My veild chameleon won't open his eyes

tht1chamkid

New Member
I'm new to raising a chameleon and am very worried

My chameleon is a young male I got him January 8 2018
He is in an aquarium because I can not get a screen cage

Recently his bulb stopped producing heat and I didn't notice till I got home from school. I put in the backup one I had which is a red light.
Can him being cold cause him to not open his eyes?
He didn't eat today. Should I try to feed him again?
I misted him a bunch and saw on a different form that I need to mist him from what bounces off the wall
Every once in a while he will puff out his right eye but then bring it back in still closed

Please help
 
Why can't you get a screen cage? They are readily available online and affordable. I can provide you links if you need. Aquariums are very, very bad for chameleons. Aquariums are made for fish. Since chameleons are not fish, aquariums do not meet the requirements for a non-fish. There are better alternatives to aquariums if you absolutely must use glass for one reason or another.

Closed eyes is a sure sign that something is wrong. It is almost certainly not due to the temporary change in temperature. Please fill out the following form in its entirety and we will be able to offer you much better, more specific advice :)

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • 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?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 
He is in an aquarium because I can not get a screen cage

Recently his bulb stopped producing heat and I didn't notice till I got home from school. I put in the backup one I had which is a red light.
Can him being cold cause him to not open his eyes? Probably not that quickly, it is likely from another reason. The red light is sufficient for heat for a short duration, but more importantly, what is the basking temp?
He didn't eat today. Should I try to feed him again? They can definitely go days without food, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet.
I misted him a bunch and saw on a different form that I need to mist him from what bounces off the wall This is for misting in a shower. The idea is that the water droplets bounce off the wall and gently mist the animal. How are you misting your chameleon in the aquarium?
Every once in a while he will puff out his right eye but then bring it back in still closed That could be a sign that there is some debris stuck in the eye turret and he is trying to clean it out.

I would suggest to fill out the information in the How to ask for help above (just cut and paste your info into a reply) so we can help you on the correct path.

Please help
 
I started keeping chameleons over 30 years ago...in the dark ages before the wheel...oops I meant screen cage.... was invented and all we had were aquariums. I had lots of chameleons live long lives in them and never had a chameleon get an RI or such from being in one. They have advantages just like screen cages have different advantages...but be aware...you do need to know what you're doing.

Here area some threads about whether to use them or not...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/glass-cages-why-is-everyone-against-them.125223/
As you can see others have used glass cages too...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/10JulAndersonGlass.html


Was the eye only shut for a little while after you replaced the heat bulb?
 
I started keeping chameleons over 30 years ago...in the dark ages before the wheel...oops I meant screen cage.... was invented and all we had were aquariums. I had lots of chameleons live long lives in them and never had a chameleon get an RI or such from being in one. They have advantages just like screen cages have different advantages...but be aware...you do need to know what you're doing.

Here area some threads about whether to use them or not...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/glass-cages-why-is-everyone-against-them.125223/
As you can see others have used glass cages too...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/10JulAndersonGlass.html


Was the eye only shut for a little while after you replaced the heat bulb?

Once I fixed the heating he has started to open his eyes yes thank you
 
I
Why can't you get a screen cage? They are readily available online and affordable. I can provide you links if you need. Aquariums are very, very bad for chameleons. Aquariums are made for fish. Since chameleons are not fish, aquariums do not meet the requirements for a non-fish. There are better alternatives to aquariums if you absolutely must use glass for one reason or another.

Closed eyes is a sure sign that something is wrong. It is almost certainly not due to the temporary change in temperature. Please fill out the following form in its entirety and we will be able to offer you much better, more specific advice :)

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • 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?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

I can't get a screen cage because I don't have much money
I had to use what my step dad already had
He had an aquarium meant for reptiles. It has vents on the side and back.
Thank you for helping
I would like links for the cages tho that would be helpful for when I get a job this summer
 

The basking temp is about 85-90 (I don't have a good thermometer there but I'm getting a new one this weekend) the cool side is 75

I was misting him by a spray bottle held a bit above the aquarium so that it doesn't hit him to hard then I'd most the walls and get a few damp paper towels in there to keep up humidity
 
