Chameleons right eye problem

EthanB23

New Member
I got my Veiled a little over a week ago, and when I got him I could already tell his right eye was bothering him. He’s been rubbing it on various things in his enclosure. A few days ago it started to almost look like his right eye was shedding and the eye was also sunken back into his head. Now today I woke up and his eye is even worse to the point where he can barely keep it open, I’m not sure if he can even see out of it. I know a vet, but he rarely works with reptiles so he doesn’t know a lot about chameleons. He gave me eye drops to try and flush out his eye if there’s anything Irritating it. What’s also strange is that his left eye looks completely normal. This is the first chameleon I owned so I’m kinda learning this as I go. I was just wondering if anyone has an idea of what might be going on, and if so what to do?
4765B698-CCB6-4B5B-9E86-CD229832AA25.jpeg
 
Awwww poor baby is getting hurt rubbing it too. Fill this out with detail so we can review your husbandry. And post pics of the entire cage including the lights on the top.

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: Reggie is a Veiled chameleon. I’m not sure what sex. Reggie is about 2 months old. I’ve only had him for about a week and a half.

Handling: I’ve been trying to leave him be since I just got him a little over a week ago. I’ve occasionally held him and taken him outside (I live in Florida so it’s very hot and humid here). Majority of the time though he’s just been in his enclosure.

Feeding: I feed him every morning and every night. I started off giving him nanny crickets which he didn’t seem to like. I had him eating mostly meal worms for a few days. I just recently got him adult crickets and wax worms which he seems to really like. Since he’s a baby he can only eat about 3-4 for the large crickets, but when I feed him wax/meal worms he can eat about 6. I’m not to sure about what it means to gut load the feeders. Like I said I’ve only had him for a week but I’m definitely going to look into this.

Supplements: right now I’ve been using calcium every other day and a multivitamin everyday.

watering: I mist in the morning and at night for 2.5 minutes. Then throughout the day I might about 3-4 times for about a minute to keep the humidity up and to make sure he’s able to drink. It’s rare to see him drink, but I have seen him drink a couple of times.

Fecal description: Dark brown and moist looking with white/cream colored ends. From what I know Reggie hasn’t been tested for any parasites yet.

history: I wasn’t really told anything about reggies past when I got him. All I know is the day I got him and brought him home, I noticed his right eye was already bothering him. He was itching his eye the first day I had him.


Cage: 16x16x30 screen cage

lighting: I have 2 different zoo med brand lights for his enclosure. I have a 10.0 uvb light and a 100 mw basking light. I also have a T5 high output heat lamp to help with the warmth. I have the lights on from about 10 am til about 10-11pm.

Temperature: the temp at the top of the cage where he is most of the time is 85°F-90°F throughout the day. The bottom part of his cage is 76-82 in the day. At night when I turn the lights of the temp drops to about 75°F. I measure the temps with 2 digital thermometers at the top and near the bottom of the cage.

Humidity: the humidity throughout the day is between 50-60 during the day, then drops to about 48 at night when I’m not spraying. I use a misting bottle several times a day to keep the humidity in the cage. I also have a pothos plant and moss at the bottom of the cage to help keep the humidity levels. I measure with a digital hydrometer.

Live plants: I only have one live plants right now and it’s a Pothos plant. I plan to add more soon though.

Cage location: I have the cage in my room on a table next to a window. I do have a fan and an air vent in my room, but the cage isn’t very close to either of them. The top of the cage is about 4 feet off of the ground.

Location: I’m in Florida and the temperature is 90° and the

Problem: I got my Veiled a little over a week ago, and when I got him I could already tell his right eye was bothering him. He’s been rubbing it on various things in his enclosure. A few days ago it started to almost look like his right eye was shedding and the eye was also sunken back into his head. Now today I woke up and his eye is even worse to the point where he can barely keep it open, I’m not sure if he can even see out of it. I know a vet, but he rarely works with reptiles so he doesn’t know a lot about chameleons. He gave me eye drops to try and flush out his eye if there’s anything Irritating it. What’s also strange is that his left eye looks completely normal. This is the first chameleon I owned so I’m kinda learning this as I go. I was just wondering if anyone has an idea of what might be going on, and if so what to do?
FC8F0EC1-8394-43FD-92D1-CC7F01E585D0.jpeg

06952963-A209-4D75-8BF7-AD5FE9EF3D89.jpeg

D439DDD9-BF3A-46D7-B506-6071C1D6DC1F.jpeg
 
Since the eye was bothering it when you first got it, you should talk to the person you bought it from. They shouldn't have sold you one with something wrong with it at the time of purchase.

