His one eye is shut

[JulieWoodward]

Hi,
I’m new to chameleons, blogs and forums so apologies if this isn’t the right protocol. I see there are other posts with related topics, so I wasn’t sure if I should add to an existing post or start anew!

I inherited Bob, a 2 yr old panther chameleon, who I love already, but I’m petrified I can’t satisfy his needs. Im on a very steep 1 week learning curve, I’ve bought a hygrometer, and improved his ambient temp (from 22/23 - 27/28) which has seen him eat more. I’ve been hand misting in conjunction with a water fountain he already had. I’m dusting his crickets in calcium every feed (not bought a multi vit so welcome recommends on brand) and I did a complete cage clean. So with regards to husbandry I think it’s improved massively. But he hasn’t pooed in nearly a week so im installing a dripper when it arrives tonight to bolster his hydration.

My main concern is on Sunday (3 days ago) I noticed his one eye was shut and shedding. Apart from that he is ‘active’ and feeding. Today it’s not shedding but still shut. How many days do I watch him for before I consult a vet. I’m just conscious he moved house 9 days ago, got his whole cage cleaned and redone 2 days ago (which included needing to handle him a little to get him out to strip the cage) so he’s been through a lot. I don’t want to move him again if it might clear up on his own.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! First, if Bob hasn’t been getting any multivitamins, that could have resulted in his eye problem. However, I’m not a vet so I can only guess. Since he’s had suboptimal care, taking him to a vet experienced with chameleons is always best. It’s much better to discover and treat any problems sooner rather than later. Having a fecal check for parasites is also a wise move.
We can absolutely help you to get all of your husbandry correct. I’ll just need you to answer a ton of questions to the best of your ability to identify your and Bob’s needs. Copy & paste the following with your answers and we can get started. Very glad to have you here btw.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Thatcher]

Also does look like something to do with shedding

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Welcome to the forum, Julie..

Hi,
I’m new to chameleons, blogs and forums so apologies if this isn’t the right protocol. I see there are other posts with related topics, so I wasn’t sure if I should add to an existing post or start anew!

Serendipitously, there's another thread that may help.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/help-peach-fuzzs-eye-looks-wierd.186297/

but...

I inherited Bob, a 2 yr old panther chameleon, who I love already, but I’m petrified I can’t satisfy his needs. Im on a very steep 1 week learning curve, I’ve bought a hygrometer, and improved his ambient temp (from 22/23 - 27/28) which has seen him eat more. I’ve been hand misting in conjunction with a water fountain he already had.

Fountains & waterfalls tend to become petri dishes rather quickly—breeding ground for molds, fungus, bacteria, and other assorted nasties. IMO, it would be best to remove it.
https://chameleonacademy.com/ep-9-chameleons-water/

We do not promote the recirculating drinking fountains sold for chameleon use here, but if you do have one of those then you will need to be on a daily watch for contamination.
https://chameleonacademy.com/maintaining-chameleon-hydration-systems/

I’m dusting his crickets in calcium every feed (not bought a multi vit so welcome recommends on brand) and I did a complete cage clean. So with regards to husbandry I think it’s improved massively. But he hasn’t pooed in nearly a week so im installing a dripper when it arrives tonight to bolster his hydration.

That's possible, but some chameleons can be very good at hiding their droppings. They could be in a plant pot, in the crotch of a plant branch/leaf/stem, or behind something. What and how much he's been eating could also be factors.

My main concern is on Sunday (3 days ago) I noticed his one eye was shut and shedding. Apart from that he is ‘active’ and feeding. Today it’s not shedding but still shut. How many days do I watch him for before I consult a vet. I’m just conscious he moved house 9 days ago, got his whole cage cleaned and redone 2 days ago (which included needing to handle him a little to get him out to strip the cage) so he’s been through a lot. I don’t want to move him again if it might clear up on his own.

IANAV(eterinarian) but I think most likely he may have gotten some shed into the eye. He should be able to wash & clear the eye by himself with sufficient misting (a dripper won't help much) & hydration. For this purpose, I would mist at least 3X per day (lights-on, noon, lights-off), and mist above Bob so the mist falls on him like light rain rather than right at him.
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-medical-eye-issues/

I'd give him a few days to clear it on his own. If a vet visit becomes necessary, you can find a herp vet here: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

Once you've completed the questions above folks can advise better. Pics of your enclosure from top (showing lighting) to bottom (showing floor/substrate/drainage) would be most helpful.

