One eye closed?

[Seffers93]

Hey guys,
I posted all of my information about my jacksons on a thread I posted a few hours ago. I was asking about his eating habits and why he might be sleeping so much during the day and about a white section on his back. I uploaded pictures of my cage along with the info.
Here's the link
https://www.chameleonforums.com/worried-owner-96967/
You can find a picture of the white section of his back on a thread I posted here.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-96865/

So I just came home and checked on my little guys and he was on his favorite vine with one eye closed. He still hadn't eaten anything, so I held his dish up to him. When I did, he closed his other eye, and now he appears to be sleeping. Again.

Help please?

 

[Lovereps]

Sleeping during the day indicates illness.
As much as none of us wants to hear it, he needs to see a vet and get started on medication.
Once you've done this, a thorough re-examination of his care is in order, to both help him to recover and to prevent him from getting sick again.
If you don't have a decent vet for your cham, ask on the forum and maybe someone can recommend one to you.
Don't forget to mention where you are located.

 

[Seffers93]

Thank you so much!!
I'll find a vet to take him to!

 

[AbooLovesYOU]

Sounds like a vit A deficiency to me... Are you gutloading your feeders?

 

[Seffers93]

. I use Rep-Cal Cricket Food (with fruit) and Fluker’s Cricket Quencher (calcium fortified)

 

[carol5208]

If you are taking him to the vet try and get a fresh fecal sample and have him tested for parasites. He could be dehydrated. That can cause their eyes to close Are his eyes sunken in? How are you providing water? He could be a a vitamin deficiency of some sort. Definitely would start feeding your feeders better than using that store bought stuff. Fresh fruits and veggies. Check out Sandrachameleon's page for all info on gutloading. Can you post a picture of him please??

 

[Seffers93]

His eyes don't seem to be sunken in.. And yes, I spray his cage three - four times a day. I wouldn't think he would be dehydrated.. but I could be wrong!
And I just read tonight about putting fruits and veggies in to gutload the crickets, so I'm going to get right on that.

 

[Seffers93]

Sorry.. Forgot to mention that if you click on the "What is this?" link at the top on the first thread I posted, you'll find a picture of him with his eyes closed.

 

[Lovereps]

Thank you so much!!
I'll find a vet to take him to!

You're very welcome.

Unlike dogs, cats, etc. chams hide all signs of illness for as long as they are able to and they heal more slowly. This is why it is crucial to take them to a vet without delay once you see a sign of illness (sleeping during daytime, eye swelling, closing one eye, etc.)
Unless the vet is open on Sunday, then Monday would be the best.
Don't forget this is a holiday week, so Thursday and Friday they're probably closed--maybe closed for next weekend also.
Sure, this sounds ridiculously "panicky" but it actually isn't.

Just so you know, not all vets are knowledgeable about chameleons.
It is often a waste of valuable time and money to go to a vet who doesn't know how to treat chams.

In the picture that you posted at https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachments/health-clinic/67899d1353026888-what-dscf0430.jpg
I would say that your cham has a respiratory/eye infection. I state it that way because my chams' vet has told me that eye infections are often the result of an infection in the sinuses/respiratory tract.

Look at the upper part of your cham's eyelid, you can clearly see the little points/bumps on it , which is normal. Now look at the lower half of his eyelid, you can't really see those bumps and the lower lid is very puffy.

To be on the safe side, my vet has treated eye infections with antibiotics and an injection of vitamin A because these infections are often linked to vitamin A deficiency.

For gutloading feeders also see:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/446-basics-gutloading.html

Spraying 3-4 times a day might not be enough for a Jackson's. Depends on how long you spray and whether or not he is drinking as much as he should, plus how humid his environment gets. Jackson's need more humidity than other types of chams--though the cage should dry between mistings. 50% humidity is really the lowest it should be.

You should thoroughly examine your husbandry to see what may have led to the infection.
There is very often a recognizable cause, such as the environment having standing water in it or too low temperatures or poor diet, etc..

Carol5208 has an excellent suggestion about bringing a fresh fecal sample (refrigerate it, don't freeze it, if there is a delay) You likely won't get a sample if he isn't eating.

 

[Seffers93]

Thank you so much for all of the info!!
I will get him to a vet as soon as I find one that deals with chameleons!
I looked at a couple close by that said they deal with reptiles. Should I make it clear to them that he's a chameleon and not just a reptile?
And how much am I going to be spending at the vet?
If I don't have the money, I want to get it so I can pay it off.
Again, thank you for all the info. I've been posting threads like crazy today. I feel like I'm starting to get annoying to people.lol. I'm just really worried!

 

[Lovereps]

I don't think that anyone gets annoyed when they see that someone is willing to to help their cham by getting it to a good vet .
Many vets will let you pay the bill in increments.
Vet costs vary by area of the country, since the cost of living and doing business varies widely from region to region..
No one really likes to spend the money on a vet but it is often the difference between a healed pet and one that doesn't make it

Have a look at these and see if a vet who treats chams is near you :
https://www.chameleonforums.com/veterinarian-resources-67/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/area-area-country-vet-list-32880/

You can also use the search button and maybe find a "cham vet" nearby.

 

[Seffers93]

Will do!
Again, thank you so much.
Hopefully I'll find a vet and get him there on Monday!
Tomorrow, I'm going to do a full cage inspection and see what I can do to improve his environment. Also I'll be making a trip to the store for better gut loading supplies.
Perhaps I should upload some pictures of his cage tomorrow to get some advice?

 

[Lovereps]

I saw in another post that you're going to drive 3 hours to a vet--you're amazingly dedicated but surely there must be a closer good vet.

If you're up north, maybe this will help:

Dr. Todd Gray
Arboretum View Animal Hospital
2551 Warrenville Road
Downer's Grove, IL
630-963-0424
http://www.vcaspecialtyvets.com/arboretum-view

Dr Gray was recommended by several Chicago area cham owners on this forum and his bio shows that he himself owns reptiles, in additional to being an ARAV member.


Or look at the Illinois listings here, then search the forum for the doctor's name and maybe someone competent will be much closer to you.
http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/#Illinois

You can also ask these forum members, if Woodstock is near you
ecoreef
drcrossfire

 

[Seffers93]

I looked at the list in the link you posted.
Downers Grove is also a three hour drive.lol.
I live in Canton, IL. It like right in central Illinois.
But.. on that list, I saw that there's a vet in Normal(hour drive), Pekin(half hour drive), and Springfield(hourish drive)
Would you recommend going to either of those? Pekin would be very convenient.

 

[Lovereps]

I am in NY so I don't know of them personally but I would want to see Dr Nicole Chesher if I went there since she is the one with the ARAV membership.
Perhaps Johnson was her maiden name.

On HerpVets .com someone recommended Dr C.J. Johnson, of the same animal hospital so he may be OK too.

Here's that link
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/illinois.shtml

Wishing you a good vet experience whichever one sees your cham.
Hope you'll let us know how it goes.

 

[Seffers93]

Thank you so much for your help. I'm really hoping tomorrow goes well.
I'll definitely post a thread saying how it went and what I find out.
Thanks again!