Chameleon eye closed

Cosmo72

Member
Hey so I have a veiled chameleon around 2-4 months old and he has his eyes closed for most of the day however they are not sunken in or swollen he does scratch them sometimes on a branch. He has opened them and I thought something was stuck in his eye so I dropped water on it and that seemed to help for a few days he had his eyes open but they are closed again and the vet near me has a 2 week waiting period for an appointment what do I do
 
Hello! Welcome, and sorry to hear your chameleon is sick. Please, fill this out the best you can. This could be a lot of different things, and we will need all the info to help.

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.
 
My chameleon is around 3-4 months he is a veiled and he has been in my care for a month I have not handled him I feed him Dubia roaches black soldier fly larvae and silk worms I use calcium without d3 everyday and reprobate with d3 2 times a month I mist every morning and night and leave a dripper on throughout the day he has not been tested for parasites the cage is a reptibreeze xtra large size for the lighting and uvb I can’t remember the exact names but I got all my things from the Neptune the chameleon kit and they are on for 12 hours and off for 12 the basking spot is 80 degrees about and the rest of the enclosure stays around 70 with the humidity around 40 percent at through the day and 70 percent at night from using the mister and dripper I am using live plants mostly pothos and some other plants I got from looking up if they were safe from chameleons my cage is right by a window and I leave the blinds open for him he is the highest thing in the room almost touching the ceiling and I am in New Jersey
 
Hi! I don’t have any experience with babies this young, so I don’t have any advice. However, it would probably be helpful if you post some photos of baby and the entire enclosure including the lights. Then when some of the more experienced keepers join in, it can possibly help figure out what’s going on
 
Oh! Also if possible, some photos of supplements with the ingredient labels.

This could be anything from a supplement issue, to humidity, something in baby’s eyes, or illness. So as much info as you can provide will help narrow things down
 
Here are some pictures
 

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And here are the supplements
 

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This is the everyday one
 

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Here are some pictures
It seems like you take care of him well and have all the right supplements and lighting/cage and everything like that seems correct. I’m not sure if I have any advice on this one you should get him scheduled to be seen by the vet you would expect to pay anywhere between $100-$200 usually to get him diagnosed and it could be more if he needs some meds it could be anything such as parasites or things we can’t diagnose from just viewing the chameleon. I’d also double check his temps at night near that window it’s cold this time of year and windows get very cold at night which if he gets to cold possible could have developed an RI which could explain his sleeping during the day and eye problems but that’s just a suggestion I’ve got no clue.
 
Hello and welcome!! What a darling little bug you have there!

I was going to say the same thing. Your husbandry looks pretty on point. There are a few things that I'd like to know more about:

- I am curious how you are checking your temperatures and your humidity
- You will want to be very careful with the window. If the window/blinds are open and the sun is beating in, the enclosure may be hotter than you think it is. Most of us do not have our enclosures by windows or any heating vents for that exact reason. I'd recommend keeping the windows/blinds/curtains closed for a while to see if there are any changes in your baby's behavior. I don't worry so much about the temps getting too low at night, but more getting to too hot during the day.
- Is the enclosure in a high traffic area? This could cause unnecessary stress on baby which could be causing his body to shut down from stress. Consider moving him into a bedroom with lower traffic or another area of the house were others do not go in/past often.
- I would also suggest adding more plants and sticks especially near the top of the enclosure. You will want a linear branch running 6-9 inches below your UVB light so baby gets proper UVB levels every day. I'm suggesting more plants near the top because the current set up, while looks freaking fantastic near the bottom, is quite bare in the middle/top area. Chameleons need leafy places to hide and feel secure and many many sticks to move around their enclosure. I'll attach a picture of one of my enclosures to help give you an idea of what you are needing. I know Neptune the Chameleon has a video on how to attach more branches in your enclosure as well, I'd suggest checking it out if you need ideas or many of us on here have a lot of creative ways to attach branches too so just let us know what questions you have :)
- Lastly I strongly suggest getting him tested for parasites. You'll need a good exotic vet with chameleon care experience. I'll attach a spreadsheet with recommended vets, hopefully you can find one near you. If not let us know and we can help you find one.
 

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Hello and welcome!! What a darling little bug you have there!