In the meantime, perusing the Chameleon Husbandry Program and Resources here should pretty much bring you up to speed the quickest.

 

[JulieWoodward]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Bob is 2 years old, he is a panthe Chameleon and I have had him for 9 days
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• I have only handled him once, on day 8, I took him out of the cage so I could do a deep clean. I admit I was so excited to hold him he walked up my arm and I admired him for about 15 minutes before I put him in a cardboard box with a new fresh plant and a log. He did quite a bit of exploring in the box and settled on hiding in the plant which is how I transferred him back to his cage. He stayed put on the plant for half a day which is when I realised that his calm explore was probably not that comfortable for him and he didn’t like it 
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• I feed him crickets, the same ones he was eating before, I have recently added a few waxworms to his diet 3 or so twice this week. They come with lots of food in the box and I have bought a insect fuel substance but not worked out how to feed the critters without them all getting out the box
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• I have been using Reptilux since Thursday (so day 5 of having him and therefore for 4 days) as he didn’t arrive with anything so I can only assume they weren’t providing any suppliments. I dust all the crickets (about 5) every day and I dusted the wax worms too.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• He came with a waterfall so I assume he drank from that, but I haven’t seem him drink. I have been misting once a day originally and twice a day recently. And tonight I installing a dripper system because I am not sure he is drinking enough
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• He has only had one big, moist poo since he arrived, it was dual colour, dark on one side and white-ish on the other.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• 
  
  
  
  Glass cage with a mesh vent at the back
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• I have a 6% arcadia (changed from 10.0 reptisun) yesterday and a basking lamp both lights are on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• When he first arrived his highest temp was 24 , lowest 16 or 7 days, then we changed all the lights and bulbs and he is now 19 at night and 28 during the day. We use a sensor blue app to read humidity and heat which is placed around the top. I have a thermometer set to 31 and I measure the basking bulb with this but it hasnt switched off yet or reached max temp. The basking bulb is E27 ceramic reflector light. 140mm
  
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Same senor to meaure humidity. It has fluctuated a lot but the range is 47 – 87%
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Mostly plastic plants but I have just ( 2 days ago) added one waxy leaf plant provided by the reptile shop. you can see the new plant in the front bottom of the last photo
• 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?
• He sits in the office which has some of traffic but lots of non traffic times. He is in a high cage which is off the floor. So his perch height is approx. 1.4m above the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
• The United Kingdom

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

Closure of one eye which was shedding 2 days ago but isn’t shedding anymore. He isn’t showing signs of shedding anywhere else

 

[MissSkittles]

Give me a little time and I’ll have a full husbandry review for you.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll put my feedback in bold.

