chameleons eyes closed.

Curlytails

Curlytails

Established Member
i have had my chameleon for about 3 months and have barely had any problems. a few days ago one of his eyes were closed and i thought something might have gotten in it and upped my misting. now both eyes are closed. also he is in shed right now. he cant eat because he cant see which means i camt dose anything via food what do i do?
 
is he sleeping or are you sure hes awake with his eyes closed? I've heard saline solution is safe for if there's something in his eyes. if hes sleeping, or if saline solution doesnt work I'd see a vet because you're right, if his eyes go he cant hunt or get water.
 
JapSolum said:
is he sleeping or are you sure hes awake with his eyes closed? I've heard saline solution is safe for if there's something in his eyes. if hes sleeping, or if saline solution doesnt work I'd see a vet because you're right, if his eyes go he cant hunt or get water.
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i contacted the store i got him from i was told to soak him. he is shedding and is active so he isnt sleeping. he is rubbing his eyes on his front feet so im sure theres something in them like shed skin
 
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I actually really like that close up on first one that's a cool pic. but yeah the help form is here https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ without that, based off all the shedding on his face I'd guess some dead skin got in them or something and making sure his eyes get rinsed might help. either the saline solution or a shower might help. just point the shower head away from his plant and make sure it's not too hot and leave him in there for like 5 mins
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon. had him for 3 months. no clue how old he is.(male)
  • Handling - only if absolutely necessary.
  • Feeding - mainly locusts but i vary with morio worms, waxworms etc.
  • Supplements - calcium every feeding. exo terra d3 and multivit blend every second sunday.
  • Watering - hand misting about 500ml each misting 3 times a day also i use a diy dripper
  • Fecal Description - slightly yellow urates but usually bright white. normal looking faeces cant see any parasites under my microscope.
  • History - got him from a very reputable reptile store. check
http://www.crystalpalacereptiles.com

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen
  • Lighting - 12.0 uvb as reccomended by the store. lots of hiding space away from light. 9am to 9pm
  • Temperature - room temp 75f all day. low basking temp 85 high 92. use a dimming thermostat.
  • humidity - drops very low between mistings. central heating.
  • Plants - all fake a mix of silk for hiding and plastic for water
  • Placement - corridor. 2 walls covering sides a little bit of foot traffic
  • Location - uk

Current Problem - eyes closed.
might be sleeping but has his eyes open sometimes.
 
Can you tell us what brand of uvb are you using and are you sure there are no other weird symptoms he is displaying? Provide another picture of him, showing his entire body in good lighting.

My gut is telling me your UVB lighting is the cause of his eye irritations. It may be too strong. I always go for 5.0 uvb and have never had a problem with them. Reptisun is a good brand. Some people might say that is too weak and a 10.0 should be used. But if a 10.0 is used there should be more plant coverage to shade the chameleon. This is why I'd rather go for a 5.0, it's safer. Replace the light and then see if that helps. The eye problem should start to improve very quickly with the correct lighting. I have used a 5.0 tube made by REPTASUNPLUS which caused 2 of my chameleons to close and rub their eyes out of irritation. Turns out the tubes were dodgy. Maybe invest in a UV meter to be sure of your lights output. A week after replacing the lights both chameleons had no more problems.

If you feel there is something stuck in the eye do the shower misting technique. Place a pot plant or the chameleons entire cage in the shower and turn the shower on to a like warm temperature, position the shower head so that the water bounces off the wall onto the cage/plant. You can then also try and drop saline solution drops into his eye. It is safe. But try keep stress to a minimum when doing this. But really... I think it's the UVB.
 
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chameleonneeds said:
Can you tell us what brand of uvb are you using and are you sure there are no other weird symptoms he is displaying? Provide another picture of him, showing his entire body in good lighting.

My gut is telling me your UVB lighting is the cause of his eye irritations. It may be too strong. I always go for 5.0 uvb and have never had a problem with them. Reptisun is a good brand. Some people might say that is too weak and a 10.0 should be used. But if a 10.0 is used there should be more plant coverage to shade the chameleon. This is why I'd rather go for a 5.0, it's safer. Replace the light and then see if that helps. The eye problem should start to improve very quickly with the correct lighting.
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im using arcadia and havent had any problems yet. i have a spare 5.0 on hand but the store i got him from said it was to weak and i could risk giving him mbd. it is a t8 bulb.
 
Curlytails said:
im using arcadia and havent had any problems yet. i have a spare 5.0 on hand but the store i got him from said it was to weak and i could risk giving him mbd. it is a t8 bulb.
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also his lights are off now so ill send more pictures tommorow.
 
From what I have read Arcadia is a good brand. Again, I think people will disagree with me about this but I think it's too strong. It's only in the last year I have heard of people beefing up their UVB but in the 10 years I've kept chameleons I've never used stronger than 5.0.

If you are dusting with d3 as you should be about once or twice a month with a working 5.0 uvb tube, you shouldn't have an issue with mbd - especially with an already fully grown male.
 
chameleonneeds said:
From what I have read Arcadia is a good brand. Again, I think people will disagree with me about this but I think it's too strong. It's only in the last year I have heard of people beefing up their UVB but in the 10 years I've kept chameleons I've never used stronger than 5.0.

If you are dusting with d3 as you should be about once or twice a month with a working 5.0 uvb tube, you shouldn't have an issue with mbd - especially with an already fully grown male.
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he isnt full grown yet.:) hes about 5 to 6 inches snout to vent. he was about 4 when i got him. still got some way to go. i dust a personal blend of calcium with d3 and multivits and pure calcium every two weeks but he missed this sunday as he cant see.
 
Apologies, I thought from the picture that he was an adult. Well I'd still go for a 5.0 uvb light and dust with calcium about 5 times a week and calcium with D3 once or twice a week until 6 months age then once or twice a month thereafter. Your multivitamin once every 2 weeks. Remember that you can overdose a chameleon on d3 and other vitamins. Pure calcium should be given more regularly and does not lead to overdose.

Let's see what others have to say about the uvb. But it could be worth your while to change it to 5.0. I don't see how you'd encounter sudden MBD when 5.0 (with correct supplementing) has been the gold standard for many years.
 
chameleonneeds said:
Apologies, I thought from the picture that he was an adult. Well I'd still go for a 5.0 uvb light and dust with calcium about 5 times a week and calcium with D3 once or twice a week until 6 months age then once or twice a month thereafter. Your multivitamin once every 2 weeks. Remember that you can overdose a chameleon on d3 and other vitamins. Pure calcium should be given more regularly and does not lead to overdose.

Let's see what others have to say about the uvb. But it could be worth your while to change it to 5.0. I don't see how you'd encounter sudden MBD when 5.0 (with correct supplementing) has been the gold standard for many years.
Click to expand...
thanks. im going to pull out the bulb and put in my spare 5.0 tomorrow and i will change the dusting schedule. thanks.
 
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