I keep reading threads on here about eye closing issues in chameleons (mostly panther chameleons) and it seems in many of the cases where the eye is closing the chameleon is given prEformed vitamin A but the people posting with the chameleons with the eye issues never report back in the end whether giving the chameleon prEformed vitamin A solved the problem or not. So...I'm requesting people to report what happened to their chameleons now.
Eyes and prEformed vitamin A...
- Thread starter kinyonga
- Start date
Matt Vanilla Gorilla
Chameleon Enthusiast
I love it! Great idea! Thanks for bringing it up! I have been wondering about it myself!
Matt Vanilla Gorilla
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, one of my breeders (male) once started rubbing his one eye against branches. His color did look a little more dull than usual so I figured that he was about to shed. I gave him a smear of Retinyl Palmitate on the back of a worm just for in case! The next day he shed and there was no more eye rubbing. Who knows he might have been at the early phase of a eye problem or it might have been the need to shed that made him itch (I rather think it was the last). This was about a year ago and he is still doing great! No eye issues at all!
Extensionofgreen
Chameleon Enthusiast
I had one melleri, out of 4 CBB babies that returned to health after suffering Vitamin A deficiency and I believe it was the use of performed A that made that possible.
This was 9-10 years ago, when many people advised against using preformed A and the baby melleri were raised on prey gutloaded with sweet potatoes and carrots, among other fresh produce. It took the melleri 4-6 months to show overall weakness, eyes being crusted shut and having secretions in them, sometimes the pupils became irregular and had adulterated margins. Vets were at a loss as to the cause. This problem was never seen in WC animals, that undoubtedly had stores of A, left over from life in the wild. I have never experienced any eye issues or oversupplementation issues using preformed A routinely. I find it works better as a prevention than a cure, because once signs of deficiency are evident, multiple nutrient relationships can be affected and multiple body systems and functions.
This was 9-10 years ago, when many people advised against using preformed A and the baby melleri were raised on prey gutloaded with sweet potatoes and carrots, among other fresh produce. It took the melleri 4-6 months to show overall weakness, eyes being crusted shut and having secretions in them, sometimes the pupils became irregular and had adulterated margins. Vets were at a loss as to the cause. This problem was never seen in WC animals, that undoubtedly had stores of A, left over from life in the wild. I have never experienced any eye issues or oversupplementation issues using preformed A routinely. I find it works better as a prevention than a cure, because once signs of deficiency are evident, multiple nutrient relationships can be affected and multiple body systems and functions.
