PLEASE HELP! My chameleon's left eye won't open!

LaughingCat

LaughingCat

New Member
I recently bought a male veiled chameleon from petco about 5 days ago and I am VERY new at owning one and he has been pretty much fine until today he was cleaning his eyes and he was able to open his right eye with no problem, but he is keeping his left eye shut. I wouldn't be so worried if he opened it occasionally, but he seems to be taking a nap. He opened both eyes for a little bit, then kept the left one shut again and then the right one not long after. He is high up in his enclosure (16x16x34 glass/mesh combo) basking and doing his normal shenanigans, but I would just like some insight as to what is going on, and maybe something I can do to help the little guy. So far he seems quite content here at home. I was thinking of showering him. Please help! I am such a paranoid chameleon mommy right now! I just want him to be healthy and happy!!!!:(:(:(:(:( (attached is a picture I just took of him "Napping")
 
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I hate to say this but his front right leg looks to have a break in it. Looks like he has Metabolic Bone Disease as well as other issues with his eyes. I would call Petco and tell them you have come onto the forums for advice and this is what we told you your chameleon has.
 
carol5208 said:
I hate to say this but his front right leg looks to have a break in it. Looks like he has Metabolic Bone Disease as well as other issues with his eyes. I would call Petco and tell them you have come onto the forums for advice and this is what we told you your chameleon has.
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+ 1

I would seek to return the veiled and look elsewhere for a healthier better pet store where the animals are not being sold sickly.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Bacon, a male veiled chameleon, he has been in my care for 5 days so far
Handling - once every other day (he doesn't seem to mind it)
Feeding - Crickets and mealworms, I am currently in the process of buying a cricket cage so I can gutload them, so as for now, I am not gutloading the insects. I bought him small crickets and mealworms about 3 days ago.
Supplements - using Zoomed Repti-calcium with D3 once a week (as the bottle says)
Watering - I have an automatic mister set for every 5 hours on a 30 second spray. I do not see him actively drinking
Fecal Description - His urate is white as far as I know. He keeps going to the lizard potty on dark sticks, so I can't tell if there is any other color to it. There is no reptile vet here where I am, so it's hard to get him checked out.
History - He is new and still very young. I'm not sure if what he is doing is normal or not.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass/screen combo 16x16x34
Lighting - Zilla Halogen/flourescent combo fixture. using Zilla Tropical 25 13w UVB coil bulb and a red halogen 50w heat bulb. I keep the lights on for 12-ish hours (7:30am-8:30pm) to try to simulate a sunrise and a sunset.
Temperature - Bottom of the cage is about 70-75degrees, middle of the cage is about 80degrees and the top is about 85-90 degrees. Lowest overnight temp was 72 degrees. Analog AND Digital probe.
Humidity - Humidity is between 55-65. Drip system and auto-mister set for every 4 hours on a 30 second spray. I use an analog hygrometer (i don't have the money for a digital one currently, but I will purchase one when I can)
Plants - Pothos house plants at the bottom (they're still saplings) and fake vines at the top, wrapping around the branches and vines.
Placement - The cage is located in my bedroom right now. It is not near an air duct or vent. The cage is sitting on top of a 5 foot dresser
Location - Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas

Current Problem - He is not opening his left eye. He seems to be cleaning it, or it seems to be irritated. I don't know if I'm being too paranoid as a new owner. He will open the left eye occasionally, but not for long. I'm wondering if showering him might help, but I'm not too sure as of what's going on
 
Your set up is quite good. You also need plain phosphorous free calcium to dust feeders daily and a multivitamin twice a month. You could drop your temps to around 84 for a baby. You could also up his mistings. If he has mbd as Carol has suggested it can be stopped but not cured. There is a thread on this condition. A shower may help his eyes. Put him on a plant and aim the stream of water at the wall and not on the Cham. Do not leave him. Do it for 15-20 mins.:)
 
Well the good news is Bacon's eyes are opened and looking around!! The shower and misting worked. I looked at his leg and I had my husband look at it, and he said that the reason why we probably didn't notice it was because he was like that at the pet store. Also, he has full mobility in all his legs and moves with no problem whatsoever. I am going to purchase some more crickets and mealworms and dust them with the vitamin supplement to take care of the MBD. I want to give the little guy a chance rather than returning him and giving up on him.
 
