R. brevicaudatus with closed eyes?

[TobiasP]

Hi!

So my female Rieppeleon brevicaudatus has been acting strange lately. I almost always finding her i the same spot and when i do she has lately sat there often with her eyes closed. Can this indicate something being wrong?

This is how she looks (picture taken with zoom through glass):

And more close up:

The terrarium is heavily planted and she has plenty of space to hide. I have not seen her hunt much lately though, since she always is in the same place. I drop fruit flies around her but she shows little interest, ocasionally taking some...

Thankfull for all advice!

 

[kinyonga]

Beautiful looking little brev. Could she be gravid?

 

[blackmerlin]

she will lay eggs soon

 

[NHenn]

Her sleeping like that and not moving from the spot on the ground is most certainly a sign that something is wrong.

From the pictures she don't appear to be gravid as she would be much larger in the mid section. When they are ready to lay they look like little basket balls with a head.

Is she wild caught? Have you treated for parasites? Also what are your temperatures like in the cage?

 

[TobiasP]

Thank you for answering!

No, she is not gravid, she has the same body size as always. Just less active and mostly with closed eyes.

She is born in captivity with proper papers. I've had her for 4 months and this started showing like a week back.

She peers ocasionally with one eye when not disturbed, though looks all normal when picked up.

Temperature is 24-25 degrees celsius. I am measuring temperature right now to be more sure.

Her male companion is looking fine though.

 

[TobiasP]

The only thing that i can really think of if she had a two unvaried diet. I am giving them mainly two staples, with calcium and vitamins for chameleons. But if that was the case i think she should be skinnier. She has an old UVB lamp as well.

 

[laurie]

Change the uvb if it is over 6 months. Unless you use a meter to know it is ok. Sorry, nothing else to offer.

 

[johnnyev]

Your temps could be a little on the warm side. Is that maximum temp at substrate level? How accurate is your thermometer do you know? What night temps are you keeping them at?
Does she show any signs of stress from being in with the male? I would try housing her alone if you can. See if that makes a difference.

 

[NHenn]

Your temps could be a little on the warm side. Is that maximum temp at substrate level? How accurate is your thermometer do you know? What night temps are you keeping them at?
Does she show any signs of stress from being in with the male? I would try housing her alone if you can. See if that makes a difference.

I agree. Your temps seem to be on the high side. I wouldn't recommend ever going over 25 C for any reason with them as it can be harmful.

 

[johnnyev]

I agree. Your temps seem to be on the high side. I wouldn't recommend ever going over 25 C for any reason with them as it can be harmful.

Yes especially as i have experienced, where a thermometer is out by two or three degrees. That possibly then makes temps 28C or more.

 

[TobiasP]

I did a measuring now and It's actually just 20 at the bottom, a little bit warmer higher up. But she just stays at the bottom. Now after the night rain she "woke up" and climbed up in a branch and now the lights are out. But thats the way she usually does it.

The tank is fairly large, 150x90x70 cm. So the two rarely see each other. When they meet she usually shows dominance and the male backs away.

 

[NHenn]

That sounds much better. I honestly don't see anything that is standing out as the problem. Is the male WC by chance? The only thing I could think of is parasites causing her to lose some strength.