Chameleon eye swollen badly...

[Oatmealeon]

i was wondering how much improvement there has been. Keep on it and his eye will get better. Just be sure to keep the temps right and make sure your bulbs are right too. If you dont mind take a couple snap shots of your bulbs so we all know 100% that it wasnt them that caused the eye irritation/swelling. Best of luck

-Trevor

I have the exoterra reptiglo 5.0 (cfl) which I was told not to use after starting this thread. I do not have the packaging for my basking bulb so I'm not sure the brand although i do know it is a 65w basking bulb.

Regardless of my lights I was keeping his cage outside due to the high humidity. Friday he was fine and Saturday morning he had the eye swelling. As i mentioned earlier my mother took it upon herself to bring his basking daylight outside and put it on his cage at night while i was not home. Could the basking light interrupting his sleep be the cause of the swelling??
also i have been calling around to different vets and many of them do not see reptiles anymore there is opne more close by that i will try now.

Also Esteban's eye is getting worse. The swelling has increased and he is not eating. He is still climbing and active.

Oat

 

[Oatmealeon]

Oat, have you visited this link:
www.herpvetconnection.com

try to find your closest herp vet there.

yes i have tried all the vets listed in my area except one that i will call right now...

 

[LiamBrennan]

Why do the twisty UV bulbs cause problems?

When i brought my set up the worker in the shop recomended them to me.

Or does it depened on make and where it is?

 

[Oatmealeon]

Why do the twisty UV bulbs cause problems?

When i brought my set up the worker in the shop recomended them to me.

Or does it depened on make and where it is?

??? I'm still waiting on this answer myself. Someone mentioned not to use it earlier in the thread. I am assuming that I should be using the tube version of this bulb?

 

[Miss Lily]

I think in general all cfl (twisty/coil) UV bulbs are bad news for chams eyes. You need to get the long straight ones for UV.

 

[LiamBrennan]

I cant see what the diffrence is, they put out the same UV levels but are more compact. So how will it make any diffrence?

To be honest think its just what people have been told perhaps from someone that hasn't a clue and they pass it on... Chinease wispers style.

 

[Miss Lily]

Read this link: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/ They can cause Photo Kerato Conjunctivitis.

 

[chambabysitter1]

I cant see what the diffrence is, they put out the same UV levels but are more compact. So how will it make any diffrence?

To be honest think its just what people have been told perhaps from someone that hasn't a clue and they pass it on... Chinease wispers style.

Chinese whispers? Never heard that term, but if it means reliable sources backed by numbers and previous cases, then you my friend, would be correct.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

Check this link before making assumptions with lighting. Lighting is VERY important, and when something goes wrong with your chameleon, you can bet the first thing everyone will ask about is lighting.

 

[LiamBrennan]

Chinese whispers- Might just be an English term

Im not douting the importance bit as that report only mentions a few being bad for the animal, what about the others?

My perticular bulb was never mentioned, so if they have done test then therefore my bulb would be safe..

 

[chambabysitter1]

Chinese whispers- Might just be an English term

Im not douting the importance bit as that report only mentions a few being bad for the animal, what about the others?

My perticular bulb was never mentioned, so if they have done test then therefore my bulb would be safe..

Have you tested it yourself with a UV meter?
Like I said, I'd rather not take the risk just to save like 5 more dollars on a bulb that needs to be replaced every 6 months. I am not one to experiment on my reptiles, I'd rather go for what is known to work than using what I think works, with my limited experience in lighting and the electromagnetic spectrum.

 

[LiamBrennan]

Well the reptile shop i brought the recomended bulb from is highly rated in England and they have all manner of reptiles that have these type of bulbs and he rates them in smaller vivs..

I would take his advice as he also owns numerous reptiles aswell as chams.

All problem free

 

[Oatmealeon]

chameleon

ok well like i said i was keeping him outside so he wasn't getting exposure from the cfl bulb when the eye problem occured. I will be updating to a new bulb after reading about conjuctivitis. As for now my cham needs help!! I am going to buy some tiny crickets to see if he's interested.

