Eyes won't open

[Teradination]

I have a Veiled Cham about 3 or 4 months old. For about 2 or 3 days now her eyes have been shut and she won't open them. I mist her every day and even more now that her eyes have been shut I think she is dehydrated but i don't know for sure. This is my first chameleon and I've only had her for 2 weeks now. Please help!!

 

[Teradination]

Your Chameleon - Felmale veiled cham
Handling - Everyday for about 20 mins
Feeding - Crickets and mealworms
Supplements - liquid and D3 calcium
Watering - Big dripper on most of the day
Fecal Description - I see it in the cage often
History -

Cage Info: Zoo Med Reptibreeze 16"/16"/20"
Cage Type
Lighting - Day/night heat and UVB
Temperature- around 85-90
humidity- not sure
Plants - all fake for now
Location- Corner of room by herself

 

[JoCarp]

You'll get better answers with more infomation

Just wanted to give you this guide to getting help that is stickied in the forum. Answer the below questions and it will help the experts to answer more accurately and thoroughly. From what the senior members usually discuss with eyes can be humidity, lighting (quality and amount) or nutrition/supplements. NOT saying it is for sure one of those things, but that seems to be fairly common. Answering the questions below will help everyone else to help you better though. Good luck!

Here is the sticky:
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[JoCarp]

Your Chameleon - Felmale veiled cham
Handling - Everyday for about 20 mins
Feeding - Crickets and mealworms
Supplements - liquid and D3 calcium
Watering - Big dripper on most of the day
Fecal Description - I see it in the cage often
History -

Cage Info: Zoo Med Reptibreeze 16"/16"/20"
Cage Type
Lighting - Day/night heat and UVB
Temperature- around 85-90
humidity- not sure
Plants - all fake for now
Location- Corner of room by herself

OOPs, you beat me to it! I think some more info will help though. Especially what supplements and how frequently they are being used. I haven't seen a lot of good input here on the liquid supplements just FYI. I hope you aren't giving the D3 Calcium everyday, it should only be given twice a month and calcium WITHOUT D3 is everyday. There should also be a multivitamin every two weeks or so.

She might need a little more space than being held everyday and depending on age her enclosure may be a little small. (take with grain of salt on enclosure, I only have a male panther so I'm not positive on female veiled).

When you say day/night heat, is it an infrared heat emitter or a "nighttime" light? If it is a light it shouldn't be there as chams can see the lights even if the box says they cannot.

I didn't see anything about misting mentioned, how often/for how long do you mist her?

You say you see fecal in the cage often, is the urate white or more of an orange/yellow tint? If it's not white then she is dehydrated.

Just a few things I noticed. If JannB comments, take it as cham gospel! I have seen tons of stuff from her and others saying the same about her extnesive knowledge. Pretty much goes for other senior members too

 

[Teradination]

Supplements are Reptisafe Instant Terrarium Water Conditioner every time i give her water from a dripper and for the food is Reptocal with Calcium and D3 I dont always put it on her food I only have 2 times since i got her, but when I don't I haven't been putting anything on the crickets. The enclosure im pretty sure is enough for her for a few months she is only 3 months old about. The lights the guys at the Local pet store i got her from suggested and what they use on their chams. and the fecal is urate white. I hope i answered all your questions. Im just worried about her :/

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a photo.

Is it possible the water is getting in her eyes so thus the calcium is getting in them too?
What color are the urates?


The following is not likely to do with the eyes but important to her health...
It's recommended that you dust the insects at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder...not put it in the water. This helps make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.

Its recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium / D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues while D3 from exposure to UVB won't likely build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A cannot build up in the system and lead to overdoses like prEformed sources can and will leave it up to you to decide whether the chameleon needs prEformed or not.

 

[Andee]

Ok you only need a day basking bulb, and do you have any pictures of her? When she is 5 months you will need to learn and place a laying box in her cage. That enclosure is too small for her even as a juvie, the smallest cage should be 18"x18"x36". As an adult she needs a 2'x2'x4' cage.

Liquid calcium is easy to overdose on. I would get powdered supplements and get regular calcium without D3, a calcium with D3, and a multivitamin. The D3 and multivitamin should only be used twice a month. What kind of uvb light do you have? Is it a linear bulb or compact?

Do you have pictures of her set up?

Another question, is this your first reptile?

 

[Teradination]

They are sideways :/
Not first reptile but first cham

 

[kinyonga]

She doesn't look well. I would get her to a vet ASAP.

 

[Teradination]

She has ate and opened 1 of her eyes

 

[Andee]

You need to answer my questions as detailed as possible, a compact UVB can cause issues with eye closing, as can a night light.

 

[Teradination]

You need to answer my questions as detailed as possible, a compact UVB can cause issues with eye closing, as can a night light.

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I took her to the pet store I got her from they said that she looks good and has good color and weight except for the whole eye issue. They referred me to a good reptile vet in my area and they said its early signs of Dehydration and to start misting her with warm water more often and to just watch her. Now I have been doing it for about a day now and she has started to open her eyes more but not all the time completely yet.

 

[Andee]

Eye issues can be a sign of a Vitamin A or lighting issues, sometimes a problem with vitamin D3. Your vet is most likely wrong. I have rehabilitated a Veiled juvenile that had a severe Vit A deficiency that had her eyes shut so tight that she required force feeding of a liquid diet and syringe watering... The water was three times a day and the food twice a day.

She also ended up needing liquid calcium for 3 months and two Vit shots and 2 eye flushings. You have to find a vet who KNOWS what they are talking about. Who has preferably worked with chameleons before and won't just write you off.

 

[brownie64]

I don't mean to alarm you, but she looks to be knocking on death's door. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but she needs a qualified vet and a miracle. Good luck

 

[Onemorecast]

I would take the pet stores advice and assesment with a grain of salt. Yes some people who work at them are knowledgable...but not like a vet. Get that baby to one

 

[Teradination]

After misting her with warm water more and more she has started to open her eyes more and more. so I hope thats a good sign and has gotten a lot of her color back

 

[oneillchameleons]

Your chameleon needs a severe change in the way you are taking care of her. She is days away from death judging BY your pictures. Severely underweight and eyes shut during the day are signs of a plethora of life threatening issues. ANSWER THE FULL QUESTIONAIRE ABOUT HUSBANDRY SO WE CAN HELP. In my opinion she has been overdosed on d3, poor feeding/gutloading, lack of vitamin A etc.

PS: tell your "local pet store guys" they don't know what they're talking about.

 

[Teradination]

After following the vets advice my im happy to report that my Cham has opened both her eyes and is eating and drinking fine and is looking more colorful than ever

 

[JoeVet]

Did you see a vet? What his/her advice? Another helpful observation...judging by the photos, you need more foliage and horizontal branches in her cage. Live plants will increase humidity and low humidity can be a cause of eye problems along with vitamin A deficiency and infection.

 

[Teradination]

I didn't see a vet. I called him and sent him pictures of her and he said that she was in early stages of dehydration and to mist her and maybe shower her. So I did for 2 days now and she is now opening her eyes and eating and drinking on her own. In the next couples of days I plan on getting her a bigger cage with live plants.