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Bob is 2 years old, he is a panthe Chameleon and I have had him for 9 days
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• I have only handled him once, on day 8, I took him out of the cage so I could do a deep clean. I admit I was so excited to hold him he walked up my arm and I admired him for about 15 minutes before I put him in a cardboard box with a new fresh plant and a log. He did quite a bit of exploring in the box and settled on hiding in the plant which is how I transferred him back to his cage. He stayed put on the plant for half a day which is when I realised that his calm explore was probably not that comfortable for him and he didn’t like it 
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• I feed him crickets, the same ones he was eating before, I have recently added a few waxworms to his diet 3 or so twice this week. They come with lots of food in the box and I have bought a insect fuel substance but not worked out how to feed the critters without them all getting out the box Crickets are a good staple but there’s more you can add to give Bob variety. You’ll also need to feed your buggies well so they’ll be healthy and offer more nutrition. Attaching graphics below for you.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• I have been using Reptilux since Thursday (so day 5 of having him and therefore for 4 days) as he didn’t arrive with anything so I can only assume they weren’t providing any suppliments. I dust all the crickets (about 5) every day and I dusted the wax worms too. I’ve never heard of Reptilux and Google isn’t showing anything for it. Can you post pics of the bottle, front and back? There’s as many regimens for supplementation as there are supplements. However, the basic is using a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding and a D3 and multivitamin twice a month for each. You can get the D3 combined with a multivitamin, such as Repashy Calcium Plus or Reptivite with D3. I recommend either of these as they have preformed vitamin A which is for eye health.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• He came with a waterfall so I assume he drank from that, but I haven’t seem him drink. I have been misting once a day originally and twice a day recently. And tonight I installing a dripper system because I am not sure he is drinking enough As has already been pointed out, waterfalls aren’t suitable for chameleons and become bacterial soups. The standard is to mist the plants for at least 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day…before lights on and off and mid day if you don’t use a dripper. While there’s no set recommended run time for drippers, I think 15-20 minutes is sufficient. Many chameleons are secretive about drinking. It’s best to go by the color of urate to judge hydration.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• He has only had one big, moist poo since he arrived, it was dual colour, dark on one side and white-ish on the other. The whitish is the urate and means he is well hydrated. It’s ok to have some yellow or touch of orange on one end, but most should be light tan or white. Getting a fecal check is always a good idea with a new animal.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• Glass cage with a mesh vent at the back It looks a bit small for him. The standard for an adult is 60x60x120cm or equivalent. Glass is ok but it needs to have proper ventilation.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• I have a 6% arcadia (changed from 10.0 reptisun) yesterday and a basking lamp both lights are on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours Perfect uvb! I don’t like that his basking light is inside his enclosure, but I do recognize that’s how it’s done on the other side of the pond. There is high risk for burns.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• When he first arrived his highest temp was 24 , lowest 16 or 7 days, then we changed all the lights and bulbs and he is now 19 at night and 28 during the day. 28c is perfect for a basking temp. I really wouldn’t go any higher than that. 19c at night is also perfect. We use a sensor blue app to read humidity and heat which is placed around the top. I have a thermometer set to 31 and I measure the basking bulb with this but it hasnt switched off yet or reached max temp. The basking bulb is E27 ceramic reflector light. 140mm
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Same senor to meaure humidity. It has fluctuated a lot but the range is 47 – 87% 87% is a bit too high for day time. You really want to keep humidity between 50-70% during the day. At night as you have such a great temp drop, you can use a cool mist humidifier and boost humidity all the way up to 100%. That simulates the natural hydration chameleons get thru fog at night.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Mostly plastic plants but I have just ( 2 days ago) added one waxy leaf plant provided by the reptile shop. you can see the new plant in the front bottom of the last photo Although panther chameleons don’t eat their plants like veileds do, you still want to make sure they are safe and live plants are always best. Attaching graphic for this too.
• 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?
• He sits in the office which has some of traffic but lots of non traffic times. He is in a high cage which is off the floor. So his perch height is approx. 1.4m above the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
• The United Kingdom

Bob reminds me a lot of my panther Jack. My guy hadn’t received proper supplements and was vitamin A deficient and had a bad crusty eye, as well as some mbd when I got him. It took a bit of time, but with correct care all resolved. I did take him to the vet (actually two different vets) when I got him to confirm my suspicions of what was ailing him and make sure the rest of him was healthy. That is what I would suggest you do. It’s always best to discover and treat any problems early before they worsen. I hope I’ve been of some help. When you have time, pop over to https://chameleonacademy.com/ for so much information about husbandry and everything else. Of course, ask as many questions here as you’d like.

 

[JulieWoodward]

Welcome to the forum, Julie..

Serendipitously, there's another thread that may help.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/help-peach-fuzzs-eye-looks-wierd.186297/

but...

Fountains & waterfalls tend to become petri dishes rather quickly—breeding ground for molds, fungus, bacteria, and other assorted nasties. IMO, it would be best to remove it.
https://chameleonacademy.com/ep-9-chameleons-water/




That's possible, but some chameleons can be very good at hiding their droppings. They could be in a plant pot, in the crotch of a plant branch/leaf/stem, or behind something. What and how much he's been eating could also be factors.


