Eye problem fixed

[djfishygillz]

So my female ambilobe is adjusted to her new cage. She had one eye closed for a few days. Her eye was pretty much deflated and closed. I upped the misting and supplemented her with vitamin A, just two drops that I extracted from vit. A fish oil pills. PROBLEM SOLVED. It only took 3 days and her eye is back in action. I just figured it would be a nice change up to hear some positive advice for the health clinic for once and to pass on some knowledge to other people who have chams with eye problems. It is important to make sure not to do more than one or two drops though because the vit. A can harm the chameleons. I just thought this would be useful because chams eyes seem to have so many problems.

 

[SamanthaElle]

I love this post!



Good to hear!
My cham and health drama is resolved too

 

[Johnny84]

We were thinking of trying this, how would you recommend giving them the drops? Mixed with water or straight in their mouth and how often??

Thanks!

 

[KatiLemons]

So you just used 2 drops from a fish oil pill? How did you give it to your cham? I have heard on here that you can inject feeders with vitamins?! Your right about not hearing too many positive things in the health clinic!

 

[JackP308]

thats good to hear, but how do you know that is really what helped cure the problem?



reason I say that is I have seen chams closing one eye for 2 days straight and all the sudden be back to normal after few days. With nothing more than heavy long misting outside.

 

[djfishygillz]

thats good to hear, but how do you know that is really what helped cure the problem?



reason I say that is I have seen chams closing one eye for 2 days straight and all the sudden be back to normal after few days. With nothing more than heavy long misting outside.

This was a more milder case. I have had some of my chams eyes nearly totally shut down and swell up and eye rub and all. Then once I supplement with the vitamin A it has always cleared it up without spending 300 dollars at the vet. What I do is poke a hole in a vit A fish oil pill, and get a baby tube dropped and suck it up and drop about two drops into the chams mouth for 5 or so days straight. It has always cleared up

 

[suzi]

I poke a hole in the gel tablet and squeeze a drop onto a feeder right before feeding

 

[djfishygillz]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I poke a hole in the gel tablet and squeeze a drop onto a feeder right before feeding

also a smart idea

 

[Seeco]

Nice, thanks for the intel.

 

[Hoj]

i cant express how much i believe in vit a, esspically with eye and tounge issues but its a tricky topic on here... great job

jmo
hoj

 

[Chameleon Company]

Glad it worked. I would caution against whole drops of anything oil though. See below.

Possible Vitamin A Deficiency in Panther Chameleons, Symptoms and Solutions

By The Chameleon Company, LLC


Vitamin A deficiency is a common malady in LTC Panther chameleons, either with WC or CB origins. This stems from the chameleon's inability to synthesize real Vitamin A from common precursors, such as beta-carotene. This can be confusing when evaluating supplements, as many dry supplements list Vitamin A content, but only as the precursor, beta-carotene, and not as “pre-formed”, or in essence, real Vitamin A.

While lack of Vitamin A effects many aspects of chameleon health, the usual first observed symptom is the appearance of an unexplained eye irritation, manifested in difficulties in keeping first one eye open, and after a few days, both eyes are affected. In most cases, the eyes will not appear sunken, or in any other way mis-shaped initially, although secondary problems, such as an infection, can follow. The usual initial observation is that it is causing irritation to the chameleon, and that it can't keep the eye open as normal. It occurs more often in larger animals, but sometimes occurs in larger juveniles. In some cases the eye may appear as swollen. Successfully hatched chameleons seem to be born with a supply of Vitamin A, an essential ingredient for successful embryonic development, and fresh WC’s seem to be imported with a supply. Mother Nature seems able to provide this vitamin without problem. Without some real vitamin A in their diet, these stores will deplete. It is a difficult vitamin for the hobbyist to gut-load via crickets and insects though, and such attempts are usually ineffective in our experience.

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, as is Vitamin E. It is most commonly sold in gel caps, with each gel cap containing approximately three drops of an oil solvent. It is available on-line from many suppliers, or is sold in most vitamin and health stores. The most common, and consensus most effective form of vitamin A, is a compound known as retinal palmitate. It is a common human food supplement as well. Depending on manufacturer, gel caps may contain 2000-25,000 iu’s (intravenous units) per gel cap. Read the label to insure you are buying a product with retinal palmitate as the Vitamin A. The solvent may be fish oil, which outside of its odor, is OK.

You can usually find an adequate source at such as a GNC store. When looking online, here’s a link: http://www.carlsonlabs.com/p-27-vitamin-a-palmitate-15000-iu.aspx

However, if the link has expired, google “Vitamin A Carlson Laboratories” and you should find many product options.

Real Vitamin A can also be available as the compound retinal acetate, which is synthetically produced vitamin A. While not as effective as retinal palmitate, the acetate version is more easily crystalized, and then included in some dry products, such as the ZooMed vitamin powder marketed as Reptivite.

Vitamin A is toxic in large quantities. As you are dealing with an oil, a strong word of caution as well. Chameleons have an extreme dislike for almost any measurable quantity of oil introduced into their mouth. While inexact, usually a negative reaction starts to become likely to occur if a quantity of oil ½ drop or greater is introduced into an adult chameleon’s mouth, and is virtually guaranteed with 2 or more drops. This can induce vomiting and inhalation of the oil, possibly death. Fortunately, the amount of oil (and vitamin A) needed to effectively dose a chameleon is usually less than 1/20th of a drop. Again, an inexact science, but depending upon the concentration of the Vitamin A in the oil, your goal is to deliver a dose that contains approximately 100 iu’s per 50g of chameleon. An exceedingly rough estimate would be 1/20th of a drop of the oil in an average adult female panther chameleon. There is a reasonable margin for error. This can administered by puncturing one or more gel caps, and wetting a Q-tip with the oil, so that is is wet, but not dripping. You can then grab the chameleon behind the head, and when it says “Ahhhh”, touch the Q-tip to its inner gum, etc. It will likely chomp down, then let go of the Q-tip once released itself. Or, if you are able to hand-feed, swab the back of a cricket or such with a smear of the oil, and then coax your chameleon into eating it.

