HELP MEE?! anyone heard of swollen eyes????

[PatrikEricson]

Hey everyone,
Ive had my chamie Geoffrey for over a year now and in the last 2 months he has had some serious right eye problems. Its started as being swollen more than 3 times the original size. NOw it comes and goes it seems. He scratches it constantly on the vines in his cage. I dont know if theres something that he can be allergic too? Ive taken him to a specialty vet numerous times and they arent sure what it is...they gave me drops and anti inflamatory...but its hasnt gone away?? He hasnt been able to hunt crickets himself because his right eye is so swollen that he cannot rotate his eye so it points straight...so he has 0 depth perception. Ive been hand feeding his crickets every day. Has anyone heard or seen this b4. i will try and get pictures up ASAP!
Thanks everyone

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Is Geoffrey a Panther?
Do you have a ficus in his enclosure?

-Brad

 

[PatrikEricson]

NO i dont. i have a bunch of fake leaves and branches. a few bendable black vines that he can crawl on..a branch of wood that is dried out..was probly meant for a parrot or something. waterfall etc. i was thinking of replacing his whole cage and seeing if it helps him out..other than the stress of switching his loving area.

 

[PatrikEricson]

hes veiled btw

 

[summoner12]

I would take him to the vet ASAP.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Patrik,

I think you may need to see another vet with more experience with exotic animals, especially chameleons. Your description of the eye problem can have many sources and another vet may be able to properly identify how to treat it.

What part of the world are you located?

 

[kinyonga]

I would get rid of the waterfall...they are hard to keep bacteria-free and that could have something to do with the eye.

Chameleons do bulge their eyes out when they are cleaning them, but they should go back to normal in a few minutes. (Just had to mention that in case you didn't know it.) I find it odd that the swelling comes and goes if this isn't the reason for it.

 

[PatrikEricson]

Reply

The Vet that i took him too is a specialist in reptiles and other exotic animals. I am located in Langley British Columbia Canada...and as far as i know this vet is the most knowledgeable that i could find. I am travelling to Las Vegas tomorrow and plan on getting him new everything including a bigger cage. Can anyone give me some advice on what stuff to put inside the enclsure to benifit him. The waterfall that i mentioned is like a bacteria trap im sure...whats better? should i bother with fake leaves? branches? whats better for ground surface...bark mulch or other?

If anyone can help me out it would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[summoner12]

I would get rid of the waterfall...they are hard to keep bacteria-free and that could have something to do with the eye.

Chameleons do bulge their eyes out when they are cleaning them, but they should go back to normal in a few minutes. (Just had to mention that in case you didn't know it.) I find it odd that the swelling comes and goes if this isn't the reason for it.

How do they clean their eyes like that? My female used to do that ALL the time when I would mist her. It would freak me out because she would bulge them out and they would stay that way for a minute or so. Are they licking their eye from the inside?

 

[summoner12]

The Vet that i took him too is a specialist in reptiles and other exotic animals. I am located in Langley British Columbia Canada...and as far as i know this vet is the most knowledgeable that i could find. I am travelling to Las Vegas tomorrow and plan on getting him new everything including a bigger cage. Can anyone give me some advice on what stuff to put inside the enclsure to benifit him. The waterfall that i mentioned is like a bacteria trap im sure...whats better? should i bother with fake leaves? branches? whats better for ground surface...bark mulch or other?

If anyone can help me out it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Do not put anything at the bottom of the cage. Substrate is for animals that walk on the ground... and chams don't normally spend any time walking around on the ground (unless female and looking to dig a nest for her eggs but that is a whole other story). Just place a ficus tree in the middle with vines going around the cage. add some fake leaves to hang down from the top of the cage for additional hiding. My cage is so easy to clean right now. i remove the ficus tree and then just hose out the cage. nothing moves other than the ficus because the vines and added leaves are fake and attached to the cage.

(I have moved things around since this picture... but you get the idea.)

This is my larger cage that my new cham lives in.

 

[kinyonga]

Summoner12 said..."How do they clean their eyes like that? My female used to do that ALL the time when I would mist her. It would freak me out because she would bulge them out and they would stay that way for a minute or so"...I think its like us rubbing our eye with our finger only we move the eyelid against the eyeball and they move the eyeball against the eyelid....not a vet so I can't tell you for sure. It is kind of freaky though for sure! It means that the "hand" they would have to take off the branch to do what we do can stay holding on to the branch too!

 

[christyo2o2]

The Vet that i took him too is a specialist in reptiles and other exotic animals. I am located in Langley British Columbia Canada...and as far as i know this vet is the most knowledgeable that i could find. I am travelling to Las Vegas tomorrow and plan on getting him new everything including a bigger cage. Can anyone give me some advice on what stuff to put inside the enclsure to benifit him. The waterfall that i mentioned is like a bacteria trap im sure...whats better? should i bother with fake leaves? branches? whats better for ground surface...bark mulch or other?

If anyone can help me out it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Instead of a waterfall get a 1 gallon dripping system. Put it ontop of teh cage and let the water slowly drip down a vine into either a bowl, or alot ofthe guys have created their own deal where it drips under the cage into a catch system.