Well that is great that you want to keep him and help him. Sometimes when their limbs fracture they heal crooked like our bones would if we did not have them set. The sad thing is, you were sold the animal this way. Also in your avatar pic, it almost looks as if his left front leg has a bone or something protruding also....something sticking out that has not punctured the skin. I would remove the red heat bulb and replace that with a ordinary white housebulb. I am not sure why they even sell red bulbs. You really want to simulate the sun and the thing that works best are the housebulbs. When they bask you want to try and create an environment for them as close to nature as possible. We have two vets here on the forum. One breeds chameleons and the other is quite knowledgeable also. Maybe they can give you some suggestions on what to do with the limbs if they do indeed involve breaks. Please post some pics of all the limbs if possible.
 
I know MBD can't be cured, but at least I can make his living a little more comfortable by supplying the vitamins he needs. Thank you for all your help and I did look at his leg and I didn't see anything out of the norm. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but I will keep an eye on him. Thank you everyone for all your help! You guys rock.
 
Maybe should I fix the wattage on the UVB bulb? I have 13 watts now. I also have another UVB bulb that is 26watts. Which one should I use?
 
I am not sure what I am seeing in the picture but there is a bump on his arm(the left front one). That is not normal. As far was the wattage I am not 100% sure. I just know that you want the 5.0. I am sure someone else can elaborate on that for you.
 
Both of the bulbs I have are 5.0. I switched the red bulb out for a regular house bulb and I noticed a significant difference in his attitude. He is moving around more. I am still concerned about him, but he is eating drinking normally, which is good. I am doing my best to try to figure out what happened to his legs. He might have fell in the pet store cage. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to who to talk to?
 
Can you post pics of all his limbs? MBD does not usually strike just one limb. If he has one leg that is like that, then most likely it is an injury of some sort. If it is MBD normally the protocol is to get him to a vet and the vet will give calcium injections. He looks awfully small though, so I am not sure. Getting him on a calcium schedule will help halt the progress of mbd, if that is what he indeed has. Getting him out in the sun will be very beneficial also if possible.
 
LaughingCat said:
I know MBD can't be cured, but at least I can make his living a little more comfortable by supplying the vitamins he needs. Thank you for all your help and I did look at his leg and I didn't see anything out of the norm. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but I will keep an eye on him. Thank you everyone for all your help! You guys rock.
Click to expand...

We are all here to help out where ever we can because we all care about chams.
 
The only problem is, there is no vet that looks at reptiles in my area, so getting him to a vet is nearly impossible. I will post pictures as soon as I can.
 
A VET can give him some shots of calc. and i wouldn't handle him to much.. what is up with all these half baked breeders i mean come on at a reptile show i have seen this but never at petco..that's terrible...im glad to her your passionate about your little guy . with a owner like you im sure he will live a long comfortable life..good job
 
Any vet in general? If so, I can take him to the vet that I take my dog to. Yes, I am very passionate about my little guy. He means the world to me and I just want the best for him without over-doing it or harming him. I swear I sound like a paranoid mother! I will get the pictures of his legs up ASAP. Poor guy was sleeping when I took them (it's late here) and for some reason it only let me upload one picture....fantastic.:confused:
 
There we go! Sorry for the breakup of pictures (and the quality. I didn't want to scare him with my actual camera, so i used my phone.) Those are the best pictures I could get at the moment.
 
Looks like you may have a "she" there. I see no spurs on her back heels which would indicate male. I'm no expert on veileds, but the body looks irregular to me.

I am sorry you were sold a chameleon in poor shape, it's a shame really. Though I admire how you are willing to stick with your pet and give her the best life possible.
 
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