Eye infection?

[Svendar]

My juvenile female veiled chameleon has been having eye trouble lately. I took her to the vet about a week ago and they gave me some suggestions and gave her some sort of injection, but they told me they couldn't do any other tests because she was so small. This morning she woke up and she was rubbing her eyes against vines and her eye turret looks really bad. I'm going to take her to the vet again, but I get the feeling they know a lot about reptiles but not enough about chameleons (they suggest I give her baths when she's shedding and a basking spot with temperature of 95 degrees, etc.). Does anyone know what this could be?

 

[Beman]

My juvenile female veiled chameleon has been having eye trouble lately. I took her to the vet about a week ago and they gave me some suggestions and gave her some sort of injection, but they told me they couldn't do any other tests because she was so small. This morning she woke up and she was rubbing her eyes against vines and her eye turret looks really bad. I'm going to take her to the vet again, but I get the feeling they know a lot about reptiles but not enough about chameleons (they suggest I give her baths when she's shedding and a basking spot with temperature of 95 degrees, etc.). Does anyone know what this could be?

Hey there... I see a few things. One the jungle vines your using are not recommended for chams. The coating when they rub on them comes off and can get into their eyes. Get flukers fake vines or real branches from non sap producing trees.
Second she is shedding as well so this means she is actively rubbing her eyes.

third in that pic she is rotating her turret which means she is trying to clean it. Something may be stuck in or it may just be her trying to clean her eye.

The vet with what they suggested does not know husbandry for chams. I would find a better exotic vet with cham experience.

Did you start making the changes that @MissSkittles suggested in your husbandry review?

 

[Svendar]

Yes I have. I did not know that about the vines, I'll have to get those switched. Yes, I made all the changes she suggested. Do you think the problem will be fixed once I change the vines?

 

[Svendar]

Hey there... I see a few things. One the jungle vines your using are not recommended for chams. The coating when they rub on them comes off and can get into their eyes. Get flukers fake vines or real branches from non sap producing trees.
Second she is shedding as well so this means she is actively rubbing her eyes.

third in that pic she is rotating her turret which means she is trying to clean it. Something may be stuck in or it may just be her trying to clean her eye.

The vet with what they suggested does not know husbandry for chams. I would find a better exotic vet with cham experience.

Did you start making the changes that @MissSkittles suggested in your husbandry review?

Are you talking about fluker bend-a-branch?

 

[Beman]

Yes I have. I did not know that about the vines, I'll have to get those switched. Yes, I made all the changes she suggested. Do you think the problem will be fixed once I change the vines?

Are you talking about fluker bend-a-branch?

Yes the flukers bed a branch. Get them in multiple sizes so there are different grips for baby. I would say the small and medium diameters for how young this one is.

Tell me how about how you are doing your misting sessions?

 

[Svendar]

Yes the flukers bed a branch. Get them in multiple sizes so there are different grips for baby. I would say the small and medium diameters for how young this one is.

Tell me how about how you are doing your misting sessions?

Right now I don't have a misting system. I hand mist at night right before I turn the lights off, then I turn on the fogger on low throughout the night. Her cage is just under 100% humidity at night. Then I hand mist again when she wakes up. Humidity is around 50-60 percent throughout the day.

 

[Beman]

Right now I don't have a misting system. I hand mist at night right before I turn the lights off, then I turn on the fogger on low throughout the night. Her cage is just under 100% humidity at night. Then I hand mist again when she wakes up. Humidity is around 50-60 percent throughout the day.

Ok so for humidity daytime levels should be 30-50% so yours are sitting a little high right now. Night time it can be up to 100% as long as there is air circulation and temps are cool like under 68 degrees. If they are warmer it is creating hot humid air which can lead to a respiratory infection. Make sure you are hand misting for a good 2 minutes. This is where a misting system is better to have because they produce a fine mist and your not standing there doing it. I would add a dripper to the cage during the day dripping on the plants below. So baby has the opportunity to drink when needed. This can be done easily with a plastic solo cup that you poke tiny pin holes in the bottom of. Set this on the cage add ice cubes for a slow drip or water.

Can you post a pic of the entire cage for me including the lights on top. This will help me to see any other things that stand out.

 

[Svendar]

Ok so for humidity daytime levels should be 30-50% so yours are sitting a little high right now. Night time it can be up to 100% as long as there is air circulation and temps are cool like under 68 degrees. If they are warmer it is creating hot humid air which can lead to a respiratory infection. Make sure you are hand misting for a good 2 minutes. This is where a misting system is better to have because they produce a fine mist and your not standing there doing it. I would add a dripper to the cage during the day dripping on the plants below. So baby has the opportunity to drink when needed. This can be done easily with a plastic solo cup that you poke tiny pin holes in the bottom of. Set this on the cage add ice cubes for a slow drip or water.

Can you post a pic of the entire cage for me including the lights on top. This will help me to see any other things that stand out.

I’ll make sure to add a dripper and get a misting system soon.

 

[Beman]

I’ll make sure to add a dripper and get a misting system soon.

Ok so the stand is good to get the heat up...

When you put in the new vines I want you to measure 8-9 inches down from the screen top and not have any go any higher than that. This will keep the vines in the right distance for UVB and heat. Baby can get a little higher than I would like to see due to heat and uvb which is dangerous. Your using the 6% uvb bulb right?

Pull the digital reader out and get a temp gauge with a probe. Zoomed makes one. Hook this in below the heat fixture at the branch. Use a small zip tie to do so. This will give you accurate temps below the heat. Should be no hotter than 78-80 for this young baby.

You can use floral wire to attach all the vines. Just make sure the sharps are not inside the cage.

I would pull the film off the door and only have it on the sides and back this will help balance humidity and provide better airflow.

 

[Svendar]

Ok so the stand is good to get the heat up...

When you put in the new vines I want you to measure 8-9 inches down from the screen top and not have any go any higher than that. This will keep the vines in the right distance for UVB and heat. Baby can get a little higher than I would like to see due to heat and uvb which is dangerous. Your using the 6% uvb bulb right?

Pull the digital reader out and get a temp gauge with a probe. Zoomed makes one. Hook this in below the heat fixture at the branch. Use a small zip tie to do so. This will give you accurate temps below the heat. Should be no hotter than 78-80 for this young baby.

You can use floral wire to attach all the vines. Just make sure the sharps are not inside the cage.

I would pull the film off the door and only have it on the sides and back this will help balance humidity and provide better airflow.

Should I put the vines lower or raise the lights higher? I can find a way to raise both the UVB and heat if needed. The box on the UVB bulb I got doesn't say anything about percent. It's a T5 10.0 UVB bulb. It's what the vet recommended I get her, should I change it? I have a probe thermometer already, I mostly am using the digital one for the hygrometer. Is it bad to have that in the enclosure?

 

[Beman]

Should I put the vines lower or raise the lights higher? I can find a way to raise both the UVB and heat if needed. The box on the UVB bulb I got doesn't say anything about percent. It's a T5 10.0 UVB bulb. It's what the vet recommended I get her, should I change it? I have a probe thermometer already, I mostly am using the digital one for the hygrometer. Is it bad to have that in the enclosure?

Ohhhh ok... That is going to be different then. You need to raise that 10.0 bulb up. Wayyy too high of an exposure where she is at with that bulb strength. So what you need to do is raise it off the top. I would still drop the vines to 8-9 inches but you will also raise the UVB fixture 4 inches off the top this will give you a total distance which is correct.

Let me know if baby is screen climbing the top though because then you have to do it differently.

The digital one can get messed up in the cage moisture can break them.