my veiled has a puffy eye, wut could it be?

PicassoTheVeiled

New Member
hello, this is my first post, unfortunately, its not a good one :( i just bought "picasso" 2 days ago from a lady on craigslist. he is 20" long and roughly 11 months old she says. his cage is 5'x3'x2' with vines and potted plants. his eye was perfectly fine when i bought him, but yesterday, it started to look somewhat swolen. he has a vet apointment for 5:30pm today (its 10am now) i just wanted some info i could bring up to the reptile vet.... has anyone ever had this happen? what could it be?

when i was misting his cage yesterday, i sprayed him with warm water a little. the lady told me to do this cause he likes to drink it sometimes. could this be why? could there be something in the water that irritated it? also, she said she saw a superworm curled up around his face the other day, she thought it could have bit him?

what kinds of diseases are there out there as far as eye problems go? i really want to get this figured out cause im already completely hooked on this guy, hes so amazing, ive always wanted a chameleon my whole life, but never could because of parents, and then when i moved in with my ex, he wouldnt let me have one either... so after i kicked him out, there was nothing stopping me from getting what i always wished i could have!!!!!
 
Welcome to the forum. Where in California are you located? We have lots of Calif members who could help make sure you are getting a great chameleon vet.

Super worms most definitely bite. It is quite possible that one curled up around him bit him. It is good you are taking him to the vet. You should try to get a fecal sample and have it checked while you are at the vet's.

Let us know how the visit goes, good luck.
 
If you're unsure whether the vet is experienced with chameleons, you might want to pack a superworm along for the trip. "worm bite" might not sound that bad...until you see a superworm.
 
I decided I didn't want to say the city. Thanks...

Edit: thank you. I appreciate it.
 
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Uncomfotable with it/decided against it, so I tried to change it before anyone saw it. Besides, they may not be in the same area. I just saw a massive veiled on craigslist that came with a large enclosure so I'm taking a guess.
 
I think not posting personal details, however vague some might think they are, is smart (even though I'm not always that careful).
 
to PSSH---- i found him in citrus heights close to sacramento, ca.... i live about 45 min from there. is that the one you saw on craigslist??? if it is how cool... and ironic :D

ive been wanting a cham for practically my whole life... never could get one though because when i was living at home my dad didnt want one in the house, though he absolutely loves them, didnt want the upkeep... then when i moved out, my ex boyfriend wouldnt let me have one because i already have 2 cats and 3 large fishtanks hahaha... BUT... now that i have nothing holding me back.... i find myself now owning one of the coolest critters ive ever had. the lady i got him from said he hisses all the time when you go in the cage... but i think he just didnt like her cause he hasnt done it to me yet, maybe he knows im awesomer haha

ill keep u posted on his vet visit, hope it goes well and is nothing serious. anyone ever heard of refresh tears? i read online that its for when they get an irritant in their eye, im thinking that may be it?? cause it just happened within a day, he didnt have a swolen eye when he was at the old owners house, and hasnt eaten a superworm since ive had him (2 days)... hes only had crickets and a couple wax worms (which yes, i know wax worms are like cham candy and arent super nutritious, but i figured id give him a few as an apology for putting him through the long move to my house)
 
Since you're coming up on your appointment time, I'd hold off trying anything until you've seen the vet. It's possible that what's the right treatment for an irritant is not the right treatment for a bite.

Sometimes I'm amazed at how close other posters live to me...I found a thread about the 2007 San Diego fires and loads of people here were, like me, on watch for evacuation.
 
well, he went to the vet, the vet seems to think he has a vitamin A defficiency i guess his last owners werent doing something right... so how do i get more vitamin A in him? he was givin a vit A shot and needs to be seen in a week for another. can anyone suggest any good foods for a vit A defficiency?

he is currently eating gutloaded crickets and meal worms, and the occasional wax worm as a treat. the lady i bought him from says he wont eat anything not living... but im open to trying other things if need be
 
I would let the vet take care if the vitamin A. It's easy to overdose on and you don't want that. It can interfere with calcium and d3.

Try filling out the how to ask for help for in the sticky titled how to ask for help in the health clinic section. People can help you figure out what you were told was correct, and what was incorrect (to fix it) so your cham can live a long healthy life.
 
well, he went to the vet, the vet seems to think he has a vitamin A defficiency i guess his last owners werent doing something right... so how do i get more vitamin A in him? he was givin a vit A shot and needs to be seen in a week for another. can anyone suggest any good foods for a vit A defficiency?

he is currently eating gutloaded crickets and meal worms, and the occasional wax worm as a treat. the lady i bought him from says he wont eat anything not living... but im open to trying other things if need be

You started another thread about this here so you are going to be getting alot of duplication. As Pssh said, the "how to ask for help" questions are the best way to get started.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/vitamin-defficiency-how-correct-39003/
 
Sorry, I'd like to say the form of vitamin A I was talkig about is preformed vit A. The type that Eliza is talking about is proformed and can be given safely. It is in many fruits and veggies as well as certain supplements.
 
hope this helps, let me kno if im doing anything wrong


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male veiled, approx 11months, got him about 4 days ago
Handling - handle for short periods every day
Feeding - crickets gutloaded with cricket food and given water gel with calcium. meal worms gut loaded with oatmeal and apples for moisture
Supplements -dust with repti cal with vit D daily
Watering - spray bottle with hot water and 2 drops of repti safe. he drinks roughly every 4 days the lady says. mist twice a day for a few minutes each time
Fecal Description - never tested for parasites, feces are slightly wet when fresh then dry to look like rasins
History - i just bought him a few days ago from a lady. he currently has a swollen eye and doc says he may have vit A deficientcy

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 5'x3'x2' screen/wood cage with lots of plants and vines
Lighting - 12 hrs on/12 hrs off. 2 zoo med-48" uvb 10. lights, one on each side. 1 zoo med 12" uvb strip light on top. 50 watt heat light.
Temperature - currently 80 in basking area, not sure what it is at the bottom. dont know night temp cause im asleep, but just a few degrees cooler. 150 watt ceramic heater (the ones with no light) and 50 watt red heat bulb. use a didgital thermometor in basking area
Humidity -currently 60% more after misting. use humidity gauge. considering buying humidifier
Plants - 2 large plants--- umbrella plant, and one other one im not sure the name of (but lady make sure it was safe for him when she bought it)
Placement -cage located in living room... not particularly high traffic though people do sit in the room. not near vents or fans. in sight of a window, but not close enough for drafts
Location - california
 
Karen,
There are so many things wrong with your chams husbandry and the person you got it from was not doing things right. Could be why you are having health issues. Here is a link to study.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/basic-husbandry-38769/

Did you mean that the cham only drinks every 4th day?
He should not be handled everyday, stress kills
Crickets are not properly gut-loaded
Having (2) 10.0 UVB lights is bad. You should have a Reptisun 5.0 linear bulb and you need to buy a new one. I'm betting that those lights are old and no longer put out UVB.

I'm a work and can't go into the whole thing. I'm sure others will pipe in. I didn't want you to think you went to all the trouble of filling out the form and nobody cares. We do and we want to help.

Here is another excellent read:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
 
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