Left eye having trouble - male red bar

[ItODDospeed]

If Mike at FL chams told you the coil bulbs were OK that could be correct. It is the older version of the 5.0 coil bulbs that are bad. They newer version are fine. It is not easy to tell , you have to check the insert of that comes with the bulb. And even then its not that easy to tell.

If you have your cham in natural sunlight 10 hours a day. Thats with no glass or plastic in the way. I would recommend no UVB source inside and no Cal with D3 at all. Yes use house bulbs for basking.

If the bulbs are the good bulbs , it may be an over kill of two 5.0 bulbs that close that are the issue. To be sure its probably a good idea to get a linear bulb when you need it inside.

Just my .02

Where do I get the information to tell? They sit in windows so I need the bulbs.

The bulb manufacturers say that they have changed their coil bulbs, but since I joined the forum at the end of August, I've read quite a number of reports of eye problems and they do seem to consistently be associated with using the coil bulbs.
You have to wonder how many people who either don't know about these forums or don't have internet access have had problems too.
You already have a 60 watt bulb for basking, so I don't see any reason to substitute household bulbs in the ones that currently have the UVB bulbs--but definitely discontinue using those coil bulbs.
I suspect it would make the cage way too hot.

It hasn't ever got above 88 degrees (only one day) and usually stays around 80 degrees everyday.

 

[jannb]

I take mine out for natural sun even when it's below 80 for a little while. You'd be surprised how hot they get in the direct sun even when the temps are cool.

 

[Lovereps]

You missed it--Ryan had told you, but who saves the inserts that come with lightbulbs?

If Mike at FL chams told you the coil bulbs were OK that could be correct. It is the older version of the 5.0 coil bulbs that are bad. They newer version are fine. It is not easy to tell , you have to check the insert of that comes with the bulb. And even then its not that easy to tell. Just my .02

I wouldn't put 2 incandescent bulbs in their place--it would make it too hot.
Besides, if your chams eyes are bothering him, he might it dimmer for a couple of days.

 

[ItODDospeed]

Hey Guys and Gals, my chameleon's eye is not getting better. It pretty much stays closed with no movement. Therefore, I am going to get terramyacin and I was wondering about application. How much and how often? Moreover, does anyone have a one eyed chameleon? I can tell he is struggling with movement around the cage. He almost seems lost sometimes and doesn't want to go to the water the way he used to. He doesn't look dehydrated or underfed. In those factors along with his waste all seems fine according to this website. He does seem to eat less than when he was younger. But he is big and strong. I am so worried he is gonna die. Help.

 

[ItODDospeed]

Here are a few pics of Clyde the sick chameleon. What do you guys think? I put the ointment in and I actually saw his eye for the first time in a few days.

 

[OldSkoolxReasons]

My female with the messed up eyes also is very timid about drinking. She will only drink from the nozzle of my hand sprayer because if she drinks from the dripper and any splashes in her eyes she freaks out and closes both of them and feels her way up to the ceramic heater to dry them out. Most of the time she gets there, sometimes she hits her head on sticks and i have to dry her off with paper towels myself. she still eats like a champ and is very friendly. I have never seen a captive bred panther without one eye unless it was lost in the hatching process or in the few weeks there after, although i have not had panther chams too long but i have learned a ton from this site over teh past 5 or so months. I do know a breeder that once bought a wild caught adult male ambilobe that was missing one eye. It looked as if it were scratched out by something in the wild. however this male was probably the friendliest and one of the most gorgeous red body with blueish purple barred males I have seen to date. He also lived another 6 years after the purchase so I'd say it is very possible to have just one eye. Good luck with you cham. He is very pretty.



Justin

 

[beeze]

I'd chance that bulb to the tube style.....it wouldn't hurt and it might help. Give some nice long warm showers and if no improvement it's time for a vets visit.

 

[graydon]

Those coils ruin chameleon's eyes. Plain and simple. There is so many threads about a sick/blind cham due to using a coil. If its only affected one eye you may have a chance. Both eyes he would probly die.

 

[ItODDospeed]

I was just trying to get some light. I cut those guys off days ago. I have linear on the way. I think maybe it was the lights. I had one close to his basking spot. I can't believe I wasn't warned at the conventions. I wish I would have known...