Here is the health form (thank you syreptyon)


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • veild chameleon, male, not sure age, got him January 8
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • at least twice a week
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule?
  • feeding him crickets, about 3, about 7 am and about 10 pm
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • flukers repta calcium, 7 am with calcium
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • sprits bottle held above tank, 2 minutes about 3 times a day, I see him drink/go after the water 2 out of the 3 times usually
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
  • dark brown Whit yellow/whitish at the end
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • None as of now

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Glass with vents on sides and back, I don't know the dimensions (this tank is temporary till summer)
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • I don't know brand/model, right now it's a red light, I use a uvb and a heat light, there is no schedule since my house is usually kept cold so I usually turn red light on and blue light off (blue light broke recently)
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • My basking spot is usually in the 85 low to 90 high, my cool side is 65 low to 75 high (Fahrenheit), I use an in-cage thermometer for cool side and tape on thermometer on the outside for basking side (getting an inside one this weekend)
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • 50-100 (100 right after misting 50 after a while of misting), I am creating by putting 2 damp paper towels in small bowls on floor and misting, a humidity thermometer
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Just fake ones until I get screen cage
  • 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?
  • In the far corner of my room away from much activity, not near fans or in line of ac vents, about waist level to me (I'm 5ft 5in)
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • Florida, USA

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Eyes being shut.
Thoughts is that it's from being cold all day (from 6am till 4pm)
 
At that size you should be feeding him as many crickets and other insects as he will eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding. However IMHO you should not be feeding him so late at night. He won't have time to digest the food before the lights go off.

Speaking of lights....they are usually left in for 12 hours and off for 12 hours...no lights at night at all! Colored lights are not recommended either. You can use a regular white incandescent household bulb of a wattage that produces the right temperature in the basking spot. The UVB is needed too of course. If your house drops below 60 at night then use a ceramic heat emitter to keep the cage warm.

Is the lid of the cage screen? Do the lights sit in the lid?

I recommend that you set up a dripper and run it long enough that he drinks from it. It can be a solo cup with a tiny hole in the bottom so that it drips at the rate of one or two drips per second.

Let me know if the eyes stay open now. If not we need to figure out why.
Please post some recent photos of your chameleon and the cage.
 
At that size you should be feeding him as many crickets and other insects as he will eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding. However IMHO you should not be feeding him so late at night. He won't have time to digest the food before the lights go off.

Speaking of lights....they are usually left in for 12 hours and off for 12 hours...no lights at night at all! Colored lights are not recommended either. You can use a regular white incandescent household bulb of a wattage that produces the right temperature in the basking spot. The UVB is needed too of course. If your house drops below 60 at night then use a ceramic heat emitter to keep the cage warm.

Is the lid of the cage screen? Do the lights sit in the lid?

I recommend that you set up a dripper and run it long enough that he drinks from it. It can be a solo cup with a tiny hole in the bottom so that it drips at the rate of one or two drips per second.

Let me know if the eyes stay open now. If not we need to figure out why.
Please post some recent photos of your chameleon and the cage.


His eyes are open now since I put in the red light. I can't send photos till Saturday or Sunday because I won't be home till then. The lid is metal but looks like screen. They sit on the lid but I have a lamp that brings the lights high enough so that they don't make the lid to hot.
Thank you for the solo cup idea I'll do it as soon as I get home.
 
We cant stress it enough to not have lights on at night. Chameleons generally need total or near total darkness in order to get proper rest at night. Definitely switch out your red bulb for a normal white incandescent house bulb. Youll need to try different wattage bulbs to get the correct basking temps.

Also, to expand on what Kinyonga mentioned about feeding. You want to make sure you are feeding as much as the chameleon can eat in a few minutes. This is usually between 10-15 crickets at that young age (im guessing your profile pic is the cham). You also want to feed during the first half of the day. Chameleons, like most reptiles, need to bask after meals to help their digestion. Feeding at 10pm wont give the chameleon time to bask and digest at all and could cause digestive issues.
 
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