IANAV(eterinarian) but I think most likely he may have gotten some shed into the eye. He should be able to wash & clear the eye by himself with sufficient misting (a dripper won't help much) & hydration. For this purpose, I would mist at least 3X per day (lights-on, noon, lights-off), and mist above Bob so the mist falls on him like light rain rather than right at him.
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-medical-eye-issues/

I'd give him a few days to clear it on his own. If a vet visit becomes necessary, you can find a herp vet here: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

Once you've completed the questions above folks can advise better. Pics of your enclosure from top (showing lighting) to bottom (showing floor/substrate/drainage) would be most helpful.

In the meantime, perusing the Chameleon Husbandry Program and Resources here should pretty much bring you up to speed the quickest.

Thanks all for the welcome. I feel welcome!

 

[JulieWoodward]

I’ll put my feedback in bold.

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Bob is 2 years old, he is a panthe Chameleon and I have had him for 9 days
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• I have only handled him once, on day 8, I took him out of the cage so I could do a deep clean. I admit I was so excited to hold him he walked up my arm and I admired him for about 15 minutes before I put him in a cardboard box with a new fresh plant and a log. He did quite a bit of exploring in the box and settled on hiding in the plant which is how I transferred him back to his cage. He stayed put on the plant for half a day which is when I realised that his calm explore was probably not that comfortable for him and he didn’t like it 
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• I feed him crickets, the same ones he was eating before, I have recently added a few waxworms to his diet 3 or so twice this week. They come with lots of food in the box and I have bought a insect fuel substance but not worked out how to feed the critters without them all getting out the box Crickets are a good staple but there’s more you can add to give Bob variety. You’ll also need to feed your buggies well so they’ll be healthy and offer more nutrition. Attaching graphics below for you.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• I have been using Reptilux since Thursday (so day 5 of having him and therefore for 4 days) as he didn’t arrive with anything so I can only assume they weren’t providing any suppliments. I dust all the crickets (about 5) every day and I dusted the wax worms too. I’ve never heard of Reptilux and Google isn’t showing anything for it. Can you post pics of the bottle, front and back? There’s as many regimens for supplementation as there are supplements. However, the basic is using a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding and a D3 and multivitamin twice a month for each. You can get the D3 combined with a multivitamin, such as Repashy Calcium Plus or Reptivite with D3. I recommend either of these as they have preformed vitamin A which is for eye health.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• He came with a waterfall so I assume he drank from that, but I haven’t seem him drink. I have been misting once a day originally and twice a day recently. And tonight I installing a dripper system because I am not sure he is drinking enough As has already been pointed out, waterfalls aren’t suitable for chameleons and become bacterial soups. The standard is to mist the plants for at least 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day…before lights on and off and mid day if you don’t use a dripper. While there’s no set recommended run time for drippers, I think 15-20 minutes is sufficient. Many chameleons are secretive about drinking. It’s best to go by the color of urate to judge hydration.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• He has only had one big, moist poo since he arrived, it was dual colour, dark on one side and white-ish on the other. The whitish is the urate and means he is well hydrated. It’s ok to have some yellow or touch of orange on one end, but most should be light tan or white. Getting a fecal check is always a good idea with a new animal.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• Glass cage with a mesh vent at the back It looks a bit small for him. The standard for an adult is 60x60x120cm or equivalent. Glass is ok but it needs to have proper ventilation.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• I have a 6% arcadia (changed from 10.0 reptisun) yesterday and a basking lamp both lights are on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours Perfect uvb! I don’t like that his basking light is inside his enclosure, but I do recognize that’s how it’s done on the other side of the pond. There is high risk for burns.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• When he first arrived his highest temp was 24 , lowest 16 or 7 days, then we changed all the lights and bulbs and he is now 19 at night and 28 during the day. 28c is perfect for a basking temp. I really wouldn’t go any higher than that. 19c at night is also perfect. We use a sensor blue app to read humidity and heat which is placed around the top. I have a thermometer set to 31 and I measure the basking bulb with this but it hasnt switched off yet or reached max temp. The basking bulb is E27 ceramic reflector light. 140mm
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Same senor to meaure humidity. It has fluctuated a lot but the range is 47 – 87% 87% is a bit too high for day time. You really want to keep humidity between 50-70% during the day. At night as you have such a great temp drop, you can use a cool mist humidifier and boost humidity all the way up to 100%. That simulates the natural hydration chameleons get thru fog at night.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Mostly plastic plants but I have just ( 2 days ago) added one waxy leaf plant provided by the reptile shop. you can see the new plant in the front bottom of the last photo Although panther chameleons don’t eat their plants like veileds do, you still want to make sure they are safe and live plants are always best. Attaching graphic for this too.
• 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?
• He sits in the office which has some of traffic but lots of non traffic times. He is in a high cage which is off the floor. So his perch height is approx. 1.4m above the ground.
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
• The United Kingdom

