eyes closed while Basking

[BryanP]

So I didn't want to post this in the health section because I don't think that there is really an cause for alarm. i bought a panther from kammerfage chameleons on saturday and i wanted to see about a behavior i've noticed.

Is it normal or abnormal for my panther chameleon to have its eyes closed while Basking? it seems to be very alert however and will react when I get close or open the cage door.

Here are paraphrased details from the the question sheet from health section incase anyone asks.

Panther chameleon 3 months old.
Had him for 2 days
Reptibreeze 24x24x48
Basking spot temp 82 degrees
Basking light 75w incandescent bulb
Ubv zilla t8 24" tropical fixture
Mist king keeping humidity around 50 low and 80 high in the center of the cage.

I feed 12 1/4" crickets in the morning after the lights come on amd i see him eat a few before i leave. i free feed so not cup fed.

Anyways hope its not sick because ive had it for less than 48 hours.

 

[Carlton]

Hmmm, makes me wonder about the intensity of the UVb light. What happens if you move the light a little farther away?

 

[BryanP]

That might be the case.

I know that when I kept reptiles previously of the desert type I remember people on the forums saying that the UVB was more intense at the beginning of the bulbs life cycle due to burn in.

I will move it back away from the basking bulb for a few days and see if that does not elicit some change in behavior.

Below is the spec sheet for the bulb. I would be willing to bet that the basking zone is 8-12" and then if the light is at the back of the cage it is obviously further away however areas are closer now that its at the back.

I guess I could raise it UP and off the top of the cage if need be.

 

[bobcochran]

Hmmm, makes me wonder about the intensity of the UVb light. What happens if you move the light a little farther away?

I think this is an astute call by Carlton!!

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Ubv zilla t8 24" tropical fixture.

Tad strong if the animal is basking right up under it, say within 6"

From what you described, the issue is the light. If this was a respiratory infection or other illness there would be other things going on.

Also I can say 100% you are not dealing with a Vit A issue or something nutritional, the place you bought it from is hands down the healthiest Panther's out there. I've had babies have the same closed eye issue if they try to hang upside down on the screen near the light, usually taking the light about 6" up fixed the issue in a few days, that or make sure the baby can't get within six inches. New bulbs are strong.

 

[BryanP]

Well i have the zoomed reptisun led + uvb on its way. would the T5 be a better option than the T8? is the output of the t8 that much higher than the t5?

 

[OldChamKeeper]

It can be, however no chameleon should be within a few inches of their brand new UVB bulb. You want a little distance. Go get two pieces of Styrofoam and use one on each end to raise the light a few inches, even 2" helps. Lower some of the branches inside the cage too (unless he's hanging upside down.)

Also the people you bought the animal from offer lifetime support, so you can hit them up via e-mail too. There are not too many people who know as much about panther's as they do.

 

[BryanP]

Go get two pieces of Styrofoam and use one on each end to raise the light a few inches, even 2" helps.

I will try that. I will get that taken care of tomorrow when I get home from work. I don't want to unplug the light but maybe I will get the piece of paper and block the center of the bulb for the day while Im out.

offer lifetime support, so you can hit them up via e-mail too.

I sent them an email basically letting them know what my concerns are and also some pictures of the enclosure. I met them at the reptile expo over the weekend and specifically purchased it from them based on the forums and also the reputation they have.

I am going to do some research about the T5 vs the T8 output.

Does anyone want to loan me a UVB Meter to test some numbers?

PM me or something.

Thanks

 

[OldChamKeeper]

it won't hurt him one bit to not have a light on for a day. If his eye issue is the light, then a day without it would be helpful.

 

[BryanP]

So I put a piece of paper in the center of the bulb for the time being today. Once I get home I will raise the light about 2" from the top of that cage. That should get the light to be about 8"-12" from the basking spot.

I will also upload some pictures of my setup detailing where the bulbs are with respect to the basking branches to see if anyone has any thoughts.

As the lights came on this morning her was active and moving around his cage looking for bugs. I added his daily rations (12 Crickets) and watched him hunt and eat at least 4 before I had to get moving.

As I left I saw him motoring around the cage. So I'm fairly confident that he is healthy just maybe like you guys are indicating the lighting might be a bit intense.



What should I do about the Zoomed LED+UVB I have showing up tomorrow? Would that be better than the Zilla fixture with their bulb? I dont really ever see anyone talk about that UVB bulb. Mostly just the reptisun.

Thoughts on that?

 

[BKO Overdrive]

I read on a few occasions that the Zilla Lights caused eye issues, I ended up buying one at petco and after reading about it returned it the same day and just got reptisun. Id stay away and might also be why your little friend is closing her eyes.

 

[PJK]

I read on a few occasions that the Zilla Lights caused eye issues, I ended up buying one at petco and after reading about it returned it the same day and just got reptisun. Id stay away and might also be why your little friend is closing her eyes.

Totally did the same thing a while ago. Just figured it was fine because it was the only light Petco had, but it came with an acrylic strip across the light, and had nothing but bad reviews, so I swapped it out for an acadia bulb.

 

[Pitcard]

I third this. I'll never get anything less than ZooMed.

Thought I would add however, my female panther is under a fairly new 5.0 T8 ZooMed. I have never spotted her closing her eyes while basking or any time during the day.

Since yours is on the younger side, emailing the breeder was a good idea in my opinion. I would have done the same, just to have this potential problem established in case it proves to be something serious.

 

[BryanP]

Hello everyone,

Heard back from the breeder and they assured me that everything seems normal and after exchanging a few pictures of my setup they are confident that I am doing things correctly.

I purchased the ZooMed Reptisun LED+UVB combo and it will be here tomorrow. I will replace the Zilla fixture with that and see if I can return the other lamp to petco but I have since lost the receipt.

I am glad that I spent the extra time ahead of time and looked into who I was going to get a chameleon from so that I have someone to reach out to instead of someone with no after care.

I will update with pictures and details on how the new Reptisun works out!

 

[BKO Overdrive]

@BryanP if you are a petco rewards member then they can back trace the receipt. If not then you may be out some money, Maybe you can get a gift card for other supplies from there.