Eye Problems :(

[sillylily]

I know it’s probably already been discussed but I am still paranoid so here we go:

Roy G. Biv (Roy) is my main man and I noticed today that his eye is opening but his extra eyelid is not retracting (idk if there’s a term for it, but I’ll attach pics so you all can see better). He hasn’t been as active, but I can’t tell if it’s just that I’m home at the wrong times of day. I’m a senior in college and come home sometime during the afternoon. His eyes look sunken, but not TOO sunken, and he doesn’t look super skinny to me??

I had an issue similar to this before, and gave him a long shower which seemed to fix it. Now it’s obviously a little worse and idk what is going on.

I could also totally be wrong about this, he is my first cham and I am not very experienced. I like to lurk around on this forum and watch Neptune the Chameleon videos though, so I have a pretty good idea of what I should and should not do.

Does any one have any idea what might be going on? I would love to hear from someone!

First pic attached is his “good eye” and the second is the one I’m worried about. He also just shed, so he’s got some skin stuck to him.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Almost 2 years. Male nosy Faly panther.
• How long has it been in your care? Year and a half
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I don’t handle him that much, but he doesn’t hiss or seem too angry when I get him out.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? Because of my budget/local pet shop, I’m only really able to feed him super worms.

• What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? The worms I’ve been getting come pre-loaded and are super healthy when bought. They come in a substrate that (I think) they can also eat, along with what looked like a spongy orange thing that gives them a water source. I’ll feed them if it looks like they need any more food, but I typically run out of worms before they run out of food.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Dusting with RepCal products, I only do the multivitamins and such on Sundays. Other than that, no D3 every day.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I’ve had a Mist King since I got him, and it goes off for three minutes three times a day.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? From everything I’ve seen, it looks normal to me. No crazy orange urates, and he’s never been tested for parasites. I’m trying to avoid a vet visit if possible!
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. N/A

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Custom built wooden enclosure, made to look like a corner piece, mostly screen. Can’t think of the exact dimensions off the top of my head, but I know its enough for an adult male panther.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have two T5 HO single tube lights (with reflectors) from Vivarium Electronics, one with a grow light (6400W), and one with a 6% Arcadia bulb. 100W basking bulb in a ceramic dome fixture. The schedule is supposed to be from 7:00-7:00, but my timer broke and I’m having to remember to turn every thing on/off manually. Even though it hasn’t been a set time every day, I’ve been good about keeping it to twelve hours.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking spot is anywhere between 80°-85°. Bottom on the enclosure is 74° I believe? Lowest overnight temp is usually 68°. My roommates and I have had some thermostat problems lately, I’m thinking this might be the root of the issue? Our maintenance guys came to fix it last week, and I haven’t really been able to tell a difference just yet.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Normally around 65%. I use a digital hygrometer (Acurite)
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes, four pothos, an umbrella plant, and a Dracaena marinatas.
• 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? Corner of the room at the foot of my bed, it stands at 5’8”, the top is at about 4’10”, and the bottom of the enclosure sits at about 15” from the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Starkville, MS (deep south USA)

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Your husbandry looks okay except for feeding him only superworms. They are very fatty and from your guy’s puffy cheeks and casque, he’s overweight. A great way to cut costs on feeders is to breed your own roaches. Dubia or discoid are great staple feeders, easy to breed and neither fly nor climb smooth surfaces. However, you don’t want to feed him exclusively any one feeder. You could add in some bsfl (aka calci worms, Phoenix worms, etc) and crickets, neither of which are very expensive. Save the superworms for occasional treats. Whatever you feed, will need to be well fed and cared for so that they will be more nutritious for your guy. Attaching graphics for you. To help with his weight, he should be getting only about 3 feeders, every other day or 3 days a week.
How often are you using the multivitamin and are you giving any calcium with D3? I would suggest switching your multivitamin and D3 supplements to one with preformed vitamin A, such as Reptivite with D3 or Repashy Calcium Plus (the one with the leopard gecko on the label), which you’d need to use only one feeding every other week (along with the calcium without D3 at every feeding).
Although I can’t say that his eye problems are from a deficiency of vitamin A, it is possible. His good eye doesn’t look so great either. He could have an eye infection or I don’t even know what going on with his eyes. A good vet experienced with chameleons is always the best course of action.
I hope I’ve been of some help.