Keeps Shutting Both Eyes

S

Siskus

New Member
Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Exo Terra Glass Viv 45x45x60cm
* Lighting - Exo Terra compact lid with repti glo 5.0 compact bulb. 60watt Incandescent Bulb with reflector.
* Temperature - Basking Spot 90oF, Cage Floor 80s. Lowest overnight temp - 70oF measured with a Digital Thermometre
* Humidity - Humdity ranges between 60 when dry and 85 after spraying. Gets sprayed 3 or 4 times a day for 2 mins.
* Plants - No Live Plants.
* Placement - Top of the cage is about six feet off the floor. No fans near the cage, no air vents.
* Location - England - Derbyshire


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Yemen, Female, Around 2inches long so a baby, been in my care for 1 day
* Handling - Only twice so far. One to move her into the cage and two cos my hand was in there and she climbed on.
* Feeding - Small brown crickets, gut loaded with carrots and potato, nutrobal powder going to be dusted every 3 days. Eats around 6 or 7 in two mins.
* Supplements - Nutrobal, every 3rd day.
* Watering - Mist 3 or 4 times a day for two minutes each. Yes I see my chameleon drink.
* Fecal Description - No poops yet.
* History - Always active in the reptile centre.
* Current Problem - She keeps shutting her eyes when the lights are on. Both eyes. Not just one. Almost like she is sleeping. Her eyes are not sunken her body seems fine for a baby, no bends, no abcesses, A little wobbly once in a while but has a good grip on my finger when I held her.
Just worried about the eye closing as I have heard this is a bad thing.
 
Turn off the compact bulbs. They cause eye problems and blindness. You also have her WAY to hot. Bring her warmest temps down to 80. Cage floor should be mid 70's. She's needs her feeders dusted with a plain calcium dust (no D3) at every feeding. Calcium with D3 twice a month and a muiti vit. once a month.

This is the UVB light bulb that she needs: http://www.petmountain.com/product/...lbs/504985/zoo-med-reptisun-5.0-uvb-bulb.html
 
Last edited:
If I turn it off now will she be ok until I get a long one tomorrow?
Do you think thats the problem?
 
Yes, she will be fine with no UVB for one or two days. If the eyes don't clear up with the new blub then it could be something else. Some nice long very warm misting will also help her eyes.
 
ok I will go get the strip lighting. Does it matter what brand? as long as its 5.0? and I am just in the middle of a long mist.
 
The light should make a difference, if not I'd try to take her to the vet.

I know that it has nothing to do with your problem, but it would be best to gutload with leafy greens too like kale and collards. No iceburg lettuce though.
 
When I first brought my cham home he seemed really tired fro the first 3-4 days.

His eyes were closed, he slept a lot, he didn't eat, didn't drink. I was really worried.

I think I had new "parent" anxiety as much or more than the cham was experiencing new environment anxiety.

Chances are good, if you are fairly sure that it was healthy when you got it, and reading your habitat setup and the fact that it is eating and drinking, your cham is just getting adapted to it's new home.
 
jannb said:
Turn off the compact bulbs. They cause eye problems and blindness. You also have her WAY to hot. Bring her warmest temps down to 80. Cage floor should be mid 70's. She's needs her feeders dusted with a plain calcium dust (no D3) at every feeding. Calcium with D3 twice a month and a muiti vit. once a month.

This is the UVB light bulb that she needs: http://www.petmountain.com/product/...lbs/504985/zoo-med-reptisun-5.0-uvb-bulb.html
Click to expand...

I disagree for veiled neonates i dust with d3 calcium at every feeding til they are at least 4 months then i dust every other i have raised quite a few veiled clutches and quite a few to adulthood and i have never had one case of mbd or any ill affects from doing this.
 
ciafardo 4 said:
I disagree for veiled neonates i dust with d3 calcium at every feeding til they are at least 4 months then i dust every other i have raised quite a few veiled clutches and quite a few to adulthood and i have never had one case of mbd or any ill affects from doing this.
Click to expand...

I had a disagreement on here before about the D3 in this thread: https://www.chameleonforums.com/can-someone-help-31807/
Read post # 12 and #18. I'm going to copy and paste #18 I feel it's so important.