He did drink a few eye droppers full of water about an hour ago and seems to have responded with a bit more energy and less lethargic posture.

I'm trying everything I can, my terramycin is in the mail. The swelling IS getting worse

 

[Edward Kim]

I am by no means a veterinarian with reptile experience, but i've had chameleons with similar symptoms as yours. Type in sinus infections in the search options and you'll see a series of topics that will give you an idea of what your dealing with. You can also inform your vet that you suspect the inflamation is caused by a sinus infection and go from there.

This is how I dealt with my mine after a few missed diagnoses from local vets in my area.

The pressure in the swollen eye was suspected to be the reason the chamelon lost eye function, and was not directly impaired due to the initial "sinus" infection. Thus, the pressure had to be relieved! My vet and I punctured the upper lid (making sure we were away from the eyeball) with a diabetic syring and allowed the "pus" (probably bacteria and white blood cells) to drain out. We observed a dramatic decrease in swelling and the chameleon regained normal eye movements shortly after. It was common for the swelling to reappear after the draining treatments, but with a combination of antibiotics treating the sinus infection, the swelling quickly subsided. Humidity was kept high ~90% and the swollen eye was kept moist. If the eye dries out the chameleon may not be able to reopen, it even after the treatment.

 

[pssh]

Oatmealeon:
I'm sorry that you have to go through this with your chameleon, I hope that he gets better.

LiamBrennan:
Some people do use those bulbs and they never have problems with them, other people have used them and done tests on them and problems have come up. You can choose to use whatever bulb you want, but I for one would not want to risk harming my pet when I fully understood what may or may not happen. I'd feel awful if I had used a bulb like that just to save a few bucks and my chameleon developed serious eye problems from it.

If you so choose to use that bulb, then do so knowing that the people on this site who ultimately want what's best for your chameleon told you that you may be harming your pet. AND in the long run, the money you save buying those will not make up for the vet expenses, worry, and pain you may cause yourself and your chameleon.

 

[Oatmealeon]

I just got back from the vet. They drained his eye through a small incision in the turret and gave me 3 types of medication. I did not get to watch this process although i would have liked to. The vets were verry rough with removing from his cage and didt wait for him to climb on their hand but rather grabbed his back and ripped him from the cage. this made me worry a bit but im sure they know what their doing

The meds:

eye drops

pain medicine

antibiotics

I cannot get him to open his mouth to take the oral antibiotics and pain medicine. All the other chameleons i had would opent their mouths when perturbed but this one is very docile and doesnt "hiss".

Also I'm worried about him eating. Please i need some tips for manual feeding/ oral medication treatment. I was thinking of making some bug "juice" with ground wax worms, egg yolks, and pedialyte. Or should i try to force a small cricket in his mouth

 

[Miss Lily]

Sounds like that vet visit was very stressful for both you and your cham. Poor thing! Fancy just pulling him off the cage. That must have been hard to watch. As for getting meds into him, I have read about people injecting feeders with water/meds immediately before feeding, but I wouldn't imagine that this is a very easy option for you as he isn't feeding. When Lily was poorly she was given her meds via injection, but I was very worried about how I would be able to giver her any meds if required as she was also a very friendly cham who never hissed and gaped.

 

[Edward Kim]

Use a Q-tip to force the mouth open. Roll it along the side of the mouth to tease the mouth open, leave the tip inside the mouth to prop the mouth open. If you have a syring, cut the tapered end off and stuff it with a few crickets. Using the gap provided by the Q-tip guide a few crickets into the mouth. The chameleon should do the rest. You can also use a rubber catherter to force feed (bug juice) as well.

