new to the forum guys. i just adopted a female blue bar ambilobe and i feel she is weak and very small for her age. My other chameleons are all males and are perfectly healthy, she's is new, but something isn't right. i don't know her previous care or how she was treated. she is 8 months old. i would love to see some pics of a female around the same age. she isn't people friendly and one of her eyes stays closed. she has a thermal burn which i understand there is no cure for that. like i stated before i really want to see a pic of a healthy one. how do i clear her eye up? she doesn't rub it on branches or anything, or try to bulge it out. if i spray it, she will open it after the water clears but will close it again soon after. thanks guys! great forum by the way, i have learned a lot in my 4 hours on here!
new female panther eye problems and small
- Thread starter snakers19
- Start date
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
If an eye is closed and she has a burn assume her care wasn't great. She could still make up some size and strength as long as your husbandry is spot on. The thermal burn can be treated. Ideally, get some Silvadene burn ointment from a vet. It treats the damage, protects the tissue as it heals, and prevents infection. A stop gap treatment would be some sort of OTC antibiotic ointment such as Polysporin. Don't use anything with added pain reliever. Depending on how deep the damage was it could slowly heal to normal coloration.
Please describe her setup...humidity and how you offer water especially. If she has an irritated eye increased misting and higher humidity will ease it. If she might have something stuck in it you can help her flush it by squirting sterile saline (as few added ingredients as possible) at the eye. Saline will sting less than plain water. If there is any discharge or her eyelid seems glued shut in the mornings there is some sort of infection going on. A vet could also examine it to see if there is a long-standing injury to the eye itself.
What will your gutloading, dusting, lighting schedule be for her?
her basking spot is at 85.7 degrees and her humidity level is at on average 45-52. her light schedule is basking bulb always on and uvb is used from 6 am to 10 pm. i have an automatic mister that sprays for 10 seconds every hour but i also hand spray the hole cage 2-3 times a day. cage does have tome to dry between. i gut load all my crickets with all types of fruits and green the night before feeding. i sometimes offer super worms and butter worms as treats. the crickets are dusted every time i feed which is once a day. her eye is always closed at night but once i spray her eye she will open it, but later she will close it again. there is no discharge from it. her arms look very skinny and the burn is a very small light burn on the bottom of her belly where it looks as if she had gotten to close to the light.
i could really use the help. i took her to the vet last week and they prescribed an eye cream and a antibiotic once a day. after i brought her home i did notice her eat one or two crickets, but she hasn't since. her eye stays shut and nothing is getting better. she drinks like a fish no matter what state the water is given. I just don't know what else to do. with her being skinny and not getting her to eat, i can't get the vitamins or calcium she needs either
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
i could really use the help. i took her to the vet last week and they prescribed an eye cream and a antibiotic once a day. after i brought her home i did notice her eat one or two crickets, but she hasn't since. her eye stays shut and nothing is getting better. she drinks like a fish no matter what state the water is given. I just don't know what else to do. with her being skinny and not getting her to eat, i can't get the vitamins or calcium she needs either
If she is "drinking like a fish" she's dehydrated, and dehydrated chams can't or won't eat much of anything. She may be in pain from the eye problem too, so has no appetite. Can't really help with the eye issue other than what the vet did. If both eyes were involved it is more likely to be some sort of nutritional problem, but one...speaks more to an injury or infection.
humidity rises to 65% when the cage has been sprayed and lowers to around 43% when dry. i have a huge umbrella plant in there that keeps the humidity up pretty well. whats the easiest ways to "re-hydrate" a chameleon?? also, on a male panther, what causes the casques to sink in? just curious incase of future problems.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
The casque sinks because the cham is chronically dehydrated or starving. Your humidity levels are borderline too low. I suspect the cage is spending most of its time at the lower level and your cham is losing ground. You either need to mist more often (gently for a longer period rather than a quick blast works better), raise the humidity level with a humidifier and more live foliage, or put her in the shower regularly.