As a rule, we recommend this treatment to all adult chameleons once every two weeks. If an animal is showing symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency, such as eye closing with no other apparent malady, we recommend the dose daily for five days, then once every two weeks. In such cases where Vitamin A deficiency is the problem, and it is caught early, the eyes usually improve on the third or fourth day. In animals where treatment has been delayed, improvement can take up to 2-3 weeks, except in cases where the treatment has been delayed too long and become beyond repair. Good luck.

 

[Hoj]

great article, typically i cut open a vit a capsol and dip a tootpick into it and smear a VERY small ammount onto the back of a feeder and hand feed to the particular chameleon.
less is more
jmo
hoj

 

[chameleongirl2]

oh if you fixed it can you help me???

So my female ambilobe is adjusted to her new cage. She had one eye closed for a few days. Her eye was pretty much deflated and closed. I upped the misting and supplemented her with vitamin A, just two drops that I extracted from vit. A fish oil pills. PROBLEM SOLVED. It only took 3 days and her eye is back in action. I just figured it would be a nice change up to hear some positive advice for the health clinic for once and to pass on some knowledge to other people who have chams with eye problems. It is important to make sure not to do more than one or two drops though because the vit. A can harm the chameleons. I just thought this would be useful because chams eyes seem to have so many problems.

oh well could you help me with this, its a new thing, but my chams eye sometimes,well, inflates but her eye isn't closes, it stays for a few mins and then goes away it iches her too, i am really worried, but i tea on the internet that its because the humidity isn't high enough, so when it happens i mist my room and her, but it still comes back!!!! and the humidity is fine!! so am i kinda fixing it am i making it worse or am i really just hiding the problem????

 

[Hoj]

oh well could you help me with this, its a new thing, but my chams eye sometimes,well, inflates but her eye isn't closes, it stays for a few mins and then goes away it iches her too, i am really worried, but i tea on the internet that its because the humidity isn't high enough, so when it happens i mist my room and her, but it still comes back!!!! and the humidity is fine!! so am i kinda fixing it am i making it worse or am i really just hiding the problem????

if you cham is bulging its eye and rubbing it, than it may have some debris in it, they will do that to take in fluid and rinse their eyes. i would suggest a nice warm shower, and/or a few drops of plain saline solution into the eye.
for the shower just place oyur cham on a plant or vine and make the water luke warm and bounce the spray off a wall as to not directly spray your cham.
i do this with all of my chams once every week or two and they always spend some time rinsing thier eyes, and drinking of course.
jmo
hoj
also if the issue pesists you may want to take a look at your lighting, also to keep up humidity some member cover 2 or 3 side of their screened setups with something like a shower curtain or garbage bag

 

[Chameleon Company]

oh well could you help me with this, its a new thing, but my chams eye sometimes,well, inflates but her eye isn't closes, it stays for a few mins and then goes away it iches her too, i am really worried, but i tea on the internet that its because the humidity isn't high enough, so when it happens i mist my room and her, but it still comes back!!!! and the humidity is fine!! so am i kinda fixing it am i making it worse or am i really just hiding the problem????

Follow the Vitamin A directions on the prior page. Rubbing of an eye is often an initial symptom. It won't hurt to treat with the A.

If you want to wash a chameleon's eye, buy an eye wash product at the drug store. Check to be sure it is an eye wash or eye rinse, and not a contact-lens product. Usually a 4 oz plastic bottle costing $4-6. It is such that you can hold the bottle at a down angle, squeeze, and a jet stream will come out.

Hold the chameleon firmly, head down about 45 degrees, so that it will not ingest water. The water is safe, you just do not want to drown the animal. From a distance of about 2", jet that stream directly into the eye opening. The turret will balloon up. Do this so that you are hitting that eye hole for 2-3 seconds. Stop, and the turret will drain. You can do this 1-2 times per day for any eye irritation. It is essentially only treating symptoms, unless it actually is debris in the eye, in which case it will help to wash it out, but it will help.

Dr. Scott Stahl showed me this procedure exactly.

 

[Thezillaman21]

That's nice to hear. Your right with is always sad on here thank god for a good post and good health of chams )

 

[chameleongirl2]

ok thanks but about the eye wash product at the drug store is it ones for us, that will help chams???

 

[chameleongirl2]

if you cham is bulging its eye and rubbing it, than it may have some debris in it, they will do that to take in fluid and rinse their eyes. i would suggest a nice warm shower, and/or a few drops of plain saline solution into the eye.
for the shower just place oyur cham on a plant or vine and make the water luke warm and bounce the spray off a wall as to not directly spray your cham.
i do this with all of my chams once every week or two and they always spend some time rinsing thier eyes, and drinking of course.
jmo
hoj
also if the issue pesists you may want to take a look at your lighting, also to keep up humidity some member cover 2 or 3 side of their screened setups with something like a shower curtain or garbage bag

a warm shower as in mist or a bath or an actual mini shower in the sink (i have this thing so it makes a mini shower) srry for the inconvenience

 

[chameleongirl2]

could i put ordinary water in her eye? if i can how much? a drop? two drops?

 

[Chameleon Company]

ok thanks but about the eye wash product at the drug store is it ones for us, that will help chams???

Yes, its a product made for human eyes. Usually described as an "Eye Wash". Then something like "Isotonic buffered irrigation solution" in the smaller print.