One Eye Closed...

[whyteshark]

Hi,
New to the forum, but have been lurking for over a month now. I got my veiled Chameleon about a month ago and have found this forum very helpful thus far.

A few days ago I found that she has not opened her left eye. It is always closed now. She is eating regularly, the temp and humidity are the same (which we good), but her eye is always closed. I have misted her tonight several times with nuke warm water which she seemed to appreciate (as much as I can tell anyway). She also lapped up the water too while she was being misted. I am hoping that this clears up soon, and will mist her again tomorrow evening. Anyone else have anything like this before? Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[draetish]

The best thing to do for your cham is answer the "how to ask for help" questions. It could be anything from lighting, supplements, resipatory infection, etc. This way members can point out areas that may need inprovemenet

How to ask for help

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.


Pictures are helpful

 

[whyteshark]

Here are the specifics...

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Name: Emerald (Emy for short), she is a Veiled, Female, and I think she is a few months old. I have had her for over a month now.
* Handling - I try not to handle her. I don't want to contaminate her accidentally.
* Feeding - Mealworms = 4-6/day, Silk Worms (x5/week), and crickets (I put in about 5-8 every few days, usually I only have a couple dead on the bottom of the cage). Gut-loading... crickets get Flukers Cricket food and I dust the worms and crickets before giving them to her. I have a cup with the worms in it for her.
* Supplements - Flukers. I dust the worms every time I feed them to her.
* Watering - I have a dripper, a mister, and a waterfall at the bottom of her cage. The mister goes off every hour for about 45 secs. She drinks from the leaves, the waterfall, whereever she finds water really.
* Fecal Description - moist, whitish colour with some darker parts to it. She has never been tested for parasites before.
* History - Not really. When I first got her, a few days afterwards, she was bubbling at the mouth and taking deep breaths. I freaked out, hit the reptile shop and they said to watch her closely. It went away, I think she got a nose full of water (that was what the pet store guys figured anyway).


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screen, What are the dimensions - 24x24x48?
* Lighting - Two heat lamps, One on top and one in the middle. Both are Exo-Terra's, one is 100W (middle) the other is 150W (top). The UV light is a reptisun UVB 5.0 bulb. I live in Edmonton Alberta and it can be too chilly her for a cham. I also have a daylight for her as well. I turn off the daylight and the middle heat lamp at night.
* Temperature - General temo is 29.3 (right now). How do you measure these temps? = digital sensor.
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? = 31% How are you creating and maintaining these levels? (misting, waterfall, dripper) What do you use to measure humidity? = digital sensor
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? = x1 umbrella plant
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Main level, in the living room. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? (6 feet?)
* Location - Where are you geographically located? Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

 

[draetish]

Here are the specifics...

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Name: Emerald (Emy for short), she is a Veiled, Female, and I think she is a few months old. I have had her for over a month now.
* Handling - I try not to handle her. I don't want to contaminate her accidentally.
* Feeding - Mealworms = 4-6/day, Silk Worms (x5/week), and crickets (I put in about 5-8 every few days, usually I only have a couple dead on the bottom of the cage). Gut-loading... crickets get Flukers Cricket food gutload should be collard or turnip greens, shredded carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and some fruit like apples or oranges. Crushed bee pollen is also good. and I dust the worms and crickets before giving them to her. I have a cup with the worms in it for her.
* Supplements - Flukers. I dust the worms every time I feed them to her. Need to be more specific on supplements like brand and what exactly is it. You should use RepCal calcium with no D3 or phosphorus every other day. Reptivite or other vit w/D3 2x a month
* Watering - I have a dripper, a mister, and a waterfall at the bottom of her cage.Waterfalls harbor bacteria and are not recommended. Based on the drip and misting that should be enough. The mister goes off every hour for about 45 secs.Too much, enclosure needs time to dry out, try once every three hours She drinks from the leaves, the waterfall, whereever she finds water really.
* Fecal Description - moist, whitish colour with some darker parts to it.White urates are good and mean she is well hydrated. She has never been tested for parasites before.
* History - Not really. When I first got her, a few days afterwards, she was bubbling at the mouth and taking deep breaths. I freaked out, hit the reptile shop and they said to watch her closely. It went away, I think she got a nose full of water (that was what the pet store guys figured anyway).Bubbling and wheezing are signs of a respitory infection and she needs to go to a vet.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screen, What are the dimensions - 24x24x48?
* Lighting - Two heat lamps, One on top and one in the middle. Both are Exo-Terra's, one is 100W (middle) the other is 150W (top). Too much light and heat, she only needs one basking light with temp around 85 The UV light is a reptisun UVB 5.0 bulb. I live in Edmonton Alberta and it can be too chilly her for a cham. I also have a daylight for her as well. I turn off the daylight and the middle heat lamp at night. She should not have any lights at night. Veileds can handle low temps down in the 60s
* Temperature - General temo is 29.3 (right now). How do you measure these temps? = digital sensor.
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? = 31% How are you creating and maintaining these levels? (misting, waterfall, dripper) What do you use to measure humidity? = digital sensor
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? = x1 umbrella plant
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Main level, in the living room. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? (6 feet?)
* Location - Where are you geographically located? Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

