Eye troubles
- Thread starter kathy117
- Start date
Lovereps
Avid Member
Sometimes an eye infection is really the only visible part of a sinus infection.
It can require not only eye drops but an oral antibiotic to clear up the infection.
If there is any discharge from either eye, it would make sense for the vet to culture it to find out which antibiotics will have the greatest effect against that particular bacteria.
If there has been a vitamin A deficiency that has not been addressed, that too needs to be corrected.
The vet can give a vitamin A injection to safely correct the vitamin A deficiency.
It is important to let him/her know if you have been giving additional vitamin A from vitamin A or fish oil capsules.
Vitamin A is important for eye health, even in people.
If the humidity levels are typically low in his cage, that can irritate eyes also,
Some plants, like ficus, are suspected of irritating eyes but there is no scientific proof of that yet.
With persistence, your vet should be able to help you to help your cham heal fully.
I would contact the vet again.
It can require not only eye drops but an oral antibiotic to clear up the infection.
If there is any discharge from either eye, it would make sense for the vet to culture it to find out which antibiotics will have the greatest effect against that particular bacteria.
If there has been a vitamin A deficiency that has not been addressed, that too needs to be corrected.
The vet can give a vitamin A injection to safely correct the vitamin A deficiency.
It is important to let him/her know if you have been giving additional vitamin A from vitamin A or fish oil capsules.
Vitamin A is important for eye health, even in people.
If the humidity levels are typically low in his cage, that can irritate eyes also,
Some plants, like ficus, are suspected of irritating eyes but there is no scientific proof of that yet.
With persistence, your vet should be able to help you to help your cham heal fully.
I would contact the vet again.
Sinfulintent
New Member
More eye issues 
Here's 2 links to my threads, the second one is an update the first one is my original problem with LOADS of information about eye stuff. To give you a break down it started off as dehydration which lead to a vit A def, and is still an on going issue. I really hope your cham gets better soon so you aren't going through what I'm going through. I guess I didn't catch your post when you first posted it sorry about that. What seems to be helping my cham the most is being outside.. a member named calistar suggested I do it, at first it was just a half hour and it didn't seem to help much but last weekend I spent 2 hours outside with him about mid day, it was only 70 degrees but it was sunny, and he started opening his eyes while outside, first for a minute at a time, then for 5 minutes, and now I see him walking around with his eyes open almost all the time. Never underestimate the power a little sun will do. This isn't to say to skip out on everything else you are doing, make sure you're giving all the vitamins and such, just give yours a daily trip outside for a while.. I sat in a lawn chair and streamed netflix while he sat on his plant next to me.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eye-bulging-closed-100440/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/karma-pic-heavy-102194/
Here's 2 links to my threads, the second one is an update the first one is my original problem with LOADS of information about eye stuff. To give you a break down it started off as dehydration which lead to a vit A def, and is still an on going issue. I really hope your cham gets better soon so you aren't going through what I'm going through. I guess I didn't catch your post when you first posted it sorry about that. What seems to be helping my cham the most is being outside.. a member named calistar suggested I do it, at first it was just a half hour and it didn't seem to help much but last weekend I spent 2 hours outside with him about mid day, it was only 70 degrees but it was sunny, and he started opening his eyes while outside, first for a minute at a time, then for 5 minutes, and now I see him walking around with his eyes open almost all the time. Never underestimate the power a little sun will do. This isn't to say to skip out on everything else you are doing, make sure you're giving all the vitamins and such, just give yours a daily trip outside for a while.. I sat in a lawn chair and streamed netflix while he sat on his plant next to me.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eye-bulging-closed-100440/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/karma-pic-heavy-102194/
Lovereps
Avid Member
More eye issues
What seems to be helping my cham the most is being outside.. a member named calistar suggested I do it, at first it was just a half hour and it didn't seem to help much but last weekend I spent 2 hours outside with him about mid day, it was only 70 degrees but it was sunny, and he started opening his eyes while outside, first for a minute at a time, then for 5 minutes, and now I see him walking around with his eyes open almost all the time. Never underestimate the power a little sun will do. This isn't to say to skip out on everything else you are doing, make sure you're giving all the vitamins and such, just give yours a daily trip outside for a while.. I sat in a lawn chair and streamed netflix while he sat on his plant next to me.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eye-bulging-closed-100440/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/karma-pic-heavy-102194/
Sinfulintent, I'm very glad your cham is improving and I believe that natural sunshine is wonderful for chams.
Glad to see you passing along what has helped your cham.
Unfortunately, the OP is in NJ.
I'd love your climate though. Nice to be able to say it's only 70 in January.
Living in the same region as Kathy117, I can tell you that nobody will be taking their chams outside in this region for a few more months.
Today is an unusually warm day here, with the temperatures 12 degrees above normal temps.
It is now a balmy 51 degrees--the high for today.
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Sinfulintent
New Member
My suggestion is definitely a weather permitting kind of thing, but some members do keep there chams, of all species, outside, where it drops to 50 or high 40s. A little while outside in 50F won't hurt him too much, as long as there is sun so he can bask in it.
i'm not saying to do this I'm just saying there are people that keep their little ones outside and they thrive..
i'm not saying to do this I'm just saying there are people that keep their little ones outside and they thrive..
Calypso
Member
My panther rubbed his eyes the first month probably I had him. I constantly saw him rolling his eyes inside the lids. This is if course their way of washing their eyes as they swap fluid from different parts of their eyes. Pretty cool stuff. He also was rubbing them quite a bit. After constant monitoring it is t see to get worse. He came from Chameleons Northwest, and I'm assuming the vast climate change from Oregon (I believe) to Louisiana caused his body to change with the climate. It eventually went away, but lately with the winter changes (small but definitely noticeable here lol) I've noticed his left eye looking a just a little but dry or crusty. Maybe she'd that didn't detach. Idk but I'm taking him in to get it checked Thursday so ill let y'all know.
Lovereps
Avid Member
Sinfulintent, I figured you did not see that the OP is in NJ.
My reply was not intended to ruffle feathers--and I had edited my reply in an attempt to ensure that it sounded as good-natured as it was meant to be.
Trust me when I tell you I would love 70 degree temps in January.
(It happened once and everyone in my town was outdoors--with all the kids wearing shorts.)
I believe that the outdoor temps being deemed OK when dipping into the 50s and upper 40s is for chams housed outdoors fulltime and those are the nighttime lows.
Just like plants grown indoors need to be "hardened off" before being transplanted into a garden, I think it is unwise to take a cham who lives indoors, outside on a 50 degree day.
Calypso, I hope all is well with your cham, too.
Hope you'll let us know how things turn out.
Sinfulintent
New Member
You were right it was night time temps. I know you weren't trying to start anything by your post I was just trying to post before going to lunch. Did not see that OP was from NJ and not sure about temps there... people here are very crafty..maybe build something to hold a basking lamp while being outside so he still gets heat from it while getting sunlight.. I don't know...
