Nees some help wiht outdoor cage/cham

[Chamero]

Cage Info:
• Cage Type - Combination of glass and screen. Divided into 4 quarters in hopes of creating 4 different conditions. Top half is all screen, with the top right being the basking area. The basking area has a reptisun 10.0 above it and is supposed to be the hot/high uvb/ low humidity area. The left side, the hot/ average uvb(5.0)/ low humidity.
• The bottom half, also divided into halves, has the whole back in glass. The 1/4 below the basking spot is front screened, where the 1/4 on the left side bottom is enclosed in all glass. The bottom right is cooler/no uvb/ higher humidity, and left is cooler/no uvb/ with highest humidity.
• Cage is L7'x W2'x H4' and is an all wooded, all year round, outdoor cage.
•
• Lighting - The basking spot is placed under a skylight and also has a 60w basking bulb. Temperatures never falls below 90F
• Temperature - Temps range from 90F at the basking spot to low to mid 80's elsewhere in the cage. Sometimes lower depending on the time of day.
• Humidity - Humidity also ranges from point in cage. about 0% in bask area and up to 30-40% in bottom area. fluctuating throughout the day, sometimes to almost 0% on a hot day.
• Plants - Jade, Ficus, Hibiscus, schleffleraX2, Dracaena, Pygmy Date palm, Pothos.
• Placement - Located in a moderately traffic area with basking area under a skylight. It is about 2ft off the ground so gives him a total height between 6-7ft
• Location - Whittier, California O.C.

Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon - Male Veiled, about 6-7 months, in my care for about 1 month
• Handling - Once every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.
• Feeding - Mostly crix, gutloaded with a bunch of fruits/veg, with occasional superworm.
• Supplements - Repcal+, Repcal-, Reptivite.
• Watering - Automated mister: 2-3 periods, 7-10 minutes per session.
• Fecal Description - Looks good still.
• History - Outdoor cage. Been unusually hot here last couple of days. Receives no natural sunlight. (skylight is covered)
• Current Problem - The most immediate problem is that his right eye is closed. He opens it sometimes but the last couple days has had it closed more than opened. Could this be a UVB problem/ too much heat problem?
My next question is about my uvb setup. Is it ok to have the basking spot area under a 10.0, about 6-10 inches away. and then the rest of the cage use the 5.0? My thoughts were to provide a larger spectrum for him. As always, any input is welcome.

 

[Carlton]

Your humidity level is very low even in the cooler more humid areas of the cage. One sign of dehydration is closing eyes during the day. Dry air will irritate them and the more the cham rubs them the more likely he'll injure one. So, even if you are misting frequently, if the air humidity drops a lot soon after you mist he's still spending a lot of the day in dry conditions. Don't know if you really need the ReptiSun 10.0 if he can get that close to it while basking. Tube lights, right? They are what you want, not the compact coil types.

 

[Chamero]

Just checked on him 12:20-12:25. He was not at his basking spot(90F) but in a tree (83F). When I got there, his left eye was closed and he wasnt doing much. When he notice me, both eyes stayed open and he walked to the upper part of the cage. He was also pooping as I came, and he poo looked nice n brown, with a white spot. Maybe a bit on the runny side.

 

[Chamero]

Ok, so yesterday I X'd my "DIY A/C" idea and instead added a cool mist humidifier. I also added another humidifier that actually releases the visible mist/vapor.

Im assuming this will eliminate the too much heat/too low humidity problem.

As for his eye problem, I want to administer some eye drops but am not sure which kinds. I know sterile saline...are these ok?
One on left Contains: Lubricant- Propylene Glycol (1.0%), Glycerin (0.3%). Preserved with Benzalkonium Chloride (0.01%)

On right Contains: A sterile buffered, isotonic, aqueous solution that contains boric acid, sodium borate, sodium chloride, and poloxamine; preserved with sorbic acid (0.15%) and edetate disodium (0.1%)

 

[sandrachameleon]

Try misting more, see if that helps his eye.
Some folks who primarily only use crickets have reported vitamin A deficiencies, for which closing one eye can be a symptom.
If the cage is outside, I doubt you need a 10UVB tube. I like to provide a place where they can heat up / bask without high UVB as well as an area with both Heat and UVB

 

[Chamero]

Update

So I added, both the vapor/fogger humidifier and the cool mist humidifier and they both seemed to have helped a lot.

Humidity is now 40% (all day today so far) and his mists are now at 7:30, 2:00, and 5:00 (10 mins.)

His cages temps are rangiing from about 73-85 at basking. I saw him drinking for about ten minutes, and now he is basking.

His one eye is still closed though, so I am thinking he may have something in it. His other eye looks very healthy and he just seems a little more pissed off lately.

Anyone know about those two eye drops? Are these chameleon safe?

 

[Pure]

Your temps are fine. Nothing needs to be changed temperature wise. If the eye looks visibly clear I would look at vit A issues and the possibility that the 10.0 is too strong. Regardless of what may be his issue remove that 10.0. The only time you should use a 10.0 is if the cham is only able to get at a minimum distance of 12 inches from the bulb.

Please answer the questions ask about what type of bulb (linear tube or screw in compact floro) you are using, and if the cage is actually outside in the pathway of un-filtered (glass/plastic) light? They are very relevant questions and where not asked for finger exercises.

You needn't get rid of the humidifier as your humidity is low. Just don't stress over the heat. Heat is not an issue in this case.

 

[Chamero]

Good news, all seems to be fine in my chams cage once again. He now has his eyes open and is drinking, exploring, and eating. This is only day one, so I will be on the lookout tomorrow.

His cage temps remained around 70's today and his basking was at max 85. This was a relatively cool day though, so I will have to see the next heat