Caring for a blind chameleon

jessica

Avid Member
I've searched and searched, found a couple threads but I'm left wanting more information.

Have you/do you care for or know someone who cares for a blind chameleon? If so what is your/their experience, what does the daily routine consist of? Do you or the caregiver feel the chameleon has a good quality of life?

Thank you for any information:)
 
im not much help as iv never done this but do you have a blind chameleon? Id assume it would be very hard to feed it. Misting coul dlet it lick its lips. I think it would be very hard :\
 
These are the questions I am hoping to have answered ;)

I wonder about the quality of life for the chameleon.

I've read about a couple people that have cared for blind chameleons but I am kinda hoping for some members to have a little more info.
 
I would imagine that if you touch an insect on the tip of its mouth it would learn to open its mouth and eat it. Dripping water on the tip of its nose should stimulate it to drink.
 
I have cared for and raised both babies and adult panthers that were blind. The one adult became blind due to the use of the coil bulbs way back when when they first came out and everyone (myself included) thought they were pretty nifty. That was before anyone realized that they sucked. A couple of my babies became blind only a month or two into their life for whatever the reason.

Basically, they can climb and feel their way around (albeit sometimes stumbling, etc.) but you just want to make sure it is a smaller enclosure and keep them closer to the bottom with perhaps a towel or something to soften the fall should that happen. You have to hand feed them and K is right - just tap the tip of its mouth with food or a syring (water) and they generally will gape because they are afraid if they can't see what's going on. Once they get one crix, then they will just assume they are getting more if you keep doing it.

It is just a little more time and effort is all to care for a blind one, but they can be very normal aside from that.
 
I have cared for and raised both babies and adult panthers that were blind. The one adult became blind due to the use of the coil bulbs way back when when they first came out and everyone (myself included) thought they were pretty nifty. That was before anyone realized that they sucked. A couple of my babies became blind only a month or two into their life for whatever the reason.

Basically, they can climb and feel their way around (albeit sometimes stumbling, etc.) but you just want to make sure it is a smaller enclosure and keep them closer to the bottom with perhaps a towel or something to soften the fall should that happen. You have to hand feed them and K is right - just tap the tip of its mouth with food or a syring (water) and they generally will gape because they are afraid if they can't see what's going on. Once they get one crix, then they will just assume they are getting more if you keep doing it.

It is just a little more time and effort is all to care for a blind one, but they can be very normal aside from that.

Much respect to you for taking the time to care for blind chameleons Chams1!
 
I have cared for and raised both babies and adult panthers that were blind. The one adult became blind due to the use of the coil bulbs way back when when they first came out and everyone (myself included) thought they were pretty nifty. That was before anyone realized that they sucked. A couple of my babies became blind only a month or two into their life for whatever the reason.

Basically, they can climb and feel their way around (albeit sometimes stumbling, etc.) but you just want to make sure it is a smaller enclosure and keep them closer to the bottom with perhaps a towel or something to soften the fall should that happen. You have to hand feed them and K is right - just tap the tip of its mouth with food or a syring (water) and they generally will gape because they are afraid if they can't see what's going on. Once they get one crix, then they will just assume they are getting more if you keep doing it.

It is just a little more time and effort is all to care for a blind one, but they can be very normal aside from that.

Thanks! This is the info I am looking for!!


Anybody else have experience with a blind chameleon?
 
I had a mostly blind female panther. Disabled from birth as far as I could tell. She only seemed to be able to vaguely see the difference between light and dark.

Routine was the key. She knew the sound/feel of the cage opening, and knew in the morning that meant water (eye dropper, held to tip of her nose). I tried to keep to nearly the same time of day, every morning. She knew that soon after, when next the cage was opened, it meant food (held with fingers close to her mouth if a cricket roach or similar, placed directly in front of her on a branch if a silkworm or similar). She knew that mid-day usually meant water and food again, and that late afternoon was only water.

She learned her way around the cage easily enough. Had no trouble thermoregulating.

I was careful not to move things much when cleaning the cage. It made thorough cage cleaning very difficult.

Water was the hardest thing to ensure she got enough of, so I often injected extra water into crickets and roaches, and tried to use a lot of butterworms, silkworms, cabbage loopers, and when I could get them hornworms too.

