My Veiled Chameleon hasSwollen Eyes

[JABianchi]

About 12 days ago, my 1.5 year old Veiled Chameleon developed swollen eyes and a bulge by his neck.. They go up and down a bit. We moved him into a larger screened enclosure (48X18X18) in September. We have artificial vines in the cage. We had a fountain and a mister in the new cage but the fountain acted like a sive and the water drained out. We went back to the drip system. We have two light sources. One is a 18" 7% uvb bulb and the other is a 75 or 100 watt "Repti basking light".

Up until about 3 weeks ago, he ate gut loaded crickets. We also dusted the crickets with calcium and Zoo Med's "Reptivite vitamins". In the winter, we serve meal worms (the same as last winter). They are also dusted with calcium and vitamins. We provide shredded apples, carrots, lettuce, spinach. He only eats a little bit of fruits and vegetables. In the last week we started feeding him baby food such as pears, peaches, apples and bananas. He does not seem to be eating much.

We mist him a couple of times a day. During the last 2 weeks, put him in a moist, warm bathroom to hydrate him.
Today he was in the moist warm bathroom and very active. His color was good.

We are concerned that he might be dehydrated and have been diligent about trying to getting him to drink each day.
His stool is black and light yellow.
Since his eyes have swollen up, I spray water near his mouth each day and he drinks. Today, I started putting the baby food on his mouth and he ate a good helping. (I don't think he can see his food to eat it.)

We are not sure if he was overdosed with supplements or doesn't have enough vitamin A. Could he have something in his eye and should we use terramycin? I also read that contact solution/eye drops might work.

Please send your thoughts.

 

[Rocky]

First of all I would suggest taking him to a qualified vet.

Second, before everyone starts ragging on you I would take the fountain out. It breeds bacteria unless washed daily.

It seems like he is hydrated enough, but I would defnitely take him to the vet.

Also, could you fill this out? It will help us see exactly what everything is like.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


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?

 

[pssh]

Take him to a vet! NOW!

 

[JABianchi]

UPDATE: My Veiled Chameleon has Swollen Eyes

Veiled Chameleon went to vet on Dec. 23. The vet flushed the eyes with Gentamicin Sulfate Ophthalmic solution. The fluid from the eyes showed there was no bacterial infection in the eyes. The vet withdrew a sample of blood from the abscess on the veiled chameleon's neck. When she did this, the abscess disappeared and the swollen eyes shrunk more that 60%. However, within 30 minutes the swelling in the neck and eyes returned. The blood was tested and it showed that the chameleon had a bacterial infection. He is on .05cc of Baytril for 14 days. The vet also gave him an injection of vitamin A.

On Dec 29 he went back to the vet and had his eyes flushed again. The vet gave him another injection of vitamin A. The chameleon also gained weight. We are hand feeding him meal worms and baby food and water.

On Jan 4 the lump on his neck has been gone for several days, but his eyes are still swollen. They look like plump grapes. Sometimes they look like raisins. There is also shedding around the eyes. He is dark in color until we hold him. Then he perks up to a pretty light green.

Has anyone else had this problem? Please let us know.

 

[pssh]

I'm glad he is getting better, but mealworms are very hard to digest. Try to use crickets, roaches, silkworms, hornworms, or super worms instead. Don't use superworms too often though, they are high in fat. Those other worms will help keep him hydrated. The mealworms can cause an impaction which is a blockage of the intestines. That means either a very expensive vet bill or a dead Cham.

 

[draetish]

I found this on the internet, it might help idk. According to this your vet is doing what he can.

Keep in mind this is info from the internet by:
Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP has been an avian/exotic/herp animal veterinarian since 1981. She is a regular contributor to REPTILES magazine.

"The most common reason for swollen eye(s) in chameleons is hypovitaminosis A (vitamin A deficiency). Without knowing the specific husbandry conditions involved with your case, I can’t offer much more than generalities.

Other things that can cause a swollen eye are a traumatic injury, parasitic problems, infection and tumor, to name some.

Usually, once I have seen and examined a chameleon with a swollen eye, and I have taken a history, I will recommend appropriate testing. In most cases, I will recommend a supplement of beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body, and any unused beta carotene will be excreted unchanged. Vitamin A can be administered by injection; however, it is possible this can result in overdose, so beta carotene is much safer. Beta carotene can also be administered orally, which is easier to do. The only downside to beta carotene is that it is bright red and can stain things in and around the habitat.