I was going to say the same thing. Your husbandry looks pretty on point. There are a few things that I'd like to know more about:

- I am curious how you are checking your temperatures and your humidity
- You will want to be very careful with the window. If the window/blinds are open and the sun is beating in, the enclosure may be hotter than you think it is. Most of us do not have our enclosures by windows or any heating vents for that exact reason. I'd recommend keeping the windows/blinds/curtains closed for a while to see if there are any changes in your baby's behavior. I don't worry so much about the temps getting too low at night, but more getting to too hot during the day.
- Is the enclosure in a high traffic area? This could cause unnecessary stress on baby which could be causing his body to shut down from stress. Consider moving him into a bedroom with lower traffic or another area of the house were others do not go in/past often.
- I would also suggest adding more plants and sticks especially near the top of the enclosure. You will want a linear branch running 6-9 inches below your UVB light so baby gets proper UVB levels every day. I'm suggesting more plants near the top because the current set up, while looks freaking fantastic near the bottom, is quite bare in the middle/top area. Chameleons need leafy places to hide and feel secure and many many sticks to move around their enclosure. I'll attach a picture of one of my enclosures to help give you an idea of what you are needing. I know Neptune the Chameleon has a video on how to attach more branches in your enclosure as well, I'd suggest checking it out if you need ideas or many of us on here have a lot of creative ways to attach branches too so just let us know what questions you have :)
- Lastly I strongly suggest getting him tested for parasites. You'll need a good exotic vet with chameleon care experience. I'll attach a spreadsheet with recommended vets, hopefully you can find one near you. If not let us know and we can help you find one.
Oh ok thank you and I have a temperature and humidity gauge that I use just don’t keep them inside the enclosure thank you for the recommendations. He is not in a very high traffic area I will definitely add more plants and keep the blinds closed. And hopefully find a vet nearby.
 
It seems like you take care of him well and have all the right supplements and lighting/cage and everything like that seems correct. I’m not sure if I have any advice on this one you should get him scheduled to be seen by the vet you would expect to pay anywhere between $100-$200 usually to get him diagnosed and it could be more if he needs some meds it could be anything such as parasites or things we can’t diagnose from just viewing the chameleon. I’d also double check his temps at night near that window it’s cold this time of year and windows get very cold at night which if he gets to cold possible could have developed an RI which could explain his sleeping during the day and eye problems but that’s just a suggestion I’ve got no clue.
Thank you I also wrapped my windows so the cold air would stay outside during this time of year
 
Oh ok thank you and I have a temperature and humidity gauge that I use just don’t keep them inside the enclosure thank you for the recommendations. He is not in a very high traffic area I will definitely add more plants and keep the blinds closed. And hopefully find a vet nearby.
Yeah definitely find an experienced exotic reptile vet their might not be one near you where your located but most of us on this forum have had to travel to see an exotic reptile vet. They will properly diagnose what is wrong with him, since it seems like everything you’re doing for his care is right unfortunately that means you should definitely take him to the vet because if your doing everything right and he still isn’t healthy their is something deeply wrong with his health that will remain unknown until a professional diagnosis him.
 
I also had a question about this I got it when I ordered the calcium without d3 from the seller as a mistake in their end. Was wondering if when I run out of the reptivite this would be just as good or is this totally unusable
 

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Oh ok thank you and I have a temperature and humidity gauge that I use just don’t keep them inside the enclosure thank you for the recommendations. He is not in a very high traffic area I will definitely add more plants and keep the blinds closed. And hopefully find a vet nearby.
I use the Govee hygrometers found here. I like them because they hook to your phone through bluetooth and wifi so you know what your temps and humidity levels are at at all times. You obviously don't have to get these, but you will want something inside your enclosure that is reliable because if your temps are off it can cause health problems.

Please let us know things go and how else we can support you!
 
Update : so I went to the vet she said he’s probably anemic and dehydrated which came from before I got him and he’s most likely going to die within two weeks she said I should try and force feed him and if he gets better bring him back but for right now she gave him 2 vitamin shots :(
 
I’m so sorry. Baby doesn’t look to be in terrible shape, do you mind sharing who you took him to? sometimes it can be hard to find a vet that has good chameleon care experience. I’m hoping there might still be something you can do. @Beman @MissSkittles @kinyonga what do you all think?
 
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