Is this normal baby behavior

[jeanjacket812]

My little guy is about a month old and I have seen him quite a few times be basking or hunting and he will be scanning the room with one eye shut. At first I freaked a little because I know eyes closed is a bad sign but its not both eyes just one and not even a specific eye he alternates. For lighting I have a Exo Terra Reptiglo and a 60 watt house bulb for heat. Temps are in the low 80's for his basking spot and he almost never goes directly under the bulb he stays a little bit lower down in his tree. I know that my baby beardies used to do that all the time. But they also did weird stuff such as wave(Who on here has never waved back at ur beardy?) But I am concerned none the less other than that he is very attentive and active and everytime I check on him he is somewhere else in his cage.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Which Reptiglo?

Which Reptiglo product are you using. The compact 10.0 and 5.0 emit too much UVB below the 300 wavelength (not found in nature). The lower wavelengths are associated with a LOT of eye and skin burn issues. The linear 5.0 tube would be ok. The linear 10.0 tube is made for desert reptiles like the beardies. It's too harsh for your baby. If you don't have the Reptiglo 5.0 linear tube I would immediately change it. The compact spiral bulbs in particular have caused eye issues that lead to ceasation of eating and drinking.

 

[hallenhe]

I don't know about the shut eye - what I have read ("Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity"; Pianka and Vitt 2003) is that chameleons alternate eyes in receiving visual data - one eye communicates with the brain, then the other, then the first... - and that might shed some light on what your guy's doing. Hopefully some people with experience with chams that young will chime in.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

sometimes they get stuff from their plants in their eyes. Especially if you have a small ficus in with him. Ficus sometimes excrete a white dusty substance and it ccan cause them discomfort. He's too small to put in the shower now. But i used to put my older chams in the shower on a tree and let them get a nice 20 min soak. I think it helps keep them hydrated and helps rinse them off. If you have ficus try switching to a scheffelera.

 

[jeanjacket812]

He has a 5.0 reptiglo in there with him now and I yes he has a small ficus but he was doing this when he was in his bin on a scheffelera so I'm thinking it may just be a baby thing where they try to look as still as possible. I hope this is all it is.