I’m not recommending you go out and find some beta carotene to administer to your lizard. I think it is much better that you keep your herp vet’s appointment, so the cause of the swollen eye can be diagnosed properly. If your vet has any questions about your chameleon’s problem, don’t forget to remind him/her about the free consultation service offered by most large veterinary diagnostic labs. Through this service, herp vets can call and speak with an experienced herp veterinarian who can help with difficult cases, or even if they just would like another opinion. I hope your chameleon will be just fine and all goes well. "

Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP has been an avian/exotic/herp animal veterinarian since 1981. She is a regular contributor to REPTILES magazine.

 

[Chamster]

i bought a panther chameleon a couple of days ago and i am noticing one of his eyes is kind of sometimes bolging out but goes back in after a couple of seconds.

i read that vitamin A is the solution to eye inflammation so should i just just keep him on a silkworm diet since they have high vitamin A????


any suggestions people//....??>?>??

 

[draetish]

One more thing to keep in mind is that Chameleon's metabolism is very slow and it takes time. Just make sure you keep your cham hydrated and maybe go back through your husbandry and double check everything. Please let us know how it's going.

 

[ChrisnLisa]

i bought a panther chameleon a couple of days ago and i am noticing one of his eyes is kind of sometimes bolging out but goes back in after a couple of seconds.

i read that vitamin A is the solution to eye inflammation so should i just just keep him on a silkworm diet since they have high vitamin A????


any suggestions people//....??>?>??

If it bulges in and out then returns to normal, that is how they clean their eyes...no need to worry.

 

[draetish]

About 12 days ago, my 1.5 year old Veiled Chameleon developed swollen eyes and a bulge by his neck.. They go up and down a bit. We moved him into a larger screened enclosure (48X18X18) in September. We have artificial vines in the cage. We had a fountain and a mister in the new cage but the fountain acted like a sive and the water drained out. We went back to the drip system. We have two light sources. One is a 18" 7% uvb bulb and the other is a 75 or 100 watt "Repti basking light".

Up until about 3 weeks ago, he ate gut loaded crickets. We also dusted the crickets with calcium and Zoo Med's "Reptivite vitamins". In the winter, we serve meal worms (the same as last winter). They are also dusted with calcium and vitamins. We provide shredded apples, carrots, lettuce, spinach. He only eats a little bit of fruits and vegetables. In the last week we started feeding him baby food such as pears, peaches, apples and bananas. He does not seem to be eating much.

We mist him a couple of times a day. During the last 2 weeks, put him in a moist, warm bathroom to hydrate him.
Today he was in the moist warm bathroom and very active. His color was good.

We are concerned that he might be dehydrated and have been diligent about trying to getting him to drink each day.
His stool is black and light yellow.
Since his eyes have swollen up, I spray water near his mouth each day and he drinks. Today, I started putting the baby food on his mouth and he ate a good helping. (I don't think he can see his food to eat it.)

We are not sure if he was overdosed with supplements or doesn't have enough vitamin A. Could he have something in his eye and should we use terramycin? I also read that contact solution/eye drops might work.

Please send your thoughts.

Whoa! - spinach is not good for chams and you really need to fill out the "how to ask for help" form. Your UVB light should be a ReptiSun 5.0 at the very least and not knowing your dusting schedule, he could very well be over-supplemented. If you want help you need to give specific husbandry info.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Food and light.....

Good job on getting your cham to the vet. It looks like some progress is being made. His food situation is a major issue. He should not be eating baby food consisting of fruits and vegetables. He is an insectivore and he needs that protein. Fruits and vegetables are eaten very little by this type of reptile. Also, mealworms have very little nutrition in them. He needs to be eating crickets, roaches, hornworms, silkworms, etc. Mealworms should only be a treat year round.

You can hand feed him crickets. Put the crickets in a handy container near you. Pull off a back leg of one cricket and carefully insert it into the side of his mouth between the two jaws. Don't jab it in there. Just carefully work it between the jaws. He will feel this and probably start to work his jaws and tongue around to see what it is. It may take more than one leg to get him to start chewing. Have a cricket ready in your hand to insert into the side of his mouth part way as soon as he opens his mouth enough to get it in there. Again don't jam it in and don't put it all the way in the mouth. Allow him to crunch down on it and decide to eat it or not.

Hopefully he will start chewing. If he does then keep putting them half way into his mouth until he does not want to eat any more. Do this at least once a day. You've got to get some proper protein in him. He's going to start having a digestive problem if you keep feeding him the baby food. Their digestive tract is not designed to process that stuff the way an iguana is.

Keep him very hydrated since he's on an antibiotic. It's hard on the kidneys.

 

[kinyonga]

I don't know if the lights could be causing the eye problems or not (I have a feeling that the answer is not...but I'm not a vet and can only give you my opinion)...however, if you changed the lights and they are the cause, things with the eyes should improve. It could also be that the swelling of the eyes is related to the swelling of the cheek. (Again, I'm not a vet and can't be sure.)