I used a lot of silkworms and butterworms for her, because she seemed just able to detect the different between their pale coloured bodies and the dark branches. I also had a little "shelf" and dark shallow dish in her cage where I would leave silkworms and butterworms and sometimes fresh molted mealworms or fresh molted supers, and she sometimes managed to grab them (she rarley used her tongue, and would miss if she did - so she just would try to get her mouth right on a bug with limited success). It took a long while to "teach" her where this dish was, by constantly coaxing her to eat in that location.

I think her quality of life was satisfactory. but my quality of life was reduced, in terms of the time it took to care for her. It meant no vacations, no sleeping in (unless my partner took care of the morning routine). for me it was worth it, and indeed as I had hatched her and initially kept her alive it was my responsibility to continue to care for her for her entire life.

She stayed fairly small (partly from her not getting sufficient food when she was little before I realized she couldnt see well enough to hunt). She didnt live nearly as long as others.
 
I had a mostly blind female panther. Disabled from birth as far as I could tell. She only seemed to be able to vaguely see the difference between light and dark.

Routine was the key. She knew the sound/feel of the cage opening, and knew in the morning that meant water (eye dropper, held to tip of her nose). I tried to keep to nearly the same time of day, every morning. She knew that soon after, when next the cage was opened, it meant food (held with fingers close to her mouth if a cricket roach or similar, placed directly in front of her on a branch if a silkworm or similar). She knew that mid-day usually meant water and food again, and that late afternoon was only water.

She learned her way around the cage easily enough. Had no trouble thermoregulating.

I was careful not to move things much when cleaning the cage. It made thorough cage cleaning very difficult.

Water was the hardest thing to ensure she got enough of, so I often injected extra water into crickets and roaches, and tried to use a lot of butterworms, silkworms, cabbage loopers, and when I could get them hornworms too.

I used a lot of silkworms and butterworms for her, because she seemed just able to detect the different between their pale coloured bodies and the dark branches. I also had a little "shelf" and dark shallow dish in her cage where I would leave silkworms and butterworms and sometimes fresh molted mealworms or fresh molted supers, and she sometimes managed to grab them (she rarley used her tongue, and would miss if she did - so she just would try to get her mouth right on a bug with limited success). It took a long while to "teach" her where this dish was, by constantly coaxing her to eat in that location.

I think her quality of life was satisfactory. but my quality of life was reduced, in terms of the time it took to care for her. It meant no vacations, no sleeping in (unless my partner took care of the morning routine). for me it was worth it, and indeed as I had hatched her and initially kept her alive it was my responsibility to continue to care for her for her entire life.

She stayed fairly small (partly from her not getting sufficient food when she was little before I realized she couldnt see well enough to hunt). She didnt live nearly as long as others.

This is so helpful Thank you!

You said she didn't live as long as the others do you remember an about time lapse of the passing from her and a clutch mate?
 
This is so helpful Thank you!
You said she didn't live as long as the others do you remember an about time lapse of the passing from her and a clutch mate?

You're welcome
I'd have to go back and consult my records (yes I keep records) to be sure, but I think she lived about two years. Females should live at least twice that. I didnt keep any of the other females from that clutch, as far as I remember those buyers who kept in touch had no issues with the clutch-mates. The blind ones issues were specific to her.
 
You're welcome
I'd have to go back and consult my records (yes I keep records) to be sure, but I think she lived about two years. Females should live at least twice that. I didnt keep any of the other females from that clutch, as far as I remember those buyers who kept in touch had no issues with the clutch-mates. The blind ones issues were specific to her.

Keeping records is smart when you have multiple chameleons.

I forgot to ask about laying eggs. I assume you didn't breed her but did she have infertile clutches? If so did you have to assist when she laid?
 
Keeping records is smart when you have multiple chameleons.
I think so too (but my partner thinks Im a bit nuts)

I forgot to ask about laying eggs. I assume you didn't breed her but did she have infertile clutches? If so did you have to assist when she laid?

No, she did not lay eggs. I try to keep my females in such a way as to not have them produce eggs until/unless I am wanting to breed them.
 
Keeping records is smart when you have multiple chameleons.
I think so too (but my partner thinks Im a bit nuts)


No, she did not lay eggs. I try to keep my females in such a way as to not have them produce eggs until/unless I am wanting to breed them.

Too funny I'm told I have OCD

More then likely it saved her from unnecessary stress.

Thank you Sandra you've been so helpful
 
Back
Top Bottom