Please post a couple more photos of the chameleon so I can see all of it from the side without the screen in the way and one more of it's bad eye please.
 
Last edited:
Since the eye was bothering it when toy dpfor it, you should talk to the person you bought it from. They shouldn't have sold you one with something wrong with it at the time of purchase.

Please post a couple more photos of the chameleon so I can see all of it from the side without the screen in the way and one more of it's bad eye please.
Hi thanks for responding I just got off work and Reggie is sleeping right now so I don’t want to bother her. I’ll post some more pictures of Reggie first thing in the morning.
 
Is his /her left hand swollen?
The eye looks like it has little pieces of shed along the edge of it. It could be that they're s some shed stuck in the eye and it will need to be flushed out by a vet.
 
@EthanB23 See my feedback in bold.

My chameleon: Reggie is a Veiled chameleon. I’m not sure what sex. Reggie is about 2 months old. I’ve only had him for about a week and a half. Looks older than 2 months based on the size of the cham in that 16 inch wide cage. Where did you get it from?

Handling: I’ve been trying to leave him be since I just got him a little over a week ago. I’ve occasionally held him and taken him outside (I live in Florida so it’s very hot and humid here). Majority of the time though he’s just been in his enclosure.

Feeding: I feed him every morning and every night. I started off giving him nanny crickets which he didn’t seem to like. I had him eating mostly meal worms for a few days. I just recently got him adult crickets and wax worms which he seems to really like. Since he’s a baby he can only eat about 3-4 for the large crickets, but when I feed him wax/meal worms he can eat about 6. I’m not to sure about what it means to gut load the feeders. Like I said I’ve only had him for a week but I’m definitely going to look into this. Adult crickets are going to be too large. You should not feed at night only in the mornings. 3-4 really isnt much. Guessing based on size you have a 3-4 month old cham. They eat more like 10-12 easy a day. Mealworms should not be fed and waxworms are only a treat. Adding the feeder and gutload image below.

Supplements: right now I’ve been using calcium every other day and a multivitamin everyday. So more then likely you are overdosing on D3. Are you using what came with the chameleon kit? Please take pics of your supplements. Calcium without D3 every feeding except 2 times a month you will use a multivitamin with D3 on say the 1st and the 15th.

watering: I mist in the morning and at night for 2.5 minutes. Then throughout the day I might about 3-4 times for about a minute to keep the humidity up and to make sure he’s able to drink. It’s rare to see him drink, but I have seen him drink a couple of times. Add a dripper to the cage. A solo plastic cup with tiny pin holes in the bottom. Add ice cubes for a slow drip or water for a faster drip. This should be set on the screen right over plants.

Fecal description: Dark brown and moist looking with white/cream colored ends. From what I know Reggie hasn’t been tested for any parasites yet. Always a good idea to get a fecal test.

history: I wasn’t really told anything about reggies past when I got him. All I know is the day I got him and brought him home, I noticed his right eye was already bothering him. He was itching his eye the first day I had him.


Cage: 16x16x30 screen cage this will need to be upgraded to a 2x2x4 ft cage in the next month or so.

lighting: I have 2 different zoo med brand lights for his enclosure. I have a 10.0 uvb light and a 100 mw basking light. I also have a T5 high output heat lamp to help with the warmth. I have the lights on from about 10 am til about 10-11pm. So if your using the compact UVB screw in bulb you can remove this. What strength UVB light is the T5?

Temperature: the temp at the top of the cage where he is most of the time is 85°F-90°F throughout the day. The bottom part of his cage is 76-82 in the day. At night when I turn the lights of the temp drops to about 75°F. I measure the temps with 2 digital thermometers at the top and near the bottom of the cage. Too hot at basking. 80-85 max end. If female can not be hotter then 78-80. You need a larger temp drop at night. Try to get down to at least 65. 75 is still too warm.

Humidity: the humidity throughout the day is between 50-60 during the day, then drops to about 48 at night when I’m not spraying. I use a misting bottle several times a day to keep the humidity in the cage. I also have a pothos plant and moss at the bottom of the cage to help keep the humidity levels. I measure with a digital hydrometer. Your looking for a range of 30-50% during the day. At night if temps are below 67 then you can increase humidity.

Live plants: I only have one live plants right now and it’s a Pothos plant. I plan to add more soon though. Good this is important. All fake must go they are an impaction risk. see the veiled tested plants at this link. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chameleon-Plants-061321.pdf

Cage location: I have the cage in my room on a table next to a window. I do have a fan and an air vent in my room, but the cage isn’t very close to either of them. The top of the cage is about 4 feet off of the ground.

