I Don't Think My Cham Can See Well :(

[Alyssa_Kay]

I have a sweet Panther Chameleon who is about 2 years old. I got him when he was a little under a year old. For a while he was eating normally. He was hitting his mark every time, even at distances, but now he gets very close to his food before striking, is slow and cautious, and he still misses often. I do my best to keep him healthy and hydrated; I mist him multiple times a day, set up his dripper for long periods of time, and I even have a vitamin supplement that I occasionally spritz his food with. Most of the time he is mobile and brightly colored. He did have an eye problem months ago where goop would build up, but it cleared up when I started wiping his eye with a warm cloth regularly. Still, could this have had lasting effects? I hope any of you can help; I want him to be able to eat properly again.

 

[renzo0684]

Did you ever bring him to the vet for his eye problem? Also what lights are you using?

 

[renzo0684]

Can you post a recent photo of him?

 

[kinyonga]

Please answer the questions in this thread and be specific about the answers please....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

If the tongue isn't being shot out completely and that's why he's having to get close it could be a nutrient issue, an injury, an infection...but it still could be an eye issue too I suppose.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have a sweet Panther Chameleon who is about 2 years old. I got him when he was a little under a year old. For a while he was eating normally. He was hitting his mark every time, even at distances, but now he gets very close to his food before striking, is slow and cautious, and he still misses often. I do my best to keep him healthy and hydrated; I mist him multiple times a day, set up his dripper for long periods of time, and I even have a vitamin supplement that I occasionally spritz his food with. Most of the time he is mobile and brightly colored. He did have an eye problem months ago where goop would build up, but it cleared up when I started wiping his eye with a warm cloth regularly. Still, could this have had lasting effects? I hope any of you can help; I want him to be able to eat properly again.

Sounds like a tongue problem. Tongue problems can be caused by injury or poor nutrition. Tongue problems are often a sign of a calcium deficiencies (Metabolic Bone Disease).

MBD is either caused by kidney failure or poor nutrition. Nutritional MBD can be caused by a lack of calcium in the diet, a poor phosphorus/calcium balance, a lack of Vitamin D either from the diet or from UV light. Renal MBD is often caused by dehydration, either long-term low grade chronic dehydration or an accute episode.

You write, "I even have a vitamin supplement that I occasionally spritz on his food...." suggests he hasn't been getting enough calcium in his diet and has not been getting any Vitamin supplements as I don't know any liquid vitamin/calcium supplement that is any good. You also didn't mention whether you have good UV lighting.

You might have a bigger problem than just poor tongue function, but I don't know. I'm not a vet but what little you wrote is concerning to me. Good luck.

 

[Alyssa_Kay]

Sounds like a tongue problem. Tongue problems can be caused by injury or poor nutrition. Tongue problems are often a sign of a calcium deficiencies (Metabolic Bone Disease).

MBD is either caused by kidney failure or poor nutrition. Nutritional MBD can be caused by a lack of calcium in the diet, a poor phosphorus/calcium balance, a lack of Vitamin D either from the diet or from UV light. Renal MBD is often caused by dehydration, either long-term low grade chronic dehydration or an accute episode.

You write, "I even have a vitamin supplement that I occasionally spritz on his food...." suggests he hasn't been getting enough calcium in his diet and has not been getting any Vitamin supplements as I don't know any liquid vitamin/calcium supplement that is any good. You also didn't mention whether you have good UV lighting.

You might have a bigger problem than just poor tongue function, but I don't know. I'm not a vet but what little you wrote is concerning to me. Good luck.

Hi! Thanks for the input. Aside from the vitamin supplement, I also have a calcium powder with D3 that I dust on most of his food servings. I also have a UV light above his cage which I can give more info on if needed. Any advice in that category would also be much appreciated.

