chameleon shower
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MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Not showering, but instead giving an extra long misting while it is still safe and content in its enclosure. Does your chameleon have an eye issue?
yes for like 3 months he has closed one eye (it alternates) i’ve made many posts about it and you guys have helped a lot but he still has the problem, i don’t know what else i can do i really thought it was A deficiency because he’s around 2 years old and i didn’t know about vitamin A deficiency i would just feed him a lot of grass hoppers until he was about a year old so he didn’t have much vitamin A from age 1-2 but in the past 3 months i’ve been giving him calcium repashy plus lod twice a month, misting his cage heavily twice to three times a day, once a day misting his eyes with fine mist from my hand sprayer. sometimes he rubs his eyes on the branches they puff up and he sucks his eyes in trying to clean or something so a couple times i have cracked open a water bottle to where it’s just dripping and i get him on his side and very closely drop a drop in each eye. money is very tight right now and i already have $1300 on my care credit so i can’t take him to the vet, i was looking at old posts trying to figure out what else i can do and all i saw that i haven’t done is warm shower but i can’t find any videos on youtube showing how to do that. if anyone knows anything else i can do please let me know
nothing really phases this guy he’s the most fearless and outgoing chameleon i’ve ever seen i don’t think he would have a problem doing something out of the ordinary that would maybe piss other chameleons off
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Warm showers aren’t good at all. What we feel as lukewarm can actually be scalding for a chameleon. Then there’s the stress of being taken out and put in a shower. Otherwise I’d say to put him in a cool shower, but giving an extra long misting while he’s comfortable in his enclosure is pretty much going to have the same effect.
I’m sorry we haven’t been able to get to the bottom of your guy’s eye issue. It’s really difficult to figure out what might be going on with eyes and sometimes it isn’t even the eyes that are the problem, but are sinuses. When you went to the vet, did you ask about his eyes? If so, what did the vet say? Let me look back at your previous posts about your guy’s eyes and refresh my memory.
I’m sorry we haven’t been able to get to the bottom of your guy’s eye issue. It’s really difficult to figure out what might be going on with eyes and sometimes it isn’t even the eyes that are the problem, but are sinuses. When you went to the vet, did you ask about his eyes? If so, what did the vet say? Let me look back at your previous posts about your guy’s eyes and refresh my memory.
yeah i understand chameleons are very hard to address problems to, i took him to the vet around a month maybe month and a half ago for upper respiratory problems, when i would drip him water and he drank it he lifted his head so she gave him some medicine for it. i ended up talking about his eye saying i’ve gave him 4 doses of the calcium repashy plus lod i don’t know what else it could be and she said it does sound like A deficiency and keep giving him that sometimes it can take 6 months to fully heal but after 3 months i don’t think it’s getting better and someone in here told me his eyes should be better by now
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I was going to ask if he was the one that was on the antibiotic for URI. So, I want to clarify…you’ve had this chameleon for two years and only until recently did you start using multivitamins that contain vitamin A? When did the eye issues start? Are you now monitoring your humidity? If so, what have your ranges been during the day? Can you post a current pic of your entire enclosure? What is the strength of your uvb?
i got this panther chameleon around 1 year ago from a friend who caught him outside. he was assumed to be 4 months old when he found him and he used to feed him lots of grass hoppers (vitamin A) until around a year of age. then i got him without knowing about A deficiency, so from a year to about a year and a half he didn’t get much vitamin A other than whenever i gutloaded roaches and crickets with repashy bug burger (probably only 25% of feedings were gutloaded bugs). i bought a new t5ho 5.0 bulb like 3 months ago as well because the old one was slightly over a year old. i used to have a 100 watt bulb over his basking stick like 7 inches away but i switched to a 75 watt like 10 inches away because i would see he closed his eye more frequently under the heat lamp. i have not got anything to measure heat or humidity but what are the ranges it’s supposed to be at
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
That is quite a long time to go without vitamin A, so it may take a long time for him to fully recover and show no symptoms. Unfortunately, it’s going to just take time. However, your humidity levels could also be playing a role. If the environment is too dry, it will contribute to dry eyes which are irritated. Ideal daytime levels for panthers are between 50-70%. You’re in Florida, so I assume have central ac which is running most of the time. That keeps our homes on the dryer side. You definitely need to get a hygrometer and thermometer. They really aren’t very expensive…around $10 for a simple digital one with a probe end. Avoid the analog (round with a ‘hand’) ones - they are notoriously inaccurate. If you find your humidity is too low, you can wrap some shower curtain around the back and/or sides. The dollar stores sell thin clear plastic shower curtains which would work just fine. If after giving more time for the vitamin A and ensuring your humidity is correct he is still having a problem, I would suggest taking a drive to see Dr Bruce in Orlando and let him know all that you’ve done/tried.
My memory is a bit fuzzy. My guy was about 1-1 1/2 when I got him and never had multivitamins. I got him early Nov and within a couple of ’doses’ of multivitamin his eyes started to clear, as in the crustiness went away mostly. He would still keep an eye closed quite a bit though. In January or February on a visit to Dr Bruce (with a different animal) I asked him about my panther and he said to wait 3 more months. I didn’t particularly care for that answer but he was right and by May, my guys eyes and everything else were almost 100%. For a very long time though, every now and then I’d still catch him with a closed eye. I always thought of it as his ‘boo boo’ eye.
My memory is a bit fuzzy. My guy was about 1-1 1/2 when I got him and never had multivitamins. I got him early Nov and within a couple of ’doses’ of multivitamin his eyes started to clear, as in the crustiness went away mostly. He would still keep an eye closed quite a bit though. In January or February on a visit to Dr Bruce (with a different animal) I asked him about my panther and he said to wait 3 more months. I didn’t particularly care for that answer but he was right and by May, my guys eyes and everything else were almost 100%. For a very long time though, every now and then I’d still catch him with a closed eye. I always thought of it as his ‘boo boo’ eye.
ok thank you this does help a lot i will make sure to get a hygrometer and thermometer today is there a specific spot in the cage im supposed to put them? also my guy used to have crustiness in his eyes the first month i noticed the eye closing but it went away quick, one day he woke up and one eye looked a little watery. if it’s not my humidity it really sounds like it should be from A deficiency and just be patient. my question to you is did your chameleon alternate which eye he closed and did he rub his eyes a lot like everyday or every other day
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
You want to put the probe end in a spot where it is as close to where your cham hangs out the most, but not is a spot where it is in direct heat or will get sprayed/misted. That makes it a bit of a challenge. What I do is in between misting I’ll put the probe end in where I want to get readings and then remove it before the mister sprays. I have some digital ones that I leave on the outside of my enclosures at all times which I rely upon just for ambient humidity. I also have a temp gun that I use to quickly check.
While my guy did occasionally close his left eye, it was mainly his right that was the problem. I wish my memory were sharper as I don’t recall the details about his eye rubbing. I know he did, but not for how long. The only thing I can really tell you is that if his eyes don’t show any real improvement or if they start looking worse, take him back to the vet and be sure to give a detailed history of everything.
i didn’t get any time to get it today but im off tomorrow so i will set that up then i wanted to say thank you very much again me and my friend really appreciate all the help you give. he is giving you a hug
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MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I just hope his eyes get better soon. Such a handsome guy!
i got a 2 in 1 are these good?I just hope his eyes get better soon. Such a handsome guy!
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Gloriawood
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’ve never used that brand. Tbh, I went to the hardware store and got one that wasn’t branded for reptiles and it was half the price. I will add that I’m a newbie too though.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes, should work fine.
