Rescued Chameleon, need advice urgently please.

[Marcelle]

Your Chameleon - Flap necked Chameleon, no idea of age but if chameleons could look old its looks old. It is a male
Handling -Often, it seems blind.
Feeding - Only recently rescued this chameleon, it wont take food and I am not sure what to feed it.
Supplements -Nothing, should I be using?
Watering - Have offered water but it does not drink.
Fecal Description - Only seen one and it was dark with white on the tip.
History -Found in a suburban garden. Lots of dogs on the property where we rescued him from.

Cage Info:Box for now, in the process of aquiring a cage.
Lighting - Live on a game reserve in Limpopo South Africa, use natural sunlight for a good portion of the day in branches that can offer him shade. fl
Location - Limpopo South Africa

Current Problem - I would like to release this animal on the reserve. However I am concerned about a few things. Mainly, the chameleons eyes are closed, almost like a "crusty" layer that does not allow for the eye slit to open. The chameleons eyes are bulgy and he does move them if he sees DEFINATE movement but other than that they are closed. I have tried warm water and cotton wool a few times in case it would help, but have not noticed an improvement.
Also it does not seem to want to eat, although it is winter now and I am not sure what their appetites are like in cold weather.
I have offered him water which he does not seem to drink, not sure what to do here.
He seems to have a few injuries, a broken toe and a swollen patch right on the neck which he seems to react to (in pain) if touched in that area.

 

[Elizadolots]

How have you offered water? Try dripping it on his nose one drop at a time. I would avoid wiping his eyes if you can. You might try spraying him very thoroughly and see if that helps . You could put him on a plant in the shower. Point the shower to bounce off the wall before hitting him. Make sure the water is comfortably warm, not hot. Chameleons eat live food for the most part so you'll need to offer live insects. You might be able to get him to eat baby food and dead insects by prying the mouth open gently with something like a credit card.

 

[kinyonga]

It should see a vet if there is one there. I'm not a vet and just telling you this from my own experience, etc.

In the meantime, chameleons eat insects...house crickets are the main thing we feed them in captivity...and since I don't live where you do I can't tell you what insects are safe there. Being that its winter it would likely be eating less since they depend on warmth to be able to digest their food properly. Its a good sign that its defecating though because it means that it has been eating. You can dust the insects with a calcium powder lightly...and if its getting sun it should be able to produce the D3 it needs to use the calcium.

If you can drip water on the end of its nose and it will drink this way then while its mouth is opening and shutting to drink the water, you could try slipping an insect between its teeth to see if it will eat. If its hungry and not too sick it should eat that way.

I doubt if it will take water from a dish when its in this condition and many chameleons don't drink from a dish anyhow.

You still need to deal with the health issues...eyes, throat and toe....which you should see a vet about.

I have to sign off for now...back later.

Can you post some pictures of it please?

 

[Elizadolots]

Also, you say you handle it often because it seems blind. Chameleons often appear "blind" when moving about. Their vision is best suited to spotting predators and catching prey, both of which involve a little distance. They tend to feel around for where they are going to put their feet. I would back off handling him unless it's necessary.

 

[Marcelle]

Also, you say you handle it often because it seems blind. Chameleons often appear "blind" when moving about. Their vision is best suited to spotting predators and catching prey, both of which involve a little distance. They tend to feel around for where they are going to put their feet. I would back off handling him unless it's necessary.

Thanks so much for the advice. The eyes are most definately not seeing. There is a crusty layer over the eye that is preventing the eye slit from opening. Im wondering if it could be from a shed that did not come off properly? After spraying him wet he rubbed his eyes on tree bark and moved them about allot...I hope this is a good sign

 

[Marcelle]

Thanks so much Kiyonga for the advice. I will make sure that we try some of this and see what happens. I assume most insects will be safe for him as it is his natural habitat. Mainly we are hoping to get his eyes open so he can be released back into the wild.

I will see if we can get some pictures of him. He is currently with my friend that actually rescued him. I am helping him with this forum as he has no access to a computer at the moment. We are all game rangers on a game farm.

Thanks again,
will keep you posted

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You could try putting the chameleon on a small plant or shrub in your shower and giving him a 20-30 min warm shower. Do not use hot water just warm misting shower. Do not pummel him with the spray its a good idea to direst the spray off the shower wall onto the plant. He will drink and it might help clean the crusty stuff offf the eyes. As for those you can use saline solution to clean the eyes and clear off any debris. Spray a stream of solution at the eye slit and try to get some into the eye turret if possible to get any possible debris out. He/she should still be taken to the vet asap to get treatment for the injuries to the neck and toes.