Good luck,

Ed

 

[Oatmealeon]

Well I was feeding him water with an eye dropper and as he hugrily lapped it up i switched to the pain medicine and he continued to drink unaware of the swap. Whoo one down...then i did the same with the antibiotics and as soon as he tasted it he jumped back in shock and shook his head with disgust. I could smell the anti-b's and next time i will dilute with water. Then i continued to let him drink water and all of the sudden he regurgitated some of the meds. Then i proceeded to hold his sore fluid filled eye open as my girlfriend put a few drops in. This was all extremely stressful for us and Esteban. Now he's back in his cage recooperating.

Now that I've missed two classes today and paid over $140 in vet bills plus a shitload of stress i do not really haave the money or energy to go get a different uvb bulb.

1.Should i continue using the spiral or just not use it at all??

2. How in the world do I keep his humidity up to 90% without a fogger/ humidfier? Right now its at 45% and i just misted and have the dripper going.

Thanks so much for all of your help i want my cham to thrive soooo badly and am doing everything in my power to ensure so...

Oat

 

[Carlton]

I know I'm wading in late on this thread, but consider this...if the light bulb caused the eye problem I suspect BOTH eyes would have been involved to some degree unless the angle of light exposure only hit one side. This really looks like an infection not a light spectrum issue. You said the cham was outdoors. Possible insect sting or bite? Did the vet describe what they removed from the eye (what type of fluid or material)? Did they plan to analyze it (for bacteria etc)? I haven't seen anything like this in my chams but have heard on forums of others who have. There was some discussion about a virus showing up in wc animals that involved the eye. It might be worth searching the thread archives of the kingsnake.com cham forum or the ADCHAM forum archives to find out more.

Actually, the person who suggested a cold compress may not have been all wrong. Extreme swelling can cause tissue damage and possibly a COOL compress held over the eye for 5-10 minutes could reduce it temporarily and slow tissue damage. Might relieve some pain too. Obviously draining works as long as the right medication is followed up on a diagnostic culture. Poor little guy, I hope he's better.

 

[Oatmealeon]

a new hope...

I know I'm wading in late on this thread, but consider this...if the light bulb caused the eye problem I suspect BOTH eyes would have been involved to some degree unless the angle of light exposure only hit one side. This really looks like an infection not a light spectrum issue. You said the cham was outdoors. Possible insect sting or bite? Did the vet describe what they removed from the eye (what type of fluid or material)? Did they plan to analyze it (for bacteria etc)? I haven't seen anything like this in my chams but have heard on forums of others who have. There was some discussion about a virus showing up in wc animals that involved the eye. It might be worth searching the thread archives of the kingsnake.com cham forum or the ADCHAM forum archives to find out more.

Actually, the person who suggested a cold compress may not have been all wrong. Extreme swelling can cause tissue damage and possibly a COOL compress held over the eye for 5-10 minutes could reduce it temporarily and slow tissue damage. Might relieve some pain too. Obviously draining works as long as the right medication is followed up on a diagnostic culture. Poor little guy, I hope he's better.

Carlton,
All input is welcome late or not!! I do not know what the fluid was in his eye specifically and it would've cost another $100 at least just to find out. They did offer a culture test but they warned me that it was very expensive. As far as a cold compress I don't know if the stress of holding him still with a cold surface on his eye is worth it. I never saw mu chameleon soo dark colored as he was today at the vet, browns and blacks were taking over his body but now hes back to semi happy green.

Being a poor art student i have done everything my budget allows for his well being. The chameleon only cost $30 but he is worth so much more to me. Just watching him eat and climb bring great therapy to me alone. He seems to be readjusting to his cage and i am keeping a close eye on him (watching from afar) without causing him stress. I really need to pay a ticket and renew my registration but instead i took my chameleon to the vet and bought him meds as well as missing my 3d modeling class and art history 2, but thats another story lol...

******Still waiting on suggestions to get his humidity up. I wrapped the bottom of the cage with plastic wrap to try and hold some of the moisture in. I used to have a fogger when i had tree frogs but it burnt out and it got thrown out years ago. I remember it costing around $40. Should I break my bank for a fogger or does someone have another suggestion?

You guys all rule!!

Oat