Bob reminds me a lot of my panther Jack. My guy hadn’t received proper supplements and was vitamin A deficient and had a bad crusty eye, as well as some mbd when I got him. It took a bit of time, but with correct care all resolved. I did take him to the vet (actually two different vets) when I got him to confirm my suspicions of what was ailing him and make sure the rest of him was healthy. That is what I would suggest you do. It’s always best to discover and treat any problems early before they worsen. I hope I’ve been of some help. When you have time, pop over to https://chameleonacademy.com/ for so much information about husbandry and everything else. Of course, ask as many questions here as you’d like.

View attachment 320022View attachment 320023

View attachment 320027

Thanks so much for the advice, and for sharing what you did with your Jack. How many chams do you have?
I have one of the wax plants above which was bought from a reptile shop. Over time I want to remove all the fake plants and replace them with real plants.

His is tank might be a bit small its 80w x 50d x 90h. The largest at our local reptile shop isnt any bigger so I may need to do some research.

I think the things I need to focus on are vit A and better hydration. What do you recommend about for misters/foggers or hand sprayers?

Ive posted the vitamins both front and back, these come from livefoods.com, the same place we buy the crickets from.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks so much for the advice, and for sharing what you did with your Jack. How many chams do you have?
I have one of the wax plants above which was bought from a reptile shop. Over time I want to remove all the fake plants and replace them with real plants.

His is tank might be a bit small its 80w x 50d x 90h. The largest at our local reptile shop isnt any bigger so I may need to do some research.

I think the things I need to focus on are vit A and better hydration. What do you recommend about for misters/foggers or hand sprayers?

Ive posted the vitamins both front and back, these come from livefoods.com, the same place we buy the crickets from.View attachment 320038View attachment 320039View attachment 320040

I have 5 chameleons…2 panther and 3 veileds. Eesh! When I write it down it seems like a lot.
There are lots of non-traditional ways to get a larger enclosure. Some chose to build their own, some use old China/curio cabinets they’ve gotten for cheap and refitted and really the options are as big as your imagination and creativity. There are a few enclosure threads in the forum archive you could check for inspiration.
Your calcium looks to be a plain calcium without D3, so you’ll use that at every feeding. I use Reptivite with D3 for one feeding every other week as it’s what’s easiest for me and good for my chams. Vitamins A & D3 are both fat soluble and can easily build up to toxic levels, so do be careful. Just follow the recommended supplement schedule and Bob should recover just fine in time.
For misting, you can use any sprayer. I’ve used plain cheap spray bottles and pressurized ones. If you want the convenience of an automated system, Mist King is well worth the cost. I‘m not able to get my night temps low enough to use a humidifier. Instead I have my Mist King scheduled for a couple of 15 second mistings in the night to bring the humidity up a little. There are lots of different humidifiers available. It doesn’t have to be specifically labeled for reptile use. Getting one that fills from the top though would be a big benefit.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like there may be a transparent barrier between the UVB and the enclosure. UVB will not penetrate glass or most plastics, so if that is a barrier, it should be removed.

If there's a problem with the chameleon climbing on the lights, the barrier can be replaced with screen. The basking lamp will penetrate the screen easily, and UVB will be impeded only partially, depending mostly on mesh & material.

A screen top should also afford better air movement/ventilation, especially if paired with a vent at/near substrate level to create a natural chimney/stack effect.

 

[Beman]

You have gotten excellent feedback from @MissSkittles follow the detailed feedback she gave you and make any suggested corrections.