Warrix642 said..."I have never seen any study or data on too much calcium with D3 hurting a cham"....D3 from supplements can build up in the system and cause damage...too much calcium also causes problems, but its harder to overdose calcium than D3 from supplements. D3 from exposure to UVB won't likely cause an overdose as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB light...so its less dangerous. Now...vitamin A also figures into this because vitamin A and D3 are antagonistic to each other. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job...so I think that would mean that if you give the chameleon too much preformed vitamin A and too much D3 then they will counter-balance each other....but what do they do to the liver and/or kidneys??

Here's some information for you that comes from vets who know what they are talking about....
"If D3 is consistently given dietarily, the pituitary will not be able to regulate calcitriol (active D3) that quickly and spikes of hypercalcemia will most probably occur. Over time, hypervitaminosis D and hypercalcemia will cause clinical signs of soft tissue calcification, depression, anorexia, excessive drinking, urination, and weight loss."...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
----------------------
"Excess Vitamin D actually causes ABSORPTION of bone. It actually mimics hyperparathyroidism. 3. Vitamin D causes calcification of bone. Excess Vitamin D causes inappropriate mineralization of organs such as the kidney or soft tissue. Excess Vit D3 and Calcium has been implicated in mineralization of large blood vessels, causing cardiac disease. 4. If we fry the kidneys with excess Vitamin D we cannot get the active form, 1,25 Dihydroxycholecalciferol."...
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
-----------------------
Hyperphosphatemia- (high serum phosphorus) can be caused by hypervitaminosis D and shows up as calcification of the heart and kidney, bone resorption, and secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism.

Hypervitaminosis D is caused by excessive supplementation
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
------------------------
"Many, and perhaps most, urinary disorders are the result of improper husbandry, diet, or therapy. Hypervitaminosis D, inappropriate dietary levels of calcium and or phosphorus, and high-protein diets are common causes of renal disease in lizards."...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...5aae48c9fff752
 
IMHO, the idea of dusting with a supplement that contains D3 is to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 allowing it to get the rest/main part of it from its exposure to UVB.

For many years, I have only dusted with a D3 containing supplement twice a month for baby veileds....and any that I have kept have lived good long lives with no calcium/bone issues.
 
I think alot of my worries are because I'm new to chameleons and don't know much about their persona.

But everything that has been posted here will be put into my knowledge and experience. She seems fine this morning. I'm not gona feed her till I get the new florescent strip installed. I am off to my much respected captive bred reptile breeder. He knows alot and I am sure he can steer me in the right direction.

I've been looking at pics of other baby vielids and I must say little jorj looks a little underweight. her legs seem a tad thin and boney, but shes eating like a horse so I am sure that will all change.

UPDATE: I have just caught my little jorj rubbing her right eye against a leaf. Her left eye has been fine today, she has not shut that one it seems to be the right eye. Could it just be a case that she has a bit of dirt or shed skin in it?
 
She may be ready to shed or got some debris in it. You can try using a plain saline solution on her eyes. I'm have no expieriences on that subject, so I'll let someone else fill you in.
 
Siskus said:
I think alot of my worries are because I'm new to chameleons and don't know much about their persona.

But everything that has been posted here will be put into my knowledge and experience. She seems fine this morning. I'm not gona feed her till I get the new florescent strip installed. I am off to my much respected captive bred reptile breeder. He knows alot and I am sure he can steer me in the right direction.

I've been looking at pics of other baby vielids and I must say little jorj looks a little underweight. her legs seem a tad thin and boney, but shes eating like a horse so I am sure that will all change.

UPDATE: I have just caught my little jorj rubbing her right eye against a leaf. Her left eye has been fine today, she has not shut that one it seems to be the right eye. Could it just be a case that she has a bit of dirt or shed skin in it?
Click to expand...

Don't stop feeding her and get that bulb as soon as you can.
 
I gots the bulb. Although I dont see a difference between the same Exo Terra 5.0 strip and the repti-sun one.

But I got the repti sun one and shes ok.

Shes not eaten yet, I have tried feeding her and there are a few crickets in there waiting for her.

She keeps rubbing her right eye.
 
I don't even have the energy to sit and debate d3 all i can say to a new veiled neonate owner that plans to keep the animal indoors is don't rely entirely on a 5.o tube to produce d3. The rate that veileds grow twice a month for a growing veiled is really in my opinion not enough but hey don't listen to me .
 
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