects? What source of vitamin A is in the Earth Pro?

How much was she eating each week in the few weeks before the 21 eggs were laid? Since then?

Ok, what could a vet do if she is egg bound…? I’m not sure I know of one near me, someone did recommend one about an hour away. And yes using the reptivite, I put about a table spoon in the cup but the drip was very small, im not sure how much she has drank or if she has drank any from that. And yes I am using about twice a month sometimes more though. And before she laid the eggs she ate about 4-6 crickets every other day, now she is only eating about 1every few days and hasn’t in a few days because of her eyes being closed…

 

[Perlapaco]

She needs a good chameleon vet before it's too late...and it may already be too late from the way she's looking and acting.

I think she retained eggs from the previous clutch and they may be blocking the organs or rotting inside her.nim not a vet...so this is just my feelings.

At one point you said you set up a vitamin dripper...using the reptivite? How much did you put in the dripper and how much might she have drank?
Are you using the reptivite more than twice a month lightly on the insects? What source of vitamin A is in the Earth Pro?

How much was she eating each week in the few weeks before the 21 eggs were laid? Since then?

Do you think it’s time to take her in for euthanasia? I really don’t want her to suffer and I can’t stand seeing her crawling around blind idk what to do

 

[Sonny13]

Do you think it’s time to take her in for euthanasia? I really don’t want her to suffer and I can’t stand seeing her crawling around blind idk what to do

Though decision, which I personally would only take from a good vet with chameleon experience. If she´s eggbound, then they can only do surgery to remove the eggs, if she´s not to weak for surgery and anaesthesia. However, at this point a vet intervention is needed.
Really sorry you´re both going through this and fingers crossed for her

 

[new chameleon owner888]

Hi! My girl Perla is 1 year old, I have raised her since she was the size of my thumb. She has always been very healthy and lively. However for the past 5 days she has been extremely lethargic, and keeps closing her eyes for long periods of time. She will also have them bulging out and when this happens it seems to be very unconfortable for her, she keeps rubbing them on her plants/ sticks. She ate a couple worms yesterday, but she can barely strike her tongue. Today she has been mostly sleeping, she seems very thirsty but she hates when i spray her directly and im worried shes not getting enough water even though im spraying her cage at least 4x a day. Yesterday I tried giving her a warm steam shower, and I’ve made her a vitamin water slow dripper but I just have no idea how much she is getting down. I’m not sure what to do, I feel like a trip to the vet will stress her out a lot in her already weak state…. I have attached pics of her as well as the vitamins I have been giving her her entire life… any help would be so appreciated.
Also, for at least a week prior to this she was receptive and her coloring has remained pretty good for the past few days, however she is looking a lot more dull today.

My male also has bulging eyes but i don't know why

 

[jannb]

Do you think it’s time to take her in for euthanasia? I really don’t want her to suffer and I can’t stand seeing her crawling around blind idk what to do

Did you see Dr. Harkewicz? Most vets don’t really know a lot about chameleons.

 

[MissSkittles]

Do you think it’s time to take her in for euthanasia? I really don’t want her to suffer and I can’t stand seeing her crawling around blind idk what to do

Definitely need a good vet to evaluate her and what may be going on. She may have retained eggs which are causing all of her problems or it could be something else. Start with a vet visit and go from there.

 

[Lindasjackson]

My male also has bulging eyes but i don't know why

Hi there and welcome! If you can start your own thread and give us a little more info on your Cham then we can try to help you to.