 

[graydon]

I was just trying to get some light. I cut those guys off days ago. I have linear on the way. I think maybe it was the lights. I had one close to his basking spot. I can't believe I wasn't warned at the conventions. I wish I would have known...

Its not a maybe. Those bulbs blind cham's plain and simple. supposedly the new ones have been fixed but Im not sure.

 

[ItODDospeed]

Its not a maybe. Those bulbs blind cham's plain and simple. supposedly the new ones have been fixed but Im not sure.

For someone not sure you sound sure. I bought those bulbs almost 3 months ago. Were they the revised ones? I don't know because I didn't know I should. I bought a ZOO-MED product for chameleons in the proper spectrum. I bought them in front of the breeder and hobbyists alike. No one threw a warning or indicator that I should beware. Moreover, I never debated wether or not the coils do damage. However, it could be a bunch of different things. So for you to be sure when there is no way of knowing is crap. One thing is for sure and that is I will not be using the coils regardless. I am treating him with Terramycin and natural light for awhile. If by Monday he hasn't improved I'll be back to the vet.

 

[kinyonga]

Here's some information about lights...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

 

[graydon]

For someone not sure you sound sure. I bought those bulbs almost 3 months ago. Were they the revised ones? I don't know because I didn't know I should. I bought a ZOO-MED product for chameleons in the proper spectrum. I bought them in front of the breeder and hobbyists alike. No one threw a warning or indicator that I should beware. Moreover, I never debated wether or not the coils do damage. However, it could be a bunch of different things. So for you to be sure when there is no way of knowing is crap. One thing is for sure and that is I will not be using the coils regardless. I am treating him with Terramycin and natural light for awhile. If by Monday he hasn't improved I'll be back to the vet.

Im sure because I used a coil and had a cham die from it. Thats why Im sure. And you can find another 500 cases on this board im sure.

 

[ItODDospeed]

Its not a maybe. Those bulbs blind cham's plain and simple. supposedly the new ones have been fixed but Im not sure.

You said "but I'm not sure". In my instance, you couldn't be sure as to whether or not it was the bulbs. Since the antibiotics, his eye seems to be improving. I can actually see it and it is moving today. Am I out of the woods, I don't know. There is no chameleon vet. school according to my vet.. Some vets will learn and are taught physiological traits and behaviors and expand on their practical knowledge. Any vet will tell you, it is a labor of love for all animals if they decide to take on exotics as patients. Therefore, I will rely on what I learned in med. school and what the vet is saying to me since we are both doctors. If your cham went dead from a bulb you should have been paying more attention to him. Your lackadaisical approach is what killed your cham. not a bulb. I can only say this because you are positive that a bulb killed your cham.. I noticed immediately my cham. had an eye problem and I addressed it quickly. Good luck with your new one or should I wish him good luck?

 

[justjumpit621]

Hey Guys and Gals, my chameleon's eye is not getting better. It pretty much stays closed with no movement. Therefore, I am going to get terramyacin and I was wondering about application. How much and how often? Moreover, does anyone have a one eyed chameleon? I can tell he is struggling with movement around the cage. He almost seems lost sometimes and doesn't want to go to the water the way he used to. He doesn't look dehydrated or underfed. In those factors along with his waste all seems fine according to this website. He does seem to eat less than when he was younger. But he is big and strong. I am so worried he is gonna die. Help.

I have a one eyed chameleon named Molly. She is just getting over a compact uvb light(same outcome as coiled) and she is doing much better. I have to force feed her still but I believe she will be able to eat on her own soon enough. Here is a picture of her:
Good eye

Bad eye

 

[ItODDospeed]

Best of luck with her. I saw your thread when you started it. Very sad. It's a shame that products are sold for animals when they hurt them. Unfortunately proving that would be very costly and you'd be fighting a giant. Why there isn't more info out there on coils and chameleons is beyond me. Hell, I just googled chameleon forum and here I am. No one told me about this site. I found it when I was in need for advice. Moreover, no one including breeders, hobbyists or vets. told me that coils could have such an impact on a chams. life until I got here. Yesterday I called ZOO-MED and they played dumb about the dangers of their coil bulbs on chameleons. They sell complete fixtures for coil bulbs to go with their cages whether or not their 5.0.. I use them with 5100k coils on my vivariums with nothing less than excellent results. Captive exotics are always a learning experience.

