my cham is now blind

[ciafardo 4]

I hope you make the right decision, and keep your cham, and let him live a happy life

i really would think blindness would be cruel for the animal they really cant hear in the way other animals do it reminds me of the metallica video "one "im not making a joke

 

[jojackson]

and most chams born in captivity are filled with parasites.

well hes wrong there to start with, unless you heard wrong, since the opposite is true and WC (wild caught) reptiles of any species that are imported are prone to parasitic loads the require treatment, rather, cb (captive bred) are less likely to have parasites, excepting due to extremely poor unsanitary conditions, contact with already parasite affected animals droppings etc.

but his eyes got infected and I took him to the vet and they gave me some meds and the eyes got worse and the vet pretty much said that he wishes people would quit getting chams,

And......? you never did anything further? never got a second opinion? The most constructive advice you can get has been given you already.

 

[dodolah]

Sorry to hear that your chameleon is unable to use its eyes. Are you sure it is blind? or is it just unable to open its eye? Have you sought a second opinion from a vet familiar with chameleons?

If it is in fact blind, I wouldnt assume it is having a bad life. So long is it is getting water when it needs it, food when it needs it, is able to somehow navigate towards and away from heat....
That makes me wonder, does it seem to know where the basking spot is? that would suggest it still senses the light through closed lids.

Don't forget chameleon has another eye (parietal eye) on the top of its head that covered by scale and thermoregulation sense, i believe, is one of its function. It is also because of this, chameleon can sense a flying predator without the need to look up.

as far as the chameleon care goes, i think as long as he still eating, drinking, and basking. you should still provide the best care for him. Having a pet, whether it's something complicated like chameleons or easy such as roaches, comes with a huge responsibility since the animal is depending on you 100% for its survival.
If you start to feel burn out and no longer able to provided the best care for him, I think you should at the very least try to find somebody who is more able in providing the best care for him.

I knew at least 1 member here that run a sanctuary for special need chameleons.
Perhaps, you can talk to her a bit more about it.

 

[winstywoo]

i have male veiled cham a year ago mine had same problem gradually hi eyes became permanantly shut sometimes had crust on them after few weeks vet said could be lack of vitamin a (i think) could be vitamin d. but either way he gave me a little bottle of brown liquid called bsp nanovits we had to give him 2 drops a day directly into his mouth after a week or so we had to take him back for check up by which time he was back to perfect health eyes wide open and livlier than ever we were over the moon we really thought he wouldnt pick up having heard how delicate chams can be. the vet aid to continue give him the drops diluted in his water which for me is quite easy as i give him water from a mouse/hamster bottle i hold it about 10cm from his face and gently squeeze it after a minute or so he notices the drips and drinks from the bottle as i am gently squeezing it. i put two drops to about 100ml of water and still do it to this day. i dont know if this will help as it may be a different problem or too progressed but PLEASE give it a try my chams eyes were stuck fast i thought he was beyond help but i couldnt believe how uick he recovered. i forgot to mention i think the vet gave him a jab too when we first took him i believe this was just a higher dose of the same stuff to give him a kick start. it is a 10ml bottle i have had it a year and it is still 3/4 full there is a web address on the label www.vetark.co.uk this may help. you must try this PLEASE it has to be worth it let me know how u get on or if u have any questions, good luck, sally.

 

[weaselog]

same problem

my cham seems to be having the same problem in one eye and the other is starting to close up too, i need help before its too late and he goes completely blind

 

[laurie]

my cham seems to be having the same problem in one eye and the other is starting to close up too, i need help before its too late and he goes completely blind

You need to start your own thread. Most people will look at this thread and see how old it is and never look at it.

 

[Carlton]

my cham seems to be having the same problem in one eye and the other is starting to close up too, i need help before its too late and he goes completely blind

At the top of this forum there's a sticky message titled "how to ask for help". Answer the questions with as much information as possible. There are lots of reasons a cham starts closing its eyes and a lot we can help you with to avoid "blindness" (though we never did establish that the OP's cham was actually blind all those years ago). Nutrition, infection, dehydration, and incorrect lighting can all affect the eyes, but there are a lot of options to correct the problem too.

 

[Candybugs]

I've never heard anything about an eye on their heads WHAT Gonna research that asap. Mind blown. Thank you for such cool info.

 

[Alexander1]

I've never heard anything about an eye on their heads WHAT Gonna research that asap. Mind blown. Thank you for such cool info.

Agree with the third eye comment, my veiled chameleon hides his head under leaves when I turn the lights on when he's sleeping, now I get it!

 

[Candybugs]

I have a great pic of the 3rd eye on my bearded dragons head.

 

[Candybugs]

The people that knew about it are all like whatever and I'm still WHAT[emoji33]