 

[Alyssa_Kay]

I can't see how to edit my original post again so I'm putting this here.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther, about 2 years old, has been in my care for a little over a year.
• Handling - He's handled at least every few days, either by me or my sister.
• Feeding - Mostly super-worms every day or every other day, and an occasional dozen crickets when I pass the pet store. I'll give him from 6-8 supers in a sitting, but he'll eat the crickets over the course of a few days. I got him a small horn-worm a few days ago but he seems spooked by it . Currently I don't gut-load the feeders very often, which I know is not ideal.
• Supplements - I dust the supers with AquaCulture Brand Calcium With Vitamin D3 every feeding or every other feeding.
• Watering - I have a dripper that drips through the top of his cage onto the leaves that he can reach easily. I set it up at least once a day for long periods. I mist his cage and plants, and sometimes him, with warm water typically a few times a day for a couple minutes. I see Norman drinking nearly every time I set up the dripper.
• Fecal Description - From what I can tell, his droppings are solid and dark, and the urates range from off-white to light beige. As far as I know, he hasn't been tested for any parasites.
• History - He had an issue where one eye would get a goop over it but it's been cleared up for months.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 2'x2'x4' Reptibreeze screen cage
• Lighting - I don't know about his main light, but his UV bulb is a ZooMed 40 watt, and his heat bulb is a 50 watt Exo Terra brand. I try to keep the lighting schedule at half-on half-off, 12 hours on 12 hours off but sometimes they're on for a little longer than they are off.
• Temperature - During the day, the cage floor is around 70, and the basking spot is 85-90 degrees. I'm estimating that the lowest temperature in his cage overnight is about 65 to 70. I have a little thermometer with a cord that leads outside his cage to a screen where I can check the measurements.
• Humidity - I don't definitively measure humidity; I haven't read anything on it being necessary but I'm open to advice in that area if it's recommended.
• Plants - No live plants. Plastic foliage and vines with some driftwood and rocks (like those that are used in fish tanks) at the cage floor.
• Placement - Norman's cage is kept in my room on my dresser, so it's very low traffic. The top of the cage is about 7 feet above the room floor. It is about 6 feet away from the room's heater.
• Location - Pacific Northwest; hot in the summer, cold in the winter.

Current Problem - (see initial post)

 

[Alyssa_Kay]

Can you post a recent photo of him?

This isn't super recent, but it's a clear photo and he looks the same. I'll post a newer pic tomorrow.

 

[Alyssa_Kay]

Did you ever bring him to the vet for his eye problem? Also what lights are you using?

No; I was waiting to see if it would worsen or otherwise change. I plan to, though, if it ever returns.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."Currently I don't gut-load the feeders very often, which I know is not ideal"...you want to gutload/feed the insects a healthy diet and supplement them well so your chameleon will have all the nutrients it needs to be healthy too. You can feed/gutload superworms, crickets, roaches, locusts, etc with dandelion. greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, carrots, and a bit of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears, etc.

It's recommended that you dust the insects at almost every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium powder to make up for the insects usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and letting it produce the rest of the D3 from it's exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out if the UVB at will. It's recommended.that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder with no D3 that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A can so it's safe but it leaves it up to you to decide if the chameleon needs some prEformed or not. D3 from supplements and prEformed vitamin A are somewhat antagonistic to each other so they need to be in balance and both need to be in balance with the calcium and phosphorus too.

Appropriate temperatures allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption. Hydration is important too of course.

@jajeanpierre has explained how the nutrients can be involved with the tongue and make you think your chameleon is having vision issues.
Hope you can get him back on track.

I also wouldn't let him hang out by a window in the winter...it might cause health issues too.

 

[Alyssa_Kay]

You said..."Currently I don't gut-load the feeders very often, which I know is not ideal"...you want to gutload/feed the insects a healthy diet and supplement them well so your chameleon will have all the nutrients it needs to be healthy too. You can feed/gutload superworms, crickets, roaches, locusts, etc with dandelion. greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, carrots, and a bit of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears, etc.

It's recommended that you dust the insects at almost every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium powder to make up for the insects usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and letting it produce the rest of the D3 from it's exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out if the UVB at will. It's recommended.that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder with no D3 that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A can so it's safe but it leaves it up to you to decide if the chameleon needs some prEformed or not. D3 from supplements and prEformed vitamin A are somewhat antagonistic to each other so they need to be in balance and both need to be in balance with the calcium and phosphorus too.

Appropriate temperatures allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption. Hydration is important too of course.

@jajeanpierre has explained how the nutrients can be involved with the tongue and make you think your chameleon is having vision issues.
Hope you can get him back on track.

I also wouldn't let him hang out by a window in the winter...it might cause health issues too.

Whew, that's a lot of info ! I'll look into all that and make adjustments where they're needed. Also, don't worry, his habitat is away from windows and that pic was taken in mid-summer .

 

[kinyonga]

I hope it helps!
Glad about the window.
How's the tongue problem?