Chameleon Closing One Eye Intermittently

[Congo221]

My male veiled chameleon, Congo, thankfully was healed up at the vet from his last issue. But now he’s closing one eye. If anyone can help me out it would be great, the vet is almost 2 hours from where I live and it’s a stressful drive for Congo, so I’d like to exhaust all options before having to take him again within such a short period.

I noticed yesterday Congo was occasionally closing his right eye, while the other stayed open and alert. I figured he was cleaning it out and let him be. Today my brother pointed out he had one eye closed again. I let him be and checked in again a few hours later and now he’s closing his other eye. It’s not due to stress, and his eyes are a nice plump cone shape, so he’s not dehydrated. Recently he’s been digging in the dirt so I figured maybe he had some in his eye and had been trying to clean it out, but I took a flashlight and tried to get a better look at his eyes and nothing seems visually wrong. His eating habits are a little all over the place since the vet visit, and he’s been on a cricket strike. I gave him a mist in hopes he’d clean out his eye but am unsure of what the next step should be.
He looks perfectly healthy, not stressed, and everything seems okay besides his obstinacy towards crickets at the moment. Should I be worried?

I read on another forum similar to this that someone used a pipette and some eye saline to clean out their chams eyes, and it helped, but I don’t want to do this without confirmation that it is an okay and safe thing to do, or if I should even do it.

I checked his heat and uvb and all of it is at proper temp and working great. Currently the temp of his cage is at 60, it is night time where I live right now so this is ideal. During the day time his overall cage temp is about 75-77, with his basking spot being around the 80s. I also take him out at least once a day to bask in real sunlight on all of his plants.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

My male veiled chameleon, Congo, thankfully was healed up at the vet from his last issue. But now he’s closing one eye. If anyone can help me out it would be great, the vet is almost 2 hours from where I live and it’s a stressful drive for Congo, so I’d like to exhaust all options before having to take him again within such a short period.

I noticed yesterday Congo was occasionally closing his right eye, while the other stayed open and alert. I figured he was cleaning it out and let him be. Today my brother pointed out he had one eye closed again. I let him be and checked in again a few hours later and now he’s closing his other eye. It’s not due to stress, and his eyes are a nice plump cone shape, so he’s not dehydrated. Recently he’s been digging in the dirt so I figured maybe he had some in his eye and had been trying to clean it out, but I took a flashlight and tried to get a better look at his eyes and nothing seems visually wrong. His eating habits are a little all over the place since the vet visit, and he’s been on a cricket strike. I gave him a mist in hopes he’d clean out his eye but am unsure of what the next step should be.
He looks perfectly healthy, not stressed, and everything seems okay besides his obstinacy towards crickets at the moment. Should I be worried?

I read on another forum similar to this that someone used a pipette and some eye saline to clean out their chams eyes, and it helped, but I don’t want to do this without confirmation that it is an okay and safe thing to do, or if I should even do it.

I checked his heat and uvb and all of it is at proper temp and working great. Currently the temp of his cage is at 60, it is night time where I live right now so this is ideal. During the day time his overall cage temp is about 75-77, with his basking spot being around the 80s. I also take him out at least once a day to bask in real sunlight on all of his plants.

You should post some pictures of your male Chamaeleo calypatratus "Congo" for reference and the best assessment from Chameleon Forum members. You sound as though he may just require (as stated) a good misting to clean out his eye's or possible "Congo" is closing his eyes because he is perched on a spot with no shade. Pictures would help a lot though.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[MissSkittles]

If you could also post some pics of his entire enclosure and supplements, that would also be a huge help.

 

[LizardLurkin]

When you have the time, you could fill out this form as well:

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.

My first wonder is: Are there any lights that may be bothering him? The other is supplementation, which hopefully resolves itself as you nail down the proper supplementation schedule.