need advice on panther cham

[karmacham]

male Panther cham, 6 months old, reptisun 10.0 bulb, x large cage, live schefflera's in the cage, same setup since he was a baby. Gut loaded cricket diet (fresh veggies) and dusted with calcium before feeding. Misted 6 times a day. Never had an issue (other than lately getting very aggressive). Live in Tampa, very humid and hot. Cham is kept indoors. basking area 80 degrees, night time 65. Avg humidity 65. Anyway, electric company needed to replace a pole, requiring us to be without electric for 12 hours. Cham was taken with us to a park, cage and all, while we went fishing. He sat in dappled shade, was misted throughout the day. Home the next day, and his eyes were closed, looking dehydrated. Placed him in the shower 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off, throughout the day, he drank fine, opened his eyes, and ate a few crickets. Coloring was normal, he seemed better. The next day, he would not open his eyes, roaming the cage like he is blind. He drinks normally, is hydrated, poops look good. His aim is off at crickets, about 50%. His color and energy are normal, no sleeping during the day, just wont open his eyes unless it is an absolute must (like if I try to pick him up to look at his eyes or feed him.) Today I put him back in a shower, he is doing the closed eye popping thing (like he is cleaning his eyes) and rubbing them on the cage. There is no visible gunk, no off smell, he drinks normally, and like I said, has alot of energy roaming the cage, but eyes are closed. He is roaming the entire cage like he is cage crazy, alot more than he used to. He blindly climbed onto my hand so I could get a close look today, realized he was on my hand, opened both eyes wide, hissed and bit me. Then, back in his cage, eyes closed, blindly roaming again. I dont understand what could be wrong. I originally thought maybe he got something (dirt maybe) in his eyes from being outside that day (it was windy). He had a partial shed the 2nd day after being outside head and eyes only. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[karmacham]

View media item 42966now he is making a liar out of me, took a pic for ya'll and he opens his eyes..I don't know if this is a behavioral issue or what..this eye appears fine, and now the other one appears swollen..

 

[MeruJack]

reptisun 10.0 bulb

I do not have a Panther. All my chams are montane species and I use a 5.0 UVB bulb. I see you use a 10.0. I read, "5.0 bulbs are designed for reptiles that receive moderate amounts of sunlight like those in the upper levels of forests that get dappled sunlight throughout the day, like chameleons. 10.0 bulbs are designed for animals that receive high levels of unfiltered sunlight for most of the day." I'm wondering if the UVB is affecting its eyes. Have you changed it lately?

Also, I read that too much or not enough Vitamin A can directly impact a chameleon's eyes. Here is a very good article about Vitamin A and how very young chameleons can be okay and then a few months later they can suddenly have eye problems related to Vitamin A.
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Chameleon-Eye-Problem/

Have you considered an eye infection?

If something is in his eye that hasn't been flushed out by showering, perhaps using a saline solution squirted directly in its eye(s). "Another technique you can use for a foreign object is to squirt saline solution into the eye. Squeeze the bottle to create a jet stream that you can shoot into the eye. Fill the eye up to maximum inflation and stop. Do not stick the bottle directly into the eye. Repeat 2 to 3 times."

These are just some possibilities to consider. You know your chameleon best.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Also, I read that too much or not enough Vitamin A can directly impact a chameleon's eyes. Here is a very good article about Vitamin A and how very young chameleons can be okay and then a few months later they can suddenly have eye problems related to Vitamin A.
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Chameleon-Eye-Problem/

There is no evidence that chameleons can convert Beta Carotene to Vitamin A as the above article suggests. In fact, the evidence is that they cannot.

 

[jajeanpierre]

View media item 42966now he is making a liar out of me, took a pic for ya'll and he opens his eyes..I don't know if this is a behavioral issue or what..this eye appears fine, and now the other one appears swollen..

The eye does not appear fine to me. There seems to be fluid build up--do you see the bulges on left and right of side of the eye? I think a vet visit with a good reptile vet is in order.