Location: I’m in Florida and the temperature is 90° and the

Problem: I got my Veiled a little over a week ago, and when I got him I could already tell his right eye was bothering him. He’s been rubbing it on various things in his enclosure. A few days ago it started to almost look like his right eye was shedding and the eye was also sunken back into his head. Now today I woke up and his eye is even worse to the point where he can barely keep it open, I’m not sure if he can even see out of it. I know a vet, but he rarely works with reptiles so he doesn’t know a lot about chameleons. He gave me eye drops to try and flush out his eye if there’s anything Irritating it. What’s also strange is that his left eye looks completely normal. This is the first chameleon I owned so I’m kinda learning this as I go. I was just wondering if anyone has an idea of what might be... Eye issues should be seen by a reptile vet. Could be something stuck in the eye turret which would require flushing it out.

Start reading all of this husbandry program it will help you correct and learn what your needing to provide. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

It will be important to ID the gender. Females have strict feeding and temps to help control how many eggs they lay.
Males have a spur on the back of the back foot. This would be small on a baby. If female it is totally smooth where the tarsal spur would be.

Tarsal spur1.jpg tarsal Spur2.jpg


chameleon-gutload.jpg
chameleon-food(1).jpg




 
Since the eye was bothering it when you first got it, you should talk to the person you bought it from. They shouldn't have sold you one with something wrong with it at the time of purchase.

Please post a couple more photos of the chameleon so I can see all of it from the side without the screen in the way and one more of it's bad eye please.
8C075E18-D109-4831-96D3-C3F79E8E55E6.jpeg

49AF7F24-B5F6-434C-9DEA-F5A0D2C9BA73.jpeg

A400B294-5959-4A89-A577-229893C03AF9.jpeg
 
Is his /her left hand swollen?
The eye looks like it has little pieces of shed along the edge of it. It could be that they're s some shed stuck in the eye and it will need to be flushed out by a vet.
I think you’re right I think it’s shed in his eye. I woke up today and he’s completely shedding now. Is there any way to get the shed out without going to the vet?
 
You just have to be so careful around eyes. I wouldn’t want to try to remove stuck shed around a chams eye! I do think it needs a vet for that.
 
@EthanB23 See my feedback in bold.

My chameleon: Reggie is a Veiled chameleon. I’m not sure what sex. Reggie is about 2 months old. I’ve only had him for about a week and a half. Looks older than 2 months based on the size of the cham in that 16 inch wide cage. Where did you get it from?

Handling: I’ve been trying to leave him be since I just got him a little over a week ago. I’ve occasionally held him and taken him outside (I live in Florida so it’s very hot and humid here). Majority of the time though he’s just been in his enclosure.

Feeding: I feed him every morning and every night. I started off giving him nanny crickets which he didn’t seem to like. I had him eating mostly meal worms for a few days. I just recently got him adult crickets and wax worms which he seems to really like. Since he’s a baby he can only eat about 3-4 for the large crickets, but when I feed him wax/meal worms he can eat about 6. I’m not to sure about what it means to gut load the feeders. Like I said I’ve only had him for a week but I’m definitely going to look into this. Adult crickets are going to be too large. You should not feed at night only in the mornings. 3-4 really isnt much. Guessing based on size you have a 3-4 month old cham. They eat more like 10-12 easy a day. Mealworms should not be fed and waxworms are only a treat. Adding the feeder and gutload image below.

Supplements: right now I’ve been using calcium every other day and a multivitamin everyday. So more then likely you are overdosing on D3. Are you using what came with the chameleon kit? Please take pics of your supplements. Calcium without D3 every feeding except 2 times a month you will use a multivitamin with D3 on say the 1st and the 15th.

watering: I mist in the morning and at night for 2.5 minutes. Then throughout the day I might about 3-4 times for about a minute to keep the humidity up and to make sure he’s able to drink. It’s rare to see him drink, but I have seen him drink a couple of times. Add a dripper to the cage. A solo plastic cup with tiny pin holes in the bottom. Add ice cubes for a slow drip or water for a faster drip. This should be set on the screen right over plants.

Fecal description: Dark brown and moist looking with white/cream colored ends. From what I know Reggie hasn’t been tested for any parasites yet. Always a good idea to get a fecal test.

history: I wasn’t really told anything about reggies past when I got him. All I know is the day I got him and brought him home, I noticed his right eye was already bothering him. He was itching his eye the first day I had him.


