Chameleon wont open his eyes

[MLOPEZ]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon. Purchased him from pet smart about 1mo ago
• Handling. Daily
• Feeding - crickets and meal worms dusted with repti calcium. He was eating great.
• Supplements - currently handfeeding him 50/50 mix + water of ox bow critical care and carnivore csre from the vet
• Watering. Spray misting a few times a day + he has a water fall
• Fecal Description - normal
• History - hes been extremely healthy thus far. Very active.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - screen cage by zoo med.
• Lighting - came with the cage. Tropical compact uvb and heat light
• Temperature - usually high 70s- mid 80's
• Humidity - stays humid. Also have live plants in the cage
• Placement - elevated about 3 ft above the ground.
• Location -in the living room by the window for fresh air and sun

Current Problem - about 10 days ago Rambo had his 1st shedding. The next day we noticed he closed his eyes on/off. With in 2 days he wouldnt open his eyes at all. We took him to the vet and he gave the supplemental food mentioned above and ciprofloxacin drops for his eyes 2x daily. We are currently on day 7 of not opening his eyes. The vet visit was $132 and the vet didnt even try to flush his eyes. Basically wasnt sure whats wrong with him since hes so active and only weighs 8 oz. Has anyone had this situation? Any advise is greatly appreciated. i am so worried he will never open his eyes again and if he does they may be permanently damaged from being closed so long.

 

[MLOPEZ]

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

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Hi @MLOPEZ do you have Spurs on the back of the heals ? A couple of things I see in your care 1. I personally do not feed meal worms . They're hard bodied and have Little to no nutritional value . In little ones theirs concerned with impaction . 2. Is the waterfall they breed bacteria . They are not recommended .

What is your misting time each time you mist ? Are eye closed all the time ? Are you using any red lights ?

 

[MLOPEZ]

Hi kristen
Yes he has spurs. Vet said thats how you can tell its a male. We actually took the water fall out a few days and just put it back in today. I mist randomly several times a day. Maybe 3-4.
His eyes have been closed now for 7 days. Im worried he will never open them again. The prescription drops arent making a difference. Im not sure if we need more patience or need to act fast on trying something different. Like i mentioned earlier, hes veey active all day. Doesnt seem to be sick, other than not opening his eyes of course. There is no infection or swollen eyes or anything.
I feel helpless for the little guy. I dont know what else to do.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Hi kristen
Yes he has spurs. Vet said thats how you can tell its a male. We actually took the water fall out a few days and just put it back in today. I mist randomly several times a day. Maybe 3-4.
His eyes have been closed now for 7 days. Im worried he will never open them again. The prescription drops arent making a difference. Im not sure if we need more patience or need to act fast on trying something different. Like i mentioned earlier, hes veey active all day. Doesnt seem to be sick, other than not opening his eyes of course. There is no infection or swollen eyes or anything.
I feel helpless for the little guy. I dont know what else to do.

It could be the lights. I would not keep the waterfall in the enclosure. You can set up a drip system . How long are you misting for ? He's eating and drinking just fine ? Do you bring him out side ?

 

[MLOPEZ]

Misting about 30 seconds.. We have to feel him with a syringe 3x daily bc he cant see to eat. Im wondering if i switch to the linear uvb light if that would reverse whats going on?. Its all trial and error from here. I just want to fix him asap!!

 

[kinyonga]

If you weren't giving it the carnivore care would it be eating?
Have you tried turning off the UVB light? Sometimes the compact ones bother their eyes.
Does the cage get a lot of sun being in the window? I would move it out of the window and see if that makes a difference. I never like cages to be in front of windows. They get no UVB from that...and the cage can get too hot sometimes and drafty in the winter.
Do you have a substrate in the cage?

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Misting about 30 seconds.. We have to feel him with a syringe 3x daily bc he cant see to eat. Im wondering if i switch to the linear uvb light if that would reverse whats going on?. Its all trial and error from here. I just want to fix him asap!!

I know I'm sorry you and you baby are experiencing this . Yes I would try that . Also if you can handle him I would try and bring him out side and see if he starts to open his eyes . This will give you a good idea of its lights or something else . I think you need to mist much longer 3 to 8 min . Maybe 4 times a day .

 

[MLOPEZ]

I havent taken him outside yet. The waterfall is small and he drank from it when he was able to open his eyes.
The cage heat hasnt increased at all. He likes to sit in the sunny spots. That window is on the side of the house so doesnt get direct light for hrs at a time. No i doubt he would eat on his own. A cricket was next to hom on a branch and he was clueless it was there.

 

[MLOPEZ]

I appreciate everyones feedback. He is the cutest.. And its so crazy how attached i am already to him. We had an iguana for about 14 yrs. So we are no strangers to lizard care. But it seems chameleons are on a whole different level of care.

 

[MLOPEZ]

 

[MLOPEZ]

His mouth is a little dirty from the food.

 

[kinyonga]

Why is there a purple light on the cage? How long has it been there?

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

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Veiled are Notorious for eating plants I would remove the fake plant and add another potho's or big umbrella . Also is the purple light on at night ?

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

I appreciate everyones feedback. He is the cutest.. And its so crazy how attached i am already to him. We had an iguana for about 14 yrs. So we are no strangers to lizard care. But it seems chameleons are on a whole different level of care.

I know , their amazing creatures . Hate to have them not feeling well . It's all a guessing game like you said . Their delicate Husbandry has to be spot on . Even then sometimes it hard to figure out what's going on .

 

[MLOPEZ]

Its on the waterfall which we just put back in today. we actually had a different waterfall origionally with no lights and it leaked in the cage so we took it out.

 

[MLOPEZ]

Do you think he will open his eyes again after being closed 7 days now?.. Should i try fluhing them out maybe since the prescription isnt working?

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Do you think he will open his eyes again after being closed 7 days now?.. Should i try fluhing them out maybe since the prescription isnt working?

I'm not a vet I have been keeping chameleons for just over a year . In my unprofessional opinion he is either light sensitive , or he has something in his eye . He looks good but they also hide illness well . I would try bringing him outside . Maybe in some shade/dappled sun and shade . See if he starts opening his eyes . Also look into retinyl palmitate. You can use over the counter capsules . Poke a hole put a drop on a feeder if he will hand feed or in his syringe . Try upping is water two 4 min misting and two 8 min misting . Give him plenty of time to rinse and clean his eyes .

 

[MLOPEZ]

I will try ty. Im obsessed with this as you can tell. Thabk you so much

 

[kinyonga]

Have you checked for tarsal spurs?