Chameleon resting her eyes?

Edamame

Member
Hi! I have a rescue chameleon, not sure of the age but she’s definitely ready to lay. I’ve got a laying bin set up and she’s explored it a couple of times. She doesn’t look much bigger than normal, but today I came home from work and she was resting her eyes. She doesn’t eat as much as she used to, it’s been like this for at least two days. (Her eating habits) Her eyes are cracked open a bit and she follows me around the room with them. I don’t know what’s wrong. Any advice?
 

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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, female. Not sure how old she is, she’s a rescue. She’s been in my care for a month and a half.
  • Handling - Maybe 2 times a week, she usually sticks out her arms if I’m close enough.
  • Feeding - Superworms, mealworms, Dubia roaches, crickets. Definitely depends on the day but I feed her 2-3 superworms, 4-6 crickets, 4-6 Dubia (they’re super small), 4-6 mealworms. I make sure to gut load her food w orange cube or this Mazuri gut-load powder I got. And then with leftover veggies from my meals. Superworms are more of a treat and not an everyday thing.
  • Supplements - I dust her food about twice a week with Repta Calcium and sometimes with Repta Calcium w D3. Other than that, the mazuri gut loading food covers a lot of the vitamins she needs.
  • Watering - I use both a fogger and a handheld spray bottle to mist her, I work quite a bit so I turn the fogger on if I know I’m not gonna be there when she’s up. My timer goes on for about 2 hours but I have the fogger on the lowest setting. I see her drink whenever I spray her, when I’m gone of course I can’t but I assume she is.
  • Fecal Description - Light brown with white. Never tested for parasites.
  • History - Her previous owners wouldn’t feed her for weeks and would forget about her. She was very pale in color when I first found her, almost white. They kept her in one of the glass enclosures with little to no plants.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Mesh screen enclosure, 30x16x16 (I work at a pet store and that’s the biggest I could find in such a short time)
  • Lighting - Zoo Med double light, 10 uvb and a daylight heat bulb. Her lights turn on from 7 to 7
  • Temperature - 90 to 70, lowest overnight is probably 69. I measure using a thermometer.
  • Humidity - 60-80 percent humidity. There are no fans going on in the room where she is and the vents aren’t pointing towards her.
  • Plants - She has a couple of pothos in her enclosure, I was a little worried to put anything else as I’ve heard way too many disapproving opinions on which plants.
  • Placement -Not near any fans or vents, she gets some natural sunlight through the window but she isn’t terribly close so she doesn’t get the draft. Her enclosure is set on a 3 foot table in the corner, she’s in my bedroom but I’m hardly ever in there. So there’s little to no traffic.
  • Location - Goodyear, Arizona.
 
Hi. Chams don’t ‘rest their eyes’ at any time during the day. Having eyes closed during the day is a warning sign that something is wrong.
Had you made the changes I suggested when I reviewed your husbandry, specifically getting the T5 uvb light and giving the calcium without D3 at every feeding and the ReptiVite with D3 once every other week?
Can you tell me more about her lay bin? How big is it? What substrate are you using in it? How deep is it? Has she started digging at all?
 
Hi. Chams don’t ‘rest their eyes’ at any time during the day. Having eyes closed during the day is a warning sign that something is wrong.
Had you made the changes I suggested when I reviewed your husbandry, specifically getting the T5 uvb light and giving the calcium without D3 at every feeding and the ReptiVite with D3 once every other week?
Can you tell me more about her lay bin? How big is it? What substrate are you using in it? How deep is it? Has she started digging at all?
I got the t5 uvb but there was something wrong with it and it wouldn’t turn back on so I returned it, I’m waiting for the other one to come in. She’s using her old one for now. And yes, I did what you said with the calcium. Her lay bin is 6 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches in length. I’m using coconut soil substrate, not sure exactly the name. She explored it a few times, I walked in on her digging and she hurried up and went to the top. So I cover the bottom half so she has her privacy.
 
Coco coir is too loose to be good for a lay bin…it can’t hold any form. Play sand or organic soil is much better and when moistened enough can hold a tunnel without collapsing. If you can switch it out tonight without disturbing her, then go ahead. Otherwise, keep the lower half of her enclosure covered and if she is in her bin, don’t disturb her or let her see anyone until she’s laid all of her eggs and covered all of her tunnels. If she’s disturbed or sees anyone, she’ll stop digging and can get eggbound. As it is, because of the crappy care she received before you rescued her, she may need veterinary help to lay her eggs. Is best to be prepared and have a vet picked out. If you need help finding a good one with experience with chameleons, we may be able to help.
 
Coco coir is too loose to be good for a lay bin…it can’t hold any form. Play sand or organic soil is much better and when moistened enough can hold a tunnel without collapsing. If you can switch it out tonight without disturbing her, then go ahead. Otherwise, keep the lower half of her enclosure covered and if she is in her bin, don’t disturb her or let her see anyone until she’s laid all of her eggs and covered all of her tunnels. If she’s disturbed or sees anyone, she’ll stop digging and can get eggbound. As it is, because of the crappy care she received before you rescued her, she may need veterinary help to lay her eggs. Is best to be prepared and have a vet picked out. If you need help finding a good one with experience with chameleons, we may be able to help.
Would the pro t5 uvb Arcadia be good enough? I think it’s a 12%?
 
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