Cham has eye issues

[roger90]

Femail veiled cham
4 month Approx got from petco 4 days ago
Open air screen enclosure
Humidity 60 to 80
Temp 70 to 80
Heat and uvb lamps
She is eating but only in the morning 4 meal worms and some collar greens sometimes she will eat at night of hungry
She is drinking from dripper
I also enclosed photos of enclosure meters fecal matter and the eye in question any help would be appreciated.

 

[roger90]

Update she is definitely shedding but this is her now have her on a 8 to 8 schedule nd she seems to still be favoring the eye but it dose function and open

 

[Beman]

Hi there. Welcome to the forum. For the most in depth help we can give please fill out the form below by copy and pasting it into your response and then filling it out. Please be as detailed as possible. Please take pics of the entire enclosure from the lights to the bottom. If you can get some better pics of the eye more zoomed in that would be helpful as well.

If your running a fogger during the day turn it off asap. This can cause a respiratory infection.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[roger90]

Hi there. Welcome to the forum. For the most in depth help we can give please fill out the form below by copy and pasting it into your response and then filling it out. Please be as detailed as possible. Please take pics of the entire enclosure from the lights to the bottom. If you can get some better pics of the eye more zoomed in that would be helpful as well.

If your running a fogger during the day turn it off asap. This can cause a respiratory infection.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

female veiled chameleon 4 months in my care for 4 days

Handling every day to give a "shower" she loves it and to examine her eye condition or apply water to eye with q tip

Feeding shedual once in the morning and once at night mealworms and collar greens dusted with reptivite she eats about 4 worms and some greens every feeding dont know what gutloading is im a newbie sorry lol

Im giving her reptivite reptisafe in tap water and zilla tropical mist to help with her shedding

Never tested for parasites as far as I know unless petco did it before purchase fecal matter looks good in think I am also color blind sorry my buddie said its white yellow and yellow and brown I included a picture above

Petco employee who cares for them said she went through a recent shed could be a tough shed in the eye area

Screen enclosure 18x12x20

Zoo med daylight blue 60w and exo terra uvb 100 13w cage temp is 75-80 degrh. ees in have to buy a thermal gun to find basking temp

Humidity has been between 70 and 80 put lowered it to for dry shed appropriately 60 and 70 at the moment Was told lower humidity to get dead skin to fall off

Live plant Hawaiian epipremnum

enclosure is in my living-room I do live on a main road got a lot of traffic but not noticeable a way set back from the road top of the enclosure about 4 feet from the floor on side table

I am located in upstate NY it is winter here

Eye looks to be closed furring day she is rubbing her eye in vines in her cage every day here and there she has not lost apatite except when shedding and I've only seen her take a drink once but she doesn't seem to be dehydrated petco employee said she had just shed and the eye is a difficult area need experienced opinions please

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi again. Give me a few minutes and I’ll go thru your husbandry.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll be putting my feedback in bold. There are a lot of changes to be made and some are vital. I will prioritize for you, so don’t feel overwhelmed.

female veiled chameleon 4 months in my care for 4 days
She is very pretty.
Handling every day to give a "shower" she loves it and to examine her eye condition or apply water to eye with q tip I’m going to tell you to stop this. What we perceive as chams liking things is usually the opposite. No showers for chams - just mistings. Also, as gentle as you may be with the q tip, it could be causing irritation. Plus, I’m not convinced the problem is with her eyes.

Feeding shedual once in the morning and once at night mealworms and collar greens dusted with reptivite she eats about 4 worms and some greens every feeding dont know what gutloading is im a newbie sorry lol Attaching some graphics below for you. There are much better feeders than mealworms. Crickets are usually where most of us start. Bsfl (calci worms, Phoenix worms, etc) are also good and available just about all pet stores. She has no need for any plant matter. It’s much better to give the collards to the feeders. Gutloading is loading the feeder insects up on nutrition a couple of hours before giving them to your animal. I don’t gutload. I do keep my feeder insects well fed and as healthy as possible with a varied diet of fresh veggies, greens and a little bit of fruit. Healthy bugs are more nutritious for your chameleon. Avoid the Fluker’s orange cubes and similar. There are some good insect food preparations like Mazuri, Cricket Crack, etc. I use Repashy Bug Burger in addition to the fresh produce. Also, she is quite young and should be getting more like 15-20 feeders daily. Make sure the feeders are smaller than the space between her eyes.

