Eye trouble??

[sarah777]

My 5 month old panther may be having eye trouble. I dont have a camera at this time to take a pic but you probably couldn't see anything anyway. You can just barley see a little bit of crust around the eye. I have terramycin but dont want to use it unless I really have too. What do you guys think? He seems totally healthy otherwise eats a ton, drinks well very active poops a lot.

Info.
Cage- screen 2x2x1
Lighting- 5.0 linier tube
Basking- 86; cooler areas 68
Night time low-59
Humitity-?? I spray the cage 2x a day and has a dripper
Plants- ficus and scheff.

 

[jmdavis]

The sap in the ficus is well know for causing eye problems for chameleons. It seems that some chams are more sensitive to it then others. If i was you i would remove the plant and replace it with something else for a while to see if it clears up

 

[sarah777]

Interesting I'll do that. Thanks!

 

[chambabysitter1]

The sap in the ficus is well know for causing eye problems for chameleons. It seems that some chams are more sensitive to it then others. If i was you i would remove the plant and replace it with something else for a while to see if it clears up

Are certain species more sensitive to it, or is it just on a cham by cham basis?

 

[KevinA]

The sap in the Ficus most used is a mild toxin, can cause stomach, eye and skin irritation. So It's all chams. It's mild though so it is overlooked.

 

[dodolah]

Certainly I do not have a scientific research to back this up, so it could be a total urban legend
But, I felt that Panther seems to have more problem with ficus than veiled.

 

[BocaJan]

Certainly I do not have a scientific research to back this up, so it could be a total urban legend
But, I felt that Panther seems to have more problem with ficus than veiled.

I am thinking that too dodolah. My 4 mo old ambilobe had beaucoup eye issues after I got her and I had a ficus in her viv. I washed her eyes daily and applied teramycin. Someone here mentioned there could be problems with a ficus so I removed it and after 8 days she is 100% better! Her eyes are open all day and she is eating bunches. It was such a small thing to do, onlyl $3.00 for a schiffilera (?).

 

[sarah777]

I am thinking that too dodolah. My 4 mo old ambilobe had beaucoup eye issues after I got her and I had a ficus in her viv. I washed her eyes daily and applied teramycin. Someone here mentioned there could be problems with a ficus so I removed it and after 8 days she is 100% better! Her eyes are open all day and she is eating bunches. It was such a small thing to do, onlyl $3.00 for a schiffilera (?).

BocaJan
When you say washed her eye out do you mean just spraying it with water?

 

[BocaJan]

I have an eye dropper and dropped warm water on her eye for a minute or two. Yes, she held her eye shut, but I felt that it was needed at least to clean out the old terramycin. I didn't feel spraying did any good because I couldn't control it like I could a dropper.

 

[Chameleon Company]

Eye washing

Since it came up, this is how Dr. Scott Stahl taught me.

Get a bottle of eye wash at the drug store. They are usually 4 oz, in a box, next to dozens of contact lens products that you want to avoid. Just eye wash. Not lens wash. Not cleaning solution. Usually $4-6.

Most are plastic bottles that have a small jet hole in the top, or you are to puncture it and create such.

If the eye hole is crusted over, wet it, and after a minute, cause the crust to dislodge with a wet Q-tip.

Hold the chameleon by the neck, face down. It will not like this, but you do not want water to run into its throat.

From a distance of 2-3", aim the jet stream into the eye-hole, like a little fire hose. Squeeze the bottle hard enough to create a potent stream. The eye turret will balloon up from the water. Release pressure on the water bottle, stopping the jet. The turret will drain.

Repeat two more times.

That's an eye flush.

 

[BocaJan]

Great way to do it Jim.

 

[sarah777]

Since it came up, this is how Dr. Scott Stahl taught me.

Get a bottle of eye wash at the drug store. They are usually 4 oz, in a box, next to dozens of contact lens products that you want to avoid. Just eye wash. Not lens wash. Not cleaning solution. Usually $4-6.

Most are plastic bottles that have a small jet hole in the top, or you are to puncture it and create such.

If the eye hole is crusted over, wet it, and after a minute, cause the crust to dislodge with a wet Q-tip.

Hold the chameleon by the neck, face down. It will not like this, but you do not want water to run into its throat.

From a distance of 2-3", aim the jet stream into the eye-hole, like a little fire hose. Squeeze the bottle hard enough to create a potent stream. The eye turret will balloon up from the water. Release pressure on the water bottle, stopping the jet. The turret will drain.

Repeat two more times.

That's an eye flush.

Great advice Thank you Jim!!

 

[chamlove]

What other plants besides ficus' are ok for chameleons, especially panthers?

 

[jmdavis]

I use a ficus and a Jasmine but here is the list that has a lot of plants on it

http://www.bluebeastreptile.com/plantlist.htm