emma_5774
Member
I have a 3 year old male panther chameleon who had an ulcer in his left eye when I first got him. Thankfully we got him on medications and ointments that were able to treat it but unfortunately the ulcer was in his eye for a long time and it seems to have damaged his vision some. This has already made it difficult to feed him because it is hard for him to aim at the food. I have tried bowls but he doesn't seem to understand it. Recently I have noticed he is becoming more scared of me when I reach my hand in to feed or even try and handle him. I have stopped handling him entirely in hopes of resolving this issue but he still gets very scared. I will sometimes be able to get 1 or 2 worms in him before he randomly freaks out and runs away. He doesn't just turn around and walk away, he almost starts swaying while trying to run from me. I haven't been able to catch this on video but I can try if you want a visual. The only other option I can think of to feed him would be to hold him down and force feed and I don't want to do that since he is already so scared of me. I don't want to freak him out more by holding him down and prying his mouth open. Does anyone have any tips or advice on what I can do? Could this be a sign that something is going on and he doesn't feel good? Any help is greatly appreciated!! I am so scared and I don't want my baby to starve.
And I too have been recommended the shooting gallery and am getting one. I think (from what I’ve seen) its a great option for feeding!
If this might help: his basking spot normally is at 86-92. This is quite hot, don't let his basking branch get any hotter than 80 degrees. and the cooler areas of his cage range about 73-76. This is perfect! His humidity is normally at 50-60%. This is great during the day, good job! Do you know humidity at night?. The vet told me to use a fogger to raise it more but i noticed it would get pink slime in it after every use and it was very difficult to clean. So high humidity and high temperatures can create a respiratory infection. Don't fog during the day, only at night and only if your night time temps get below 68 degrees. I spray his cage down for 2 minutes morning and night. This is perfect, you can also poke a hole in a water bottle or solo cup, put it on top of the enclosure so it drips slowly over a leaf and that can be a great drinking opportunity for him in the middle of the day. I also give him frequent "showers" (i put him on a branch and let the shower head hit the wall so some water gets on him but it mainly just gets very humid). I would not recommend doing this, its hard to gage what temp of water is too hot or cold for him. If you are misting his enclosure you shouldn't need to do this at all honestly. His humidity is perfect during the day too so really no need, this will just cause him unnecessary stress. I want to get a misting system but I am nervous of running into the same issue that I am having with the fogger. What kind of water are you using? Any tips/ criticism is very appreciated! I just want to help my baby in any way I can
: I know of several chameleons including mine with a superworm addiction. They will go on hunger strikes for those until they give up. Superworms should be fed as treat bugs so maybe try and give him those as treats and dubias and crickets as staple feeders. 