Im giving her reptivite reptisafe in tap water and zilla tropical mist to help with her shedding There’s a few things here. First, you don’t want to put supplements in the drinking water. Second, you’re overdosing on the multivitamin which contains D3 and third, chameleons are dry shedders.
If you have need, using the ReptiSafe for drinking water is ok. When we give supplements, we lightly dust our feeder insects with them. I’ll get back to supplements in a bit. Most other reptiles need humidity to shed properly. Chameleons shed differently and too much moisture actually makes it harder for them to shed properly. The sprays are for animals such as bearded dragons and geckos, not chams.
Now for supplements. This is one of the big problems. Little cutie is being overdosed and some of those vitamins are building up to toxic levels. Some of the vitamins are fat soluble, meaning they take longer to break down in the body. Vitamin A and D3 are the ones to worry about the most right now. Stop using the ReptiVite immediately! You need to get a phosphorus free calcium WITHOUT D3 and lightly dust the feeders in that at every feeding. Zoo Med ReptiCalcium is a decent one to use. Just make sure to carefully read the label and confirm that it is without D3. Do not use the ReptiVite for at least one month. It is a great multivitamin/D3 combo (I use it), but is to be used only at one feeding, every other week. It’s going to take time to get the excess vitamins out of her system and unfortunately there’s very little that can be done right now to rush it along. Make sure she’s well hydrated and we’ll talk about uvb in a bit. You can get her some silkworms or small hornworms which are very good for hydration and tasty treats.

Never tested for parasites as far as I know unless petco did it before purchase fecal matter looks good in think I am also color blind sorry my buddie said its white yellow and yellow and brown I included a picture above You will want to get this done. Petco doesn’t test and animals from chain pet stores are more likely to have parasites.

Petco employee who cares for them said she went through a recent shed could be a tough shed in the eye area
Only tough if her humidity wasn’t correct. Sad to tell you this, but most chain pet stores really know very little about the proper care of the animals they sell.
Screen enclosure 18x12x20
This size is ok for now, but she will quickly be growing and needing a minimum size of 2x2x4’.
Zoo med daylight blue 60w and exo terra uvb 100 13w cage temp is 75-80 degrh. ees in have to buy a thermal gun to find basking temp Now let’s talk uvb. The screw in bulbs like what you have aren’t able to provide uvb any farther away than 2-3”. At that close, then you risk your chameleon getting burns from the basking light. The standard is a linear T5 with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. Then basking area should be 8-9” away. This is the other most important thing that you need to correct for your sweetie to feel better. The uvb is needed for the production of vitamin D3. But wait! Didn’t I just say she’s been overdosed with D3? Yes, but the type that is produced from uvb/sunlight is different and the body only produces what it needs. Also, I may be wrong, but I recall hearing in the distant past that natural unfiltered sunlight can help reduce the D3 that has been provided from supplementation. Not sure how that works and it’s too cold to take her outside, but she needs the correct uvb. It’s preferred for our chams to get their uvb needs met from the artificial sunlight we provide with uvb and then we cautiously give the supplement to ensure they have gotten adequate amounts. In case you are wondering why uvb and D3 are so darned important, it’s because without it we can’t utilize the calcium we take in and just pee it out. Calcium is essential not just for strong bones, but for muscles (the heart is a muscle!) and nerve conduction.
This is getting very long, so let me end here and finish in a seperate reply.

 

[MissSkittles]

I hadn’t talked about temps. 75 is a tad cool. 78-80 is perfect and where you want to be. The analog gauges are notoriously unreliable. You’ll want to get a digital one with a probe end to measure temp and humidity. The temp gun is a great tool to have, but it can only measure surface temps.

Humidity has been between 70 and 80 put lowered it to for dry shed appropriately 60 and 70 at the moment Was told lower humidity to get dead skin to fall off Way way too high! Ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50%. I’ll guess that just by running the heat in your house, it should be no problem to get the humidity down. High humidity combined with high daytime temps greatly increase the risks for respiratory infections. You want a warm dry day. At night IF you can achieve temps below at least 68, then you can boost humidity all the way up. That simulates the natural hydration that is present in the wild thru fog. Oh…no heat needed at night unless temps get below 55-60.

