Right Eye Closed---Possible MBD?

[dionysus19]

SO for the past month I've had a large amount of crickets jst at the bottom of the cage. They cant climb up so they wouldnt be biting my 7month old Female Panther Chameleon. When I first got the crickets I dusted all of them with mainly calcium and touches of reptivite and d3 calcium although for the month it lasted me I doubt the dusting had stayed on the crickets. Since two days ago I've abandoned that technic and am back to hand feeding but today I noticed my chameleon quite suddenly start closing her right eye/popping it in and out and rubbing it against branches. Ive been misting all day and I just brought her out of the shower to no luck.
Could this be a result of lack of supplements or just debri?

Also what is everyone perspective on allowing crickets to roam at the bottom and dusting them all at once prior to putting them in?

THANK YOU! in





...Your Chameleon - Ambilobe Panther 7-8mnth Female
Handling - 1-3 times a week, always to go outside and give her sunlight
Feeding - crickets were originally at the bottom of the cage and were predusted and are gutloaded with Zilla.
Supplements - calcium with and another without D3,,,,,reptivite
Watering - Spray Cage about twice a day,,,,although she doesnt get the concept of licking off leaves very well
Fecal Description - Healthy poop....urine is generally dark...not DARK but not white either
Cage Info:
Cage Type - 4feetx2feetx2feet
Lighting - repti glow 10.0.....100watt basking lamp
Temperature - My room fluctuates alot so anywhere from 73-85deg
Humidity - Run humidifer although it never affects the humdifier gauge which is anyhwere from 50-70......but 90ish after misting
Plants - 1 bigass umbreallaplant
Placement: Bedroom...half of cage is by always open window for sunlight and slight breeze
Location - San Diego

 

[davthevieled]

Pertainin' to your second question, I shake mine with calc every day and let them roam. The minute he sees them he goes on the hunt and finishes within' about 5+ minutes, depending on how close the crickets stay to each other while he is hunting and how close they get to his plant. Personally, I feel it gives him extra excersies (he is active enough as it is) and I just don't like conditioning him to run over to the food bowl the minute I pull it out to fill it up. Would just bother me...

Oh, and pictures would help!

 

[pbveiled]

A 10.0 buld is too much for a cham and could cause eye damage. It should be replaced with a 5.0. A 100 watt basking lamp is probably too hot depending on how close it is to the cage. What are the temps in the basking area?

Urates should be white. If they are dark, it usually means dehydration.

The eye could just be debris. I would try flushing it with pure saline solution. If it doesn't get better ASAP, I would suggest a vet visit.

 

[dionysus19]

Yeah thats a good compensation...because hand feeding is pretty time consuming

 

[dionysus19]

Both lights are elevated from the cage about 3 feet although people have been saying get a 5.0 and I really should. The basking light is hooked up to my temperature controller but I've measured the basking spot to get about 88.....

The dehydration is a big issue...I spray her cage all time but doesnt know how to get water....she will start licking branches or leaves with barely any water or even jst try and drink water from the thin air. She will do all this missnig the fact that right next to her is about 10 leaves drenched in water

 

[bigben2057]

she needs a DRIPPER mine wont drink from misting either but he will go up underneath my dripper and drink the drips i never thought he would be he dose.if you dont have one all you need is a plastic container a rubber tube and a dripper nosel like a dripper for out door plants, and some epoxy or silicone to seal the hole after you have inserted the tube just to make sure it dosent leak.All you gotta do make a hole in the bottom stick the tube in with the dripper attached and seal it with one of the agents and it will work well.

 

[dionysus19]

STILL no luck

BUMP*
UPDATE*

So about 3 weeks ago i switched to a proper 5.0reptisun. She eats almost 5-10 crickets a day that are properly dusted and she is misted daily plus the water that collects on the leaves from the humidifier as well as given an hour in sunlight each day. She apppears active and healthy.
However her same eye is still having problems. She constantly keeps that eye closed and ive noticed the skin around the turret is starting to get puffy and red. She closes her eye more around 4-bedtime and spends her morning rubbing it on branches. This problem has been on and off for about a month in half now. Some days its better and then some days it gets worse. I still have no clue what this is being caused from? Any Ideas? Possilbe Dehydration?

 

[Olimpia]

My first instinct is that there is something obviously either IN the eye or something was in the eye and has caused irritation and/or slight damage. A vet visit is in order to determine which and get it treated. If the eye is becoming swollen it might even be infected and would need antibitics. So, the best thing to do is call a vet.

In the meantime, in case there is still something in the eye: Get plain saline solution from a pharmacy (tell them it's for an animal and they'll help you get the one with the least ingredients in it, just a plain eye wash), grab her with you index and middle fingers around each side of her neck, tilt her downwards, and spray a jet of saline into her eye. The idea is that saline gets in the turret and helps her flush something out. You may do this a couple times and then put her back in her cage.

Also up the misting (make it 5+ minutes at least once a day) so she has time to also get under water and rinse the eye out. But also have a vet appointment ready.

 

[dionysus19]

Okay...Will do.. Hopefully I can get her to the vet before the weekend. I hope its just irritated but this has gone on for weeks despite the constant showers which makes me think its more than just debris

 

[dionysus19]

Can you use lubricating eye drops?

 

[Olimpia]

Well, I'm no doctor, but I assume that's what plain saline solution does anyway. It certainly helps me if my eyes are dry and I use a drop or two.

Call the vet though, she may only need an antibiotic eye ointment or something like that and be a quick enough fix. Mine had something very similar happen and he was fine after 2 weeks of ointment in the bad eye.

 

[Jakedn]

If it's an eye infection you need to get the proper medication ASAP, they can cause permanent damage to their eyes rubbing it on branches etc.

I know this from experience, as I have a chameleon with a scarred cornea and slightly deformed eye turret as a result from an eye infection/rubbing the eye on things.

Long mistings and a saline rinse helps a ton, as that will clear anything in the eye out safely, instead of the chameleon goin off on his own to try and rub the debris out on branches.

Is there any goo, or crusty stuff appearing on that eye ever?

 

[dionysus19]

The vet was called but is about a 20min drive to get there on Friday. What is a good way to transport them?...........No goo. Her eye is about halfway recessed and the outer skin is slightly puffy. The actual eye opening is slightly drooping. I put some eye drops in and lightly went around the turrent with a Q-tip. She started pressing against that Q-tip trying to itch it more.

 

[Olimpia]

Just put her in a small, dark box with a towel. That way she won't stress out as much and might even go to sleep.

Keep doing the eye rinses until Friday. Hopefully that soothes her a bit until then.