Baby Veiled Problem with Eyes

[osadolor1]

Hello Everyone, I am new to the forum. I have been lurking around but now that I have a problem, I decided to seek help here. So first, Hello and thank you for any help.

My baby veiled has been closing his left eye randomly for a few minutes each time and has been doing so for a few days. Two days ago I saw him bulge out his eye and scratch it with is foot. Today, he bulged out each one and rubbed them against the branch but he doesn't close the right eye. I don't know if there is something in it or if the light/heat has affected him.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - I've had him for about a week and a half. I'm not sure of the age but I imagine based on size he is a few months old.
Handling - I do not handle him.
Feeding - I feed him crickets, he eats a few gut-loaded and dusted small/medium per day
Watering - I spray his cage 3-4 times a day and I see him drink
Fecal Description - White/brown

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 18"x18"x18" all screen cage
Lighting - T-Rex combo 100 watt heat/uvb bulb
Temperature - Basking - 85 degrees (ALTHOUGH BEFORE THE BULB WAS LOWER AND I MEASURED 100 degrees for a few days and then raised the bulb) ***I THINK THIS MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT, BUT NOT SURE) - Measured with digital thermometer
Humidity - I do not have a hydrometer because I've only seen the cheap petsmart kinds that previously did not work well for me. I spray the cage 3-4 times a day and have sphagnum moss (have kept sphagnum moss in the past before with no problems)
Plants - Live Ficus with artificial vines
Placement - The cage is in my bedroom, low traffic because it is just me and is about 4 feet off of the ground.
Location - San Diego, CA, USA

Any help is appreciated, thanks again.

 

[pssh]

What do you dust with and is your UVB bulb coiled or linear? Do you have the plant soil covered or do you have a substrate?

Edit: I was being stupid and didn't see the pictures. Get that substrate out. He could have something in his eye or it could be something more serious. If you use a coil UVB bulb you could be blinding him.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

Hello i will try my best to help you.

1st.-Get rid of the substrate at the bottom of the cage as if he eats any it can cause impaction which you dont want. Just use newspaper, paper towel, or nothing.

2nd. What kind of UVB is it? Can you geta pic. Is it a spiral bulb? If so this may be the problem. These kind of bulbs can cause eye damages as the linear Zoomed Reptisun UVB bulb is perfect for every chameleon.

 

[osadolor1]

Being that I have an all screen cage and I also live in San Diego, which is a desert, where there is very low humidity, how can I keep humidity levels up?

I'm pretty sure it is not the substrate because he never goes down there. The crickets he eats are either on the screen or in a cup. As far as changing my lighting to the ZooMed bulb, what is the most economic ZooMed bulb/hood combo option? I have a feeling it is the bulb though.

Thanks again

 

[pssh]

Buying a reptisun 5.0 off lllreptile.com then buying a hood from homedepot or wallmart is cheapest. What do you have?

More live plants, a dripper, and misting for five to ten minutes at a time 3-5 times a day help keep the humidity up. You can also use a shower curtain on two sides to help increase humidity. Veileds are know for eating dirt and substrate so I suggest getting rid of it. If he became impacted he could die or you will have to pay many many vet bills.

Edit: what do you gutload and dust with?

 

[osadolor1]

Okay, I will get more plants and remove the substrate. I kinda want to resolve the light problem today because I don't want irreversible damage. They sell hoods at home depot? What should I ask for when I go? I am very anti-walmart unless I have to.

Also, here is a picture of the bulb and the dust is T-Rex brand calcium supplement and I use flukers orange cubes. Like I said, it is both heat and UVB.

 

[pssh]

Oh, then I'm not sure about the lighting. Mercury vapor type bulbs aren't my strong point.

Does your calcium contain d3? You should be gutloading with fresh greens like kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, and endive. You should also use fruits and veggies like papaya, apples, yams, carrots, squash, and oranges. In addition to these 'wet' items you should use a dry gutload too which can be bought or made.

 

[osadolor1]

Good advice on the feeding and the package actually doesn't say D3 so I'm assuming not. I will pick up some today.

 

[pssh]

It's best to use a calcium without d3 5 times a week, calcium with d3 twice a month, and a multivitamin once a month.

 

[osadolor1]

Okay so I just replaced the lighting. I got a fixture from home depot for $10 and a Exo Terra 5.0 18" bulb, I could not find Zoo Med anywhere, I hope the Exo Terra is fine. I changed the heat to a 75 watt regular house bulb, the temperature underneath is 85 right now. I removed the substrate and added an arabian jasmine. I've attached a photo.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

I am really happy that you immediately did what you were told

The Exo-Terra should be fine. I have heard people have had great success with them.

The cage looks great. May i ask though what is the bin with dirt for? If it is for the plant to grow then cover it with rocks. Bigger then your chameleon so your chameleon doesn't eat the rock. Same reason for covering the dirt as the substrate at the bottom of the cage which you took out

 

[osadolor1]

I knew that, I was waiting for someone to tell me what I should do about it because I didn't know, which is why I included a picture. But thanks a lot for your input, I will cover the soil asap.

 

[pssh]

Oh yeah, You can use the 'dull' side of foil as a reflector on the hood so that it doesn't blind you every time you get close to the cage It also makes the UVB stronger so its a benefit in more than one way!

 

[RPCV]

I'm having the exact same problem with the eyes and can't figure it out. I'm going to give it a few days and if it does not resolve am going to try rinsing the eye with DI water. Please keep us posted if you find a solution or if it gets better on its own.

 

[Carlton]

Don't flush eyes with plain water. It will be uncomfortable or sting. Instead, get some sterile saline contact lense rinse solution (without preservatives). Squirt it at the eye to help the cham clean the lids.

 

[RPCV]

Can rinsing the eyes with DI water be a problem? I will pick up some saline solution - just curious; I thought DI would be not quite but almost as pure as distilled or RO treated. Simply planned on using DI because it is what I have.

 

[luckie8]

2nd. What kind of UVB is it? Can you geta pic. Is it a spiral bulb?

I just bought a reptisun 5.0 compact fluorescent bulb for my dome light fixture. are these bulbs consider spiral? are they really that bright that they could do damage to the cham's eye?

 

[Killjoy]

Those few changes to your husbandry will do nicely, you can help to keep the humidity up with live plants, cant tell if you have live plant in that pot but i assume it is. often substrates like the one you had can carry a tremendous amount of bacteria in the surrounding air and can most commonly cause eye infections. that change should help alot. Your gonna want to get a real read on the temp. no way to tell for sure if the bulb is the right one until you get a thermometer and a humidity meter. good luck