Live plant Hawaiian epipremnum I had to look that up. It seems to be a pothos, which is perfect. Cham keepers love pothos. Our chams love it too, especially our veileds. When your little honey is feeling better and maybe grows a bit, she’ll be nibbling on her plants. Because of this, they need to be all live, safe and clean. Any artificial plants can be hung on the outside of the enclosure if you like which will give your girl more privacy. You really need to fill up her enclosure with plants and branches or vines. Empty space is wasted space. Give her lots of little roads to travel on and big leaves to drink from, take shade or hide under and nibble at. Avoid the black Exo Terra vines- they shed tiny particles that can end up in eyes. I use branches I’ve scrounged outside. A little scrub with dish soap, a very thorough rinse and dry in the sun is all they need. Avoid pine and other sappy or smelly trees. This will help with plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

enclosure is in my living-room I do live on a main road got a lot of traffic but not noticeable a way set back from the road top of the enclosure about 4 feet from the floor on side table
The main concerns are having enough height as for chams, height = safety, and total darkness at night. Also, an area where there are a lot of people and other pets constantly moving about can be a source of chronic stress.
I am located in upstate NY it is winter here

Eye looks to be closed furring day she is rubbing her eye in vines in her cage every day here and there she has not lost apatite except when shedding and I've only seen her take a drink once but she doesn't seem to be dehydrated Many chameleons are secretive about drinking. I have five and not one of them will drink if I’m present. You should be misting/spraying the plants in the enclosure for at least 2 minutes, 2-3 times daily - right before lights go on and off and at mid day is optional. Some use a dripper for a little time during the day. Something as simple as a red solo cup with a pin hole in the bottom makes a great diy dripper. Put a few ice cubes in it in the AM and it’s good to go. petco employee said she had just shed and the eye is a difficult area need experienced opinions please
I believe the problem isn’t her eyes, but is the overdosing of fat soluble supplements and lack of proper uvb. Those are the two things that need immediate corrections. It will take some time for her to feel better as there’s no way to rush getting the excess vitamins out of her body. A vet visit is always a good idea anytime your cham is ill, but you need to be very assertive and refuse if they try to give her any vitamins or treat for parasites without testing. There are some vets that while they will see chameleons, they have little experience with them and aren’t up to date with their knowledge of them.
I feel like even though I’ve given you a lot of info, I’m forgetting something. I’m sure if I have, another will tell you. In the meantime, this is a great husbandry program and I suggest reading thru all of the modules and exploring all the site offers. I’ll be back with some links for uvb and such a bit later. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

 

[roger90]

I hadn’t talked about temps. 75 is a tad cool. 78-80 is perfect and where you want to be. The analog gauges are notoriously unreliable. You’ll want to get a digital one with a probe end to measure temp and humidity. The temp gun is a great tool to have, but it can only measure surface temps.

Humidity has been between 70 and 80 put lowered it to for dry shed appropriately 60 and 70 at the moment Was told lower humidity to get dead skin to fall off Way way too high! Ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50%. I’ll guess that just by running the heat in your house, it should be no problem to get the humidity down. High humidity combined with high daytime temps greatly increase the risks for respiratory infections. You want a warm dry day. At night IF you can achieve temps below at least 68, then you can boost humidity all the way up. That simulates the natural hydration that is present in the wild thru fog. Oh…no heat needed at night unless temps get below 55-60.

Live plant Hawaiian epipremnum I had to look that up. It seems to be a pothos, which is perfect. Cham keepers love pothos. Our chams love it too, especially our veileds. When your little honey is feeling better and maybe grows a bit, she’ll be nibbling on her plants. Because of this, they need to be all live, safe and clean. Any artificial plants can be hung on the outside of the enclosure if you like which will give your girl more privacy. You really need to fill up her enclosure with plants and branches or vines. Empty space is wasted space. Give her lots of little roads to travel on and big leaves to drink from, take shade or hide under and nibble at. Avoid the black Exo Terra vines- they shed tiny particles that can end up in eyes. I use branches I’ve scrounged outside. A little scrub with dish soap, a very thorough rinse and dry in the sun is all they need. Avoid pine and other sappy or smelly trees. This will help with plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

enclosure is in my living-room I do live on a main road got a lot of traffic but not noticeable a way set back from the road top of the enclosure about 4 feet from the floor on side table
The main concerns are having enough height as for chams, height = safety, and total darkness at night. Also, an area where there are a lot of people and other pets constantly moving about can be a source of chronic stress.
I am located in upstate NY it is winter here