You said..."he ate gut loaded crickets. We also dusted the crickets with calcium and Zoo Med's "Reptivite vitamins"."...how often did/do you use the vitamins? What is the calcium? Brand and does it contain D3?

You said..."We provide shredded apples, carrots, lettuce, spinach. He only eats a little bit of fruits and vegetables. In the last week we started feeding him baby food such as pears, peaches, apples and bananas"...I gutload my crickets with a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)...and he can be offered the same things along with a small amount of fruits such as pear, apple, melon, berries, etc. Bananas are high in phosphorous, so I don't use them...spinach and cruciferous (cabbage family, which includes broccoli) veggies have oxalates and some have goiterinoids (sp?)..so I don't use them. I don't use baby food because there is no need to.

You said.."He does not seem to be eating much"..is he pooping? Do you have a substrate? What is the temperature in the cage? Could it be that his swollen cheek is keeping him from eating?

You said..."Since his eyes have swollen up, I spray water near his mouth each day and he drinks"...be careful not to get any in his lungs...make sure his glotis is closed.

You said..."I don't think he can see his food to eat it"...have you tried moving something around to see if he follows it with his eyes?

Regarding the bulge on his cheek...they are supposed to have a small bulge there...but the one on his cheek is too big (as you know). Did the vet do a culture and sensitivity test with what was removed from it?

I'm not a fan of mealworms, but its because there are too many horror stories about them causing problems...so I just stay away from them.
This chart shows the nutritional breakdown of various insects...
http://www.grubco.com/Nutritional_Information.cfm

Wish I could give you a better answer. Hope you and the vet figure it out.

 

[Kevin The Veiled]

Help! I can't find the "How to ask for help form"

Hi, I am a new user and would like to post a thread about my veiled but I've noticed that often people are asked to complete a questionnaire about their husbandry. I've searched the site but I don't see where to complete this.

Thanks!
Kevin The Veiled

 

[szpond]

Hi, I am a new user and would like to post a thread about my veiled but I've noticed that often people are asked to complete a questionnaire about their husbandry. I've searched the site but I don't see where to complete this.

Thanks!
Kevin The Veiled

Hi Kevin,

First you can choose the correct thread in which you will post your question. Is it a general question? Health? Enclosure? Choose from these: https://www.chameleonforums.com/forum.php

Then click the "New Thread" button to create one.

Here is the "How to ask for help" forum where you can copy the information there and paste it into your new forum. Fill it out as detailed as possible: https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Hope this helps!

 

[Mac31]

About 12 days ago, my 1.5 year old Veiled Chameleon developed swollen eyes and a bulge by his neck.. They go up and down a bit. We moved him into a larger screened enclosure (48X18X18) in September. We have artificial vines in the cage. We had a fountain and a mister in the new cage but the fountain acted like a sive and the water drained out. We went back to the drip system. We have two light sources. One is a 18" 7% uvb bulb and the other is a 75 or 100 watt "Repti basking light".

Up until about 3 weeks ago, he ate gut loaded crickets. We also dusted the crickets with calcium and Zoo Med's "Reptivite vitamins". In the winter, we serve meal worms (the same as last winter). They are also dusted with calcium and vitamins. We provide shredded apples, carrots, lettuce, spinach. He only eats a little bit of fruits and vegetables. In the last week we started feeding him baby food such as pears, peaches, apples and bananas. He does not seem to be eating much.

We mist him a couple of times a day. During the last 2 weeks, put him in a moist, warm bathroom to hydrate him.
Today he was in the moist warm bathroom and very active. His color was good.

We are concerned that he might be dehydrated and have been diligent about trying to getting him to drink each day.
His stool is black and light yellow.
Since his eyes have swollen up, I spray water near his mouth each day and he drinks. Today, I started putting the baby food on his mouth and he ate a good helping. (I don't think he can see his food to eat it.)

We are not sure if he was overdosed with supplements or doesn't have enough vitamin A. Could he have something in his eye and should we use terramycin? I also read that contact solution/eye drops might work.

Please send your thoughts.

A long time later I know. ... but I was wondering what was the outcome and resolve of this happening to your Cham? Mine is going through this right now.

 

[Beman]

A long time later I know. ... but I was wondering what was the outcome and resolve of this happening to your Cham? Mine is going through this right now.

Hey there the OP of this thread has not been active since 2010. It would be best to start your own thread so we can help you. Go here and click post thread. https://www.chameleonforums.com/forums/health-clinic.7/

 

[Mac31]

Thank you @Beman !!!