Sunken Eyes.... Blind? due to dehydration??

[SED Herpetological]

Hello all... one or my adult Male Nosy Be Panthers seems to be haveing a problem he started out beeing dehidrated.... and his eyes got a little sunken in i have been feeding him Pedialyte for almost 2 weeks now and he takes it just fine i have also had hand feed him ... his energy seems to be back and his stool is normal consistency.... but his eyes still seem to sunken in and he doesn't seem to be able to see very well/ at all..... any ideas????

thanks

Scott Davis

 

[Will Hayward]

Scott, This would be best diagnosed by a qualified and experienced reptile veteranarian. The problem sounds like it has progressed past the normal keepers abilities to medicate. Make an apointment ASAP and until then keep him showered in luke warm water for long lengths of time until the appointment. I suggest you feed soft worms such as silkworms at this time because of their high liquid content.

You can shower him by placing a study plant in the shower and point the shower head against a wall, allowing the water to rebound onto the plant.

 

[SED Herpetological]

Unfortunately i have allready done that ... i have a good Vet that handles all my snakes and other lizards ... but he doesn't seem to know anything about Chamelron's he actually didn't charge me for the visit .... i've kept and Bread Chameleon's for years and never had a problem like this .... was hopeing some one else might have had the same expirence... i've been hand feeding Wax worms due to there high water content .... and Pedialyte ... and he thakes all that fine ....

 

[Will Hayward]

See if you can locate another vet that has experience specifically with chameleons as they have a very defined set of health troubles seperate from the majority of other reptile species. Here is a good place to start your search for another vet: Veterinarian resources

The problem is wax worms are high in fat and should not be a staple, and they are actually relatively dry and low in moisture compared to silkworms and hornworms, though I wouldnt be feeding hornworms to chameleons that are having health troubles, especially with sight, as hornworms can inflict a damaging bite.

Conduct a series of tests to check is reaction to visual stimulation. Try to increase and reduce the amount of light that is in the cage. Se if he will respond you your hand movements and feeders in the cage.

At this point I think its important to go over all the factors, including husbandry and history. Answer these questions.

If your chameleon is having problems and you want input from other chameleon owners, be sure to include as much information as possible:

1. Cage type: What size and type of cage (screen, glass, etc.)?

2. Temperatures: What is the basking temperature? How do you measure the temperature in your setup? What is the temperature in the warmest spot? The coolest spot? At night? During the day? You should measure the temperature of the chameleons' skin or the surface of its current branch to get a more accurate reading. Do you leave any heat on at night? What is the temperature in the room at night?

3. Lighting: What brand is your UVB light? How long have you been using it? How long are your lights on each day? Do you leave any lights on at night? Where are the lights? on top?

4. Humidity: Do you have a humidity gauge? What is the range of relative humidity (RH) from lowest to highest? How long does it take to go from high to low? Do you use a humidifier? Do you live in the north or south (or other)?

5. Water: Have you observed your chameleon drinking? How often do you mist? Do you have a dripper?

6. Food: Have you observed your chameleon eating? What is the chameleon's diet? Where do you get your live feeder prey? What are you feeding the feeders? Fresh veggies? Gut load? If you use a commercial gut load what is the brand? If you make your own what are the ingredients?

7. Supplements: What type of supplement(s) do you use? Brand name(s)? How often do you use supplements?

8. Plants & branches: What plants do you have? Are your plants alive or fake? Do the plants provide lots of coverage where the chameleon will feel safe? Can you see your chameleon most of the time or can it hide from your view?

9. Chameleon facts: How old is the chameleon? Do you know if it is wild caught or captive born? Did you get the chameleon at a show? Breeder?

10. Handling: Do you handle your chameleon? How often and how long? What is its reaction to you? Is the cage in a quiet part of the house or is it in a busy or noisy area? Any big stereo speakers near the cage? Is your chameleon alone in the cage? Can your chameleon see any other herps or pets from the cage?

11. Veterinarians: Do you have a veterinarian who KNOWS chameleons?

 

[SED Herpetological]

1. Cage type: What size and type of cage (screen, glass, etc.)?
Screen, 18x18x54

2. Temperatures: What is the basking temperature? 94-95
How do you measure the temperature in your setup? temp gun
What is the temperature in the warmest spot? 94-95
The coolest spot? 72-77
At night? 72-77
During the day?80 ish
You should measure the temperature of the chameleons' skin or the surface of its current branch to get a more accurate reading. Do you leave any heat on at night? no
What is the temperature in the room at night? 72-77

3. Lighting: What brand is your UVB light? Zoo Med i believe
How long have you been using it? 5 mnths
How long are your lights on each day? 11
Do you leave any lights on at night? no Where are the lights? on top

4. Humidity: Do you have a humidity gauge?yes
What is the range of relative humidity (RH) from lowest to highest? 50-80
How long does it take to go from high to low? several hours
Do you use a humidifier? no
Do you live in the north or south (or other)? Southern Ca/ Orange county

5. Water: Have you observed your chameleon drinking? not at this time
How often do you mist? 3-4 x a day
Do you have a dripper? yes 3 x a day

6. Food: Have you observed your chameleon eating? not currently
What is the chameleon's diet? Crickets .. Hissing cockroaches.. (treats wax worms and horn worms)
Where do you get your live feeder prey? Ranbow mealworms
What are you feeding the feeders? vegies and dog food

7. Supplements: What type of supplement(s) do you use? yes
Brand name(s)? Rep-Cal Herptivite and CCalcium w/ VIT D3
How often do you use supplements? 2x a week

8. Plants & branches: What plants do you have? Ficus
Are your plants alive or fake? alive
Do the plants provide lots of coverage where the chameleon will feel safe? yes
Can you see your chameleon most of the time or can it hide from your view? hide

9. Chameleon facts: How old is the chameleon? Hatched 10/8/05
Do you know if it is wild caught or captive born? captive Bread
Did you get the chameleon at a show? Breeder? Bluebeast Reptile

10. Handling: Do you handle your chameleon? NO
How often and how long? What is its reaction to you? Is the cage in a quiet part of the house or is it in a busy or noisy area? Quiet
Any big stereo speakers near the cage? Is your chameleon alone in the cage? yes alone
Can your chameleon see any other herps or pets from the cage? He might be able to see a Female in a cage about a foot away and one of my trio's of Beardies about 3 feet away

11. Veterinarians: Do you have a veterinarian who KNOWS chameleons?nope[/QUOTE]

 

[Will Hayward]

A thought, although unlikely, its best to make sure than dismiss: Ficus, when branches are broken, exude a sticky substance that can cause eye irritation. Is it possible that the chameleon could have had this come in contact with its eyes?

Is there any eye mucous? Dried Crust?
Can you take macro photos of the eye region?
Have you been following the instructions for giving Pedialyte? What brand are you using?

Keep up the mist and humidity, and add in a regular daily shower as described before.

 

[Jerm]

Can you have a fecal done to rule out parasites? They could be draining him of nutrients. Also, how old is he? And, you may want a suppliment w/o D3 and only use the one with D3 occasionally. If possible, let him have natural sunlight to produce his own, they seem to be able to regulate it better from my experience. If you put him outside, I would recommend a mister to prevent the sun from dehydrating him further.