Eye looks to be closed furring day she is rubbing her eye in vines in her cage every day here and there she has not lost apatite except when shedding and I've only seen her take a drink once but she doesn't seem to be dehydrated Many chameleons are secretive about drinking. I have five and not one of them will drink if I’m present. You should be misting/spraying the plants in the enclosure for at least 2 minutes, 2-3 times daily - right before lights go on and off and at mid day is optional. Some use a dripper for a little time during the day. Something as simple as a red solo cup with a pin hole in the bottom makes a great diy dripper. Put a few ice cubes in it in the AM and it’s good to go. petco employee said she had just shed and the eye is a difficult area need experienced opinions please
I believe the problem isn’t her eyes, but is the overdosing of fat soluble supplements and lack of proper uvb. Those are the two things that need immediate corrections. It will take some time for her to feel better as there’s no way to rush getting the excess vitamins out of her body. A vet visit is always a good idea anytime your cham is ill, but you need to be very assertive and refuse if they try to give her any vitamins or treat for parasites without testing. There are some vets that while they will see chameleons, they have little experience with them and aren’t up to date with their knowledge of them.
I feel like even though I’ve given you a lot of info, I’m forgetting something. I’m sure if I have, another will tell you. In the meantime, this is a great husbandry program and I suggest reading thru all of the modules and exploring all the site offers. I’ll be back with some links for uvb and such a bit later. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

I really Apreaciate it i feel absolutely horrible I just want to do the best I can for her I will get her farther up more plants the lighting and food you have suggested I really just want to see her in good health any other info I will keep checking in for you are amazing thank you.

 

[MissSkittles]

For whatever reason, I prefer the Arcadia ProT5, but they are hard to find in stock lately. Here’s ReptiSun.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CX5HXI2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...o-med-reptisun-t5-hood?variant=26907425734756
Digital thermometer/hygrometer https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digi...9-4b3e-a660-9b8ce248c3b7&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi
ReptiCalcium without D3. https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Calc...refix=zoomed+repticalcium,aps,197&sr=1-4&th=1

 

[MissSkittles]

I really Apreaciate it i feel absolutely horrible I just want to do the best I can for her I will get her farther up more plants the lighting and food you have suggested I really just want to see her in good health any other info I will keep checking in for you are amazing thank you.

It’s very hard with chameleons. Not only is there a ton of old or incorrect info out there about keeping them, but they can be fragile, especially the babies. You’ve done all that you were told or believed to be right. I’m just so glad that you found your way here. I know what I did forget and will add that on. For trying a variety of feeders, some on line vendors offer variety packs. Check the forum sponsors like Rainbow Mealworms and Dubia.com. Josh’s frogs also has variety packs.

 

[MissSkittles]

You’ll want to get rid of the mossy floor. It’s a hazard in case she accidentally eats it, it’s increasing humidity and is collecting and growing bacteria. Is best to keep the floor bare and easy to clean.
Even though it seems to be a long way away, your little girl will be a big girl before you know it and will be producing and laying eggs even if not mated. It shortens the lives of our girls and comes with it’s own potential risks, so we do what we can to reduce egg production/laying with reduced temps and feeding and providing the best environment for them possible when it’s time. I really don’t want to overwhelm you any more than I already have, so will just say that later when you are ready, we’ll be more than happy to go thru all the egg and laying stuff with you.

 

[roger90]

You’ll want to get rid of the mossy floor. It’s a hazard in case she accidentally eats it, it’s increasing humidity and is collecting and growing bacteria. Is best to keep the floor bare and easy to clean.
Even though it seems to be a long way away, your little girl will be a big girl before you know it and will be producing and laying eggs even if not mated. It shortens the lives of our girls and comes with it’s own potential risks, so we do what we can to reduce egg production/laying with reduced temps and feeding and providing the best environment for them possible when it’s time. I really don’t want to overwhelm you any more than I already have, so will just say that later when you are ready, we’ll be more than happy to go thru all the egg and laying stuff with you.

Just an update in cleared the enclosure of the moss went and got a digital guage for temp and humidity dropped humidity down to about 50 sometimes lower like 40 temp is at 80 degrees in got a t5 7% arcadia uvb light and the calcium without d3 and small crickets for her. Hope to see her feeling better soon will keep your updated and again thank you

 

[MissSkittles]

Great job! I do hate to tell you though that the 7% uvb isn’t the correct strength. That one is for shade dwellers/crepuscular animals like leopard geckos and such and puts out different uvb than what a cham needs. It’ll work for now, but you’ll want to get a 6% uvb bulb when you can. Keep the 7% for an emergency (it’s always nice to have a back up).

 

[roger90]

She just pooped moist but color seems off is this from the overdosing ?

 

[roger90]

Update: my little girl is way more active today I got her some more plants and followed your care plan she absolutely loves her new food and her eye is starting to get back to normal thank you again