 

[JulieWoodward]

I have 5 chameleons…2 panther and 3 veileds. Eesh! When I write it down it seems like a lot.
There are lots of non-traditional ways to get a larger enclosure. Some chose to build their own, some use old China/curio cabinets they’ve gotten for cheap and refitted and really the options are as big as your imagination and creativity. There are a few enclosure threads in the forum archive you could check for inspiration.
Your calcium looks to be a plain calcium without D3, so you’ll use that at every feeding. I use Reptivite with D3 for one feeding every other week as it’s what’s easiest for me and good for my chams. Vitamins A & D3 are both fat soluble and can easily build up to toxic levels, so do be careful. Just follow the recommended supplement schedule and Bob should recover just fine in time.
For misting, you can use any sprayer. I’ve used plain cheap spray bottles and pressurized ones. If you want the convenience of an automated system, Mist King is well worth the cost. I‘m not able to get my night temps low enough to use a humidifier. Instead I have my Mist King scheduled for a couple of 15 second mistings in the night to bring the humidity up a little. There are lots of different humidifiers available. It doesn’t have to be specifically labeled for reptile use. Getting one that fills from the top though would be a big benefit.

Please post a pic of your cams, I’d love to see them.

I’ll definitely get some additional supplements and thanks very much for the mister, spray info

 

[JulieWoodward]

I have 5 chameleons…2 panther and 3 veileds. Eesh! When I write it down it seems like a lot.
There are lots of non-traditional ways to get a larger enclosure. Some chose to build their own, some use old China/curio cabinets they’ve gotten for cheap and refitted and really the options are as big as your imagination and creativity. There are a few enclosure threads in the forum archive you could check for inspiration.
Your calcium looks to be a plain calcium without D3, so you’ll use that at every feeding. I use Reptivite with D3 for one feeding every other week as it’s what’s easiest for me and good for my chams. Vitamins A & D3 are both fat soluble and can easily build up to toxic levels, so do be careful. Just follow the recommended supplement schedule and Bob should recover just fine in time.
For misting, you can use any sprayer. I’ve used plain cheap spray bottles and pressurized ones. If you want the convenience of an automated system, Mist King is well worth the cost. I‘m not able to get my night temps low enough to use a humidifier. Instead I have my Mist King scheduled for a couple of 15 second mistings in the night to bring the humidity up a little. There are lots of different humidifiers available. It doesn’t have to be specifically labeled for reptile use. Getting one that fills from the top though would be a big benefit.

P.s I’ve listened to quite a few chameleon academy podcasts, they’re great. Good suggestion

 

[MissSkittles]

Please post a pic of your cams, I’d love to see them.

Hoo boy! I’ll never turn down a chance to post pics of my scaly ‘babies’.
Grumpy was my 1st. She’s actually pretty sweet.

Then came Stella. She’s beautiful but fierce.

Hammlet came next. He and Stella have a forbidden love.

Then sweet Jack came into my life. He’s the friendliest and seems to like being held.

Most recent (and last for a while) addition is little Kali. Beautiful little nosy be girl.

 

[JulieWoodward]

They are all so different but beautiful

 

[MissSkittles]

They are all so different but beautiful

They each have their own personality and bring me so very much joy.
*I forgot to add a disclaimer that it’s an old pic of Grumpy when I was just starting out and hadn’t yet removed all her fake plants.

 

[JulieWoodward]

They each have their own personality and bring me so very much joy.
*I forgot to add a disclaimer that it’s an old pic of Grumpy when I was just starting out and hadn’t yet removed all her fake plants.

Im glad it’s not just me whose cautiously changing things one step at a time

 

[MissSkittles]

Im glad it’s not just me whose cautiously changing things one step at a time

Nope, not just you. I’ve found, at least for myself, that it’s a process of learning, making changes, learning, making changes, and on and on and on.

 

[JulieWoodward]

I’m still working on treating his eye, we were given antibiotics drops which didn’t help snd he ended up really poorly (sleepy looking and dark green). The vet gave him some intravenous antibiotics and which saved him but his eye is still a bit puffy, not as bad as it was at it was. He’s been on oral antibiotics and he’s going in for surgery tomorrow, a local anaesthetic to drain the eye and for her to have a look inside. I think it could be some skin because he was shedding just before it all started.
Transporting him was intimidating but I built him a little gymnastics bar type frame and put him on that in a cardboard box. It worked well as the vet could handle him on that too.