These are just some recommendations.

 

[draetish]

Also since you have a female cham they produce eggs whether they are bred or not. You should have a laying bin in her enclosure at all times.

Do not use spinach, broccoli or potatoes as gutload.

 

[whyteshark]

Hi again,

Water: You state that the waterfall is not recommended, but we have a pretty dry climate up here so I am worried that it will reduce the humidity too much. Should I just take out the waterfall and watch the humidity levels for a few days and see if they change that much (if at all)?

Misting: I will decrease the mister to 3 hours, but I am worried that it won't be humid enough. I will go with your expertise here and go down to three hours for 60 seconds.

History: She hasn't 'bubbled' since then (over a month ago). I am seriously thinking of taking her into a vet anyway just for a check-up and so I can establish a relationship with my vet before some major occurs.

Lighting/Heating. I find her usually hanging around either heat lamp and am worried that it will lower the temp too much. Should I just remove one for a few days and watch how things transpire like the waterfall idea?

Sorry for all the questions but I feel like a complete noob and don't want my ignorance to have a negative result on my chameleon. I am really quite attached to her now. Thanks again.

 

[whyteshark]

So I should have a nesting area set up for her so she can lay eggs too? Are chameleons like chickens that way, they lay unfertilized eggs?

 

[draetish]

Hi again,

Water: You state that the waterfall is not recommended, but we have a pretty dry climate up here so I am worried that it will reduce the humidity too much. Should I just take out the waterfall and watch the humidity levels for a few days and see if they change that much (if at all)?

Misting: I will decrease the mister to 3 hours, but I am worried that it won't be humid enough. I will go with your expertise here and go down to three hours for 60 seconds.

History: She hasn't 'bubbled' since then (over a month ago). I am seriously thinking of taking her into a vet anyway just for a check-up and so I can establish a relationship with my vet before some major occurs.

Lighting/Heating. I find her usually hanging around either heat lamp and am worried that it will lower the temp too much. Should I just remove one for a few days and watch how things transpire like the waterfall idea?

Sorry for all the questions but I feel like a complete noob and don't want my ignorance to have a negative result on my chameleon. I am really quite attached to her now. Thanks again.

Questions are good and you do have some good points. Definetely remove the waterfall all together. The humidity should be fine with the misting and drip. Yes, try removing one light and see if that helps her eye. Eye issues can be caused by lights, supplements or respitatory infections. Do you know a vet that specializes in chams? If not, maybe someone on the forum that lives in your area could recommend one.

 

[draetish]

Here is some great info by one of our Senior Members you might find very helpful



http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[whyteshark]

Update

Brought my Cham to the vet today. She said that other then the minor eye infection, she is one of the healthiest chameleons brought in here. That was a relief. She gave me some Baytril to give to her everyday for the next 3 weeks to ensure that every ounce of illness has left her. She also gave me liquid vitamins to replace the powders because they work better. I am to administer this to her once a week.

After we got home she was climbing around and her eye was open again like nothing had happened. My Cham (Cleo btw, not Emi), was not a fan of the vet and really blasted us with her colours, she is a beautiful green and had deep green stripes and spots across her body and stripes over her brow and face. It was awesome to see. Thankfully, she has never done that with me before which encourages me that she has never been that mad with me before.

All in all, it was a good experience for Cleo and myself as I went and grabbed another thermometer/hydrometer to gauge the lower part of her cage now. I also grabbed a humidifier from Can Tire because humidity is a real problem where I live. Cleo has since eaten x2 king worms and x2 silkies, taken her medicine from me and downed several pints of water. It has been a good day.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.