i have a flat head chameleon and ive had her for about 2 weeks now n we have gotten past the eating barrier and found how she likes to be given her water but now she is doing this weird thing with her eyes where one is always closed exept for when i feed her she will open both to aim n then it goes back to being shut n it looks as though she is shedding n i thought somthing was stuck on the outside of her eye/side of her face so i got a wet qtip n gently rubbed it off n it was just a paice of skin but now she is doing that thing with both eyes n she always has some little white thing sticking out of her nose for the past couple days that comes right off with the qtip...is this normal for them to do this while shedding or is she sick...or do i need to b doing sumthing different?
whats wrong with her eyes??
- Thread starter Brennan
- Start date
C
ChameleonsInMyHouse
Guest
first off, to my understanding, there is no species named a flat head chameleon, are you sure it isn't a flapped necked chameleon? i am skeptical about your lighting. what do you use (ie. flourescent uvb tube, or cfl flourescent tube"the spiral light bulb")? also, how long is your light cycle in a day? i am afraid you may have disrupted a shed. you should try to avoid peeling off a shed at all cost. mistings with luke warm water is a good shed aid. you can do serious damage by peeling off skin shed that isnt loose enough. if you have a CFL bulb as a uvb source, i suggest replacing it with a reptiSUN 5.0 flourescent tube. CFL's are known to cause eye issues and damage in situations here and there. all keepers on here keep their trust in light tubes.
also, crusty white around the nose is sometimes a left over shed, but usually a sign of over supplimenting with calcium. they will deposit the excess calcium salts through the nostrils and urates.
hope my info is aqurate and helpful. i suggest filling out a Help fourm on this thread. if you need the link just say so, but it is one of the first links under Health clinic. copy and paste it here. good luck
Definitely fill out the health form so we get an idea of your full setup and can pinpoint any potential problems. Pictures would be very helpful!! Chamsinmyhouse had some good ideas for possible causes but just to clarify a few things: either a reptisun or reptiglo tube will work. Even a reptiglo CFL is okay, unless it's the only thing that may be the source of the problem (the eye problem reports were from reptisun CFLs). And the white crustiness around the nostrils is excess salt (NaCl from water sources probably), not calcium. Do not decrease your calcium supplementation because of this. Salt excretion is totally normal and not a cause for concern.
Pease fill out the health form and try to get good pictures!
Pease fill out the health form and try to get good pictures!
Elizadolots
New Member
It's possibly (probably) not a problem with her eyes. Eyes are sort of the "give away" for chameleons. You can tell they are having problems because of their eyes. I agree, you should fill out the form.
sorry that is what the guy who sold her to us said she was i could have misunderstood him...secondly idk where the forum is to fill out for u guys to see..and we didnt get any kind of tube light for her we have her heat light up top with her water dripper and her fog machine. and in her habitat i have her vines and hibiscus plant i feed her 5 to 8 meal worms a day and dust them 2 to 3 times a week with zoo med's reptivite we didnt get the uvb tube light cause the guy at the store said not to cause she wouldnt need it...also her fogger runs for 15 min once every hour....n im really getting worried because now she has no interest in drinking she hasnt drank anything for 2 almost three days now and is really inactive hope this gives you a better indication...please help...
Hi Brennan,
Petstore folks often have no idea what they're talking about, and it happens every day that they tell you wrong information, so don't feel too bad about it. You've come to the right place for good information!
It is absolutely critical that she have a UVB specific light bulb on for at least 10-12 hours every day. They cannot synthesize vitamin D3 without exposure to UVB light (which normally comes from the sun) and without that vitamin they can't absorb calcium from their diet. This leads to spongey bones and ultimately metabolic bone disease. It is a very serious disease that can't be reversed, only prevented. So you need to get her a UVB light asap!!
The other thing necessary for good nutrition, health and to prevent MBD is good feeders that are gutloaded. Mealworms are not very nutritious and hard to digest so best not to use them. Crickets are a much better staple but they must be properly gutloaded - that means feeding the feeder bugs with all the good nutrients you want your cham to get. You have to work through the food chain. So before you feed off the crickets you need to feed them dark leafy greens like mustard greens, collard greens, kale, turnip greens, endives, dandelions, etc. This link has good nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies. Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus and avoid oxalates and goitrogens.
As for dusting you'll need a powdered calcium without D3 or phosphorus to use with every feeding. Then a calcium with vitamin D3 (no phosphorus) and a multivitamin to give twice a month each.
What are the temperatures and humidity of your cage? Very important to know so get a digital thermometer and hygrometer asap if you don't have one already.
Here is the form to fill out:
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
And here is some excellent information to get you started on basic husbandry tips from one of our expert forum members:
If you have further questions about anything mentioned please let us know!
Petstore folks often have no idea what they're talking about, and it happens every day that they tell you wrong information, so don't feel too bad about it. You've come to the right place for good information!
It is absolutely critical that she have a UVB specific light bulb on for at least 10-12 hours every day. They cannot synthesize vitamin D3 without exposure to UVB light (which normally comes from the sun) and without that vitamin they can't absorb calcium from their diet. This leads to spongey bones and ultimately metabolic bone disease. It is a very serious disease that can't be reversed, only prevented. So you need to get her a UVB light asap!!
The other thing necessary for good nutrition, health and to prevent MBD is good feeders that are gutloaded. Mealworms are not very nutritious and hard to digest so best not to use them. Crickets are a much better staple but they must be properly gutloaded - that means feeding the feeder bugs with all the good nutrients you want your cham to get. You have to work through the food chain. So before you feed off the crickets you need to feed them dark leafy greens like mustard greens, collard greens, kale, turnip greens, endives, dandelions, etc. This link has good nutritional info on commonly available fruits and veggies. Aim for higher calcium than phosphorus and avoid oxalates and goitrogens.
As for dusting you'll need a powdered calcium without D3 or phosphorus to use with every feeding. Then a calcium with vitamin D3 (no phosphorus) and a multivitamin to give twice a month each.
What are the temperatures and humidity of your cage? Very important to know so get a digital thermometer and hygrometer asap if you don't have one already.
Here is the form to fill out:
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
And here is some excellent information to get you started on basic husbandry tips from one of our expert forum members:
If you have further questions about anything mentioned please let us know!
Haha, hope you don't mind! It's such good info and I don't know if you're lurking or not sometimes when people need it.
ok so i just misted her with water to help with the shedding because she deff has dry pieces on her and did when we brought her home im also going to get a uvb hood light for her tomorrow is there anything i should get to assist with the shedding like somthing she can rub on or will her vines suffice? n also her vitamins have the d3 n we have been doing that twice a week so i should cut that back to twice a month...ok now with the calciums with and without d3 i read the post from kinyonga and i get my supplies at pet co which one/s should i get brand wise(if that one he uses is not available there)...and thank you all so much for your help....ooo and her cage temp is 78 to 80 degrees during the day and about 73 to 75 during the night and humidity is 45% n thats with the fogger all the way up for 15 min once every hour
I said thanks didn't I?? Of course I don't mind ferret!
Brennan...I think the temperature in the basking area should be a little higher than 80F.
Here's some information that might be helpful too...
http://chameleonnews.com/06SepDeckers.html
Can you post a picture of her please?
What colors is she showing?
Brennan...I think the temperature in the basking area should be a little higher than 80F.
Here's some information that might be helpful too...
http://chameleonnews.com/06SepDeckers.html
Can you post a picture of her please?
What colors is she showing?
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