Cage: 16x16x30 screen cage this will need to be upgraded to a 2x2x4 ft cage in the next month or so.

lighting: I have 2 different zoo med brand lights for his enclosure. I have a 10.0 uvb light and a 100 mw basking light. I also have a T5 high output heat lamp to help with the warmth. I have the lights on from about 10 am til about 10-11pm. So if your using the compact UVB screw in bulb you can remove this. What strength UVB light is the T5?

Temperature: the temp at the top of the cage where he is most of the time is 85°F-90°F throughout the day. The bottom part of his cage is 76-82 in the day. At night when I turn the lights of the temp drops to about 75°F. I measure the temps with 2 digital thermometers at the top and near the bottom of the cage. Too hot at basking. 80-85 max end. If female can not be hotter then 78-80. You need a larger temp drop at night. Try to get down to at least 65. 75 is still too warm.

Humidity: the humidity throughout the day is between 50-60 during the day, then drops to about 48 at night when I’m not spraying. I use a misting bottle several times a day to keep the humidity in the cage. I also have a pothos plant and moss at the bottom of the cage to help keep the humidity levels. I measure with a digital hydrometer. Your looking for a range of 30-50% during the day. At night if temps are below 67 then you can increase humidity.

Live plants: I only have one live plants right now and it’s a Pothos plant. I plan to add more soon though. Good this is important. All fake must go they are an impaction risk. see the veiled tested plants at this link. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chameleon-Plants-061321.pdf

Cage location: I have the cage in my room on a table next to a window. I do have a fan and an air vent in my room, but the cage isn’t very close to either of them. The top of the cage is about 4 feet off of the ground.

Location: I’m in Florida and the temperature is 90° and the

Problem: I got my Veiled a little over a week ago, and when I got him I could already tell his right eye was bothering him. He’s been rubbing it on various things in his enclosure. A few days ago it started to almost look like his right eye was shedding and the eye was also sunken back into his head. Now today I woke up and his eye is even worse to the point where he can barely keep it open, I’m not sure if he can even see out of it. I know a vet, but he rarely works with reptiles so he doesn’t know a lot about chameleons. He gave me eye drops to try and flush out his eye if there’s anything Irritating it. What’s also strange is that his left eye looks completely normal. This is the first chameleon I owned so I’m kinda learning this as I go. I was just wondering if anyone has an idea of what might be... Eye issues should be seen by a reptile vet. Could be something stuck in the eye turret which would require flushing it out.

Start reading all of this husbandry program it will help you correct and learn what your needing to provide. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

It will be important to ID the gender. Females have strict feeding and temps to help control how many eggs they lay.
Males have a spur on the back of the back foot. This would be small on a baby. If female it is totally smooth where the tarsal spur would be.

View attachment 308401View attachment 308402


View attachment 308399View attachment 308400
So I’ve been putting drops in his eye everyday and now his eye isn’t sunken in anymore. The eye is also moving around normally like his left eye is. The only problem now is he is still squinting his eye and I don’t know if he can see.
 

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So I’ve been putting drops in his eye everyday and now his eye isn’t sunken in anymore. The eye is also moving around normally like his left eye is. The only problem now is he is still squinting his eye and I don’t know if he can see.
This is why I suggested a Vet and why I also asked you other questions in your husbandry form. But you never responded. We are not Vets here. We know our husbandry and can help make yours perfect but when it comes to health issues if we say go to a vet we generally mean it.
 
He really does need to see a vet. You wouldn’t wait around if you had an eye issue right? We’re not trying to be mean, we just want you to realize the seriousness of the issue. I hope he feels better soon. I think you have done all you can do alone.
 
This is why I suggested a Vet and why I also asked you other questions in your husbandry form. But you never responded. We are not Vets here. We know our husbandry and can help make yours perfect but when it comes to health issues if we say go to a vet we generally mean it.
This is why I suggested a Vet and why I also asked you other questions in your husbandry form. But you never responded. We are not Vets here. We know our husbandry and can help make yours perfect but when it comes to health issues if we say go to a vet we generally mean it.
I know and I apologize for not responding I didn’t mean to. I’m a full time student and I work most days so I don’t have a lot of free time. I am planning on taking him to a vet but the closest reptile vet is about an hour drive so I have to have the time. I understand you guys aren’t vets, but I do know most of the people on here are a lot more experienced than I am. I really do appreciate the help you’ve given me so far though, it’s really helped me out. I am taking him to the vet by the end of the week.
 
Call for an apt sooner rather than later because it seems they all book up fast. If you wait til the end of the week to call it’ll probably be another week before they can see you.
 
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