My chameleon won't open its eyes. Please help!

baby.pascal

New Member
Hi my chameleon's name is pascal and we are new to the forums! I recently purchased him from petco yesterday, he is a 6 week old veiled chameleon. When I arrived at the pet store he was not active but had his eyes open, but when she gave it to be in the container to take him, he started to sleep until he got home around 8 pm. I turned on all the lights and let him explore for about 5 minutes. He didn't move off of the paper towel she out in the container and only looked around and then went back to sleep. So I turned off all the lights and went to bed. This morning around 8 am, I turned on his lights and his eyes were still closed. Then i moved him to the highest point in the cage aka my basking spot and off of the paper towel. I tried to feed him very small crickets but his eyes remained closed. I left him alone and he started to climb more but with his eyes remaining closed. I'm not sure if he is squinting or not. Please help!

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • veiled, male, 6 weeks, about 12 hours
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • i haven't touched him yet.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • very small crickets, the lady at the pet store says he eats about 4, in the morning, yes with a piece of potato.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • dusted with calcium without d3 and plan on doing that everyday and using vitamins with d3 twice a month.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • i mist him with an automatic mister 3 times a day for 5 min.i also have a dripper. no he hasn't tried to drink.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • He hasn't pooped yet.
  • 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?
  • screen cage 2 by 2 by 4 feet.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • linear usb bulb 10.0 24 inch with a 50 watt heating day heating bulb
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • lowest night temp is 70 degrees and the basking spot is 85.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • 50% and I mist frequently,
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • i have a corn plant
  • 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?
  • slightly near a vent but i plan to move it to a different location today near a window.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • denver, colorado
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I'm very worried about him not eating or drinking. Also his eyes not opening at all. But he is getting more and more active
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Please Note:
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  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 

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You will not like what I am about to tell you but take him back to petco.. The baby is sick. He is shutting down.... Looks to be a mouth issue as it is swollen. I am thinking infection. This is not what a healthy baby looks like. I would not get another one from them. Instead I would make sure your enclosure and husbandry is on point and buy one from a breeder. They gave you very wrong info as well. They get as many feeders as they want at this age... easily 2 dozen every day.
 
Thank you so much for responding!
If you want a healthy baby. The link I gave you for healthy ones... Those are bred by one of our most knowledgeable breeders. They will be ready in a few months and would be worth the wait. This would give you time to learn everything additionally that you would need to know. They have excellent genetics and are parasite free and healthy when you get them. They are also at an appropriate age for a new keeper.

Your off to a good start with your enclosure and the info you provided. There are some tweaks that need to be made but that is easy.

It is not easy to rehab a baby that young when you are new to the hobby. It can also be very expensive and they require vet care by a Vet that actually knows the species. Petco would take the baby to a vet if it makes it that long.

My concern for you is that not only does the mouth show signs of infection but the casque is sunken in. Could be undernourishment or dehydration. The baby may very well have parasites since it is a chain store baby. As far as the infection that requires oral antibiotics. Not something you want to take on with a baby this small and already so sick. They are much more fragile at this age. But this is my opinion. What you choose to do is up to you.
 
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