 

[ItODDospeed]

UDATE: Clyde the Chameleon's eye is back in operation. Well today is the first day that it is full, open and moving around. I am so relieved for him. For a lizard, that has stereoscopic eyes, loosing one would have to suck. I was at such a loss inside even if he would live. At least he would have lived in captivity nicely rather than be prey in the wild. I want to thank everyone for their advice and knowledge. I learned some valuable aspects of keeping a chameleon. I still have a lot to learn and enjoy the different aspects of animal husbandry. Once again, thanks everyone...

 

[graydon]

You said "but I'm not sure". In my instance, you couldn't be sure as to whether or not it was the bulbs. Since the antibiotics, his eye seems to be improving. I can actually see it and it is moving today. Am I out of the woods, I don't know. There is no chameleon vet. school according to my vet.. Some vets will learn and are taught physiological traits and behaviors and expand on their practical knowledge. Any vet will tell you, it is a labor of love for all animals if they decide to take on exotics as patients. Therefore, I will rely on what I learned in med. school and what the vet is saying to me since we are both doctors. If your cham went dead from a bulb you should have been paying more attention to him. Your lackadaisical approach is what killed your cham. not a bulb. I can only say this because you are positive that a bulb killed your cham.. I noticed immediately my cham. had an eye problem and I addressed it quickly. Good luck with your new one or should I wish him good luck?

Calm down guy. Im not out to get you here and you seem to be getting a little excited. This is just a message board. The only thing I wasn't sure about was if the new cfl bulbs were completely safe for chams yet. They say they have fixed them but they have not been out long enough and I have yet to see someone with a healthy cham with a cfl. Thats what I wasn't sure about.

Unfortunately, I wasn't educated enough when I had my first cham. I went through the whole pet store thing and they gave me horrible info. I knew a lot of it was bad info so I did a little research. By then it was to late. My little girl died in 1 week. I found this site to late.

I would hate to be your patient for whatever you practice (if you even practice) you come off as a prick.

 

[ItODDospeed]

Calm down guy. Im not out to get you here and you seem to be getting a little excited. This is just a message board. The only thing I wasn't sure about was if the new cfl bulbs were completely safe for chams yet. They say they have fixed them but they have not been out long enough and I have yet to see someone with a healthy cham with a cfl. Thats what I wasn't sure about.

Unfortunately, I wasn't educated enough when I had my first cham. I went through the whole pet store thing and they gave me horrible info. I knew a lot of it was bad info so I did a little research. By then it was to late. My little girl died in 1 week. I found this site to late.

I would hate to be your patient for whatever you practice (if you even practice) you come off as a prick.

Hmmm, lets see how you sound. You attack my integrity, question my practice and call me a prick. Look in the mirror loser. If you would have read the earlier posts instead of typing crap you would have seen that the thread had already covered anything you said. Read and replied by people who read the whole thread.
Was it hard for you to Google chameleon problems and find this forum? Judging by your grammar it might have been. Your chameleon did not die within a week from a bulb. You had little to no knowledge of the pet you brought home. Then you blame a bulb for its death. I bet it is easier to blame a bulb than yourself. If you're not sure and have no knowledge of the new CFL 5.0 coils then why say anything? Did you even use the CFL 5.0 coil bulb or just a regular CFL coil? A regular CFL coil would be of no benefit for a chameleon. Improper spectrum and lack of heat would lead most to believe of their ineffectiveness for chameleons. It's better to be quiet than talk about things you don't know. Once again, I can only say this because of your posts.
In my case, it took over a year for an eye problem to occur and I have always been using the CFL 5.0 coils. I changed the 5.0 bulbs three months prior to my chameleon's eye problem, which would lead anyone with a background in pathology to believe the cause was something else. It was suggested in this thread that I should change the 5.0 coil bulbs because of their potential for problems.
Attack me? You wish dude. Anyways, I'm not a proctologist so I could not treat you. Moreover, there is no cure for stupid. At this point, you just need calm down, re-read the entire thread and learn some lessons.