Lighting/eye issues

[KrislynnPatricia]

Hi everyone! So I have a baby chameleon that’s 11days old today! He hatched on 5/20/22 I don’t have the clutch I purchased the egg from a breeder online. My current issue is that his left eye isn’t fully opening as his right eye is. I took him to the vet today which unfortunately wasn’t much help! She just continued to say he’s so small and should be with his partners like kittens stay with their parents mind you I work in vet med and this isn’t my first rodeo with a reptile and he’s not a kitten I also am so lost on the type of lighting I should have for this little guy. I had a heat light but then was told by the breeder to use just a regular appliance bulb which has maintained his enclosure at about 75-85 (when it gets too hot I turn it off) give or take his uvb is a strip light with UVB 10 and the vet said she thinks it should be 40. I’m just so lost on what’s up with his eye. She said she can’t see a sign of infection but she didn’t really touch him either cause he’s so tiny. She also said he should be 3-4 inches long at 11 days old which seems like unreal growth for a chameleon that hatched 11 days ago?!??

Images below are hatch day, right eye (ok) left eye (won’t open fully) and today at the vet.

Any advice or guidance would be helpful and appreciated. I’ve had a veiled and panther chameleon in the past but both were brought into my home at 12-16weeks old.

Thank you again!

 

[siennas]

hi! i am no expert but i have heard that babies usually do not need any heating bulb at that age. make sure it's not too hot! id say 80+ may be burning him.

also, did the vet mean just body size or body plus tail?

 

[KrislynnPatricia]

hi! i am no expert but i have heard that babies usually do not need any heating bulb at that age. make sure it's not too hot! id say 80+ may be burning him.

also, did the vet mean just body size or body plus tail?

Thank you! I’ll leave his light off tomorrow cause the breeder did mention some breeders don’t even use heat and it’s getting warmer! She wasn’t very specific to be honest…she wasn’t very informative and there was a lot of I thinks hold on let me go check so I was really guided well on that aspect I unfortunately

 

[Uri]

Usually most breeders raise babies in smaller cages with the uvb and plant light providing the warmer temperatures babies usually live closer to the ground(depends on species) then adults and so it makes sense they don’t get as warm as adults as well as them being so fragile and dehydrating faster because they are so tiny vets have a really hard time working with baby reptiles and small animals like that because well there’s not much you can do on something so tiny and meds can VERY easily be overdosed with such a tiny body maybe a vitamin a deficiency I’ve never kept a panther but I know with carpets which are also a Madagascar species that’s kept in similar conditions babies will have an eye closed due to lack of vitamin a idk how much this translates to a panther and how to safely dose a baby with vitamin a panther like that

 

[KrislynnPatricia]

Usually most breeders raise babies in smaller cages with the uvb and plant light providing the warmer temperatures babies usually live closer to the ground(depends on species) then adults and so it makes sense they don’t get as warm as adults as well as them being so fragile and dehydrating faster because they are so tiny vets have a really hard time working with baby reptiles and small animals like that because well there’s not much you can do on something so tiny and meds can VERY easily be overdosed with such a tiny body maybe a vitamin a deficiency I’ve never kept a panther but I know with carpets which are also a Madagascar species that’s kept in similar conditions babies will have an eye closed due to lack of vitamin a idk how much this translates to a panther and how to safely dose a baby with vitamin a panther like that

Yea I sadly went into the visit knowing not much could be done but wanted to hope for the best! Haha she said he looks ok just warned me how fragile he is at this age! I just hope his little eye is ok! I powder coat his buggies with vitamin powders so we shall see what happens

 

[MissSkittles]

I powder coat his buggies with vitamin powders

May I ask what you are using and how frequently?

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ve never had hatchlings, so I really know almost nothing. This may help though.

 

[kinyonga]

It almost looks like the eye is slightly deformed and may not be able to open. Have you ever seen it completely open?

I don't provide basking lights for hatchlings...I use just the long linear Reptisun 5.0 tube light on them...and my room temperature is about 72F during the day.

If th mother was properly supplemented and had no vitamin issues, the imho the hatchling shouldn't have issues with vitamin imbalances yet...but if the mother was in poor condition, then the hatchling could be too IMHO.

 

[KrislynnPatricia]

May I ask what you are using and how frequently?

Yea I’ll shoot you a pic today when I get home but I coat his buggies everytime I feed him

 

[Beman]

If you can give specifics on the UVB lighting your using as well. Is it a T5HO or T8 or screw in bulb? What is the bulb strength as well?

Also would like to know the same that @kinyonga asked above... The eye shape looks off so was it ever completely open?

 

[KrislynnPatricia]

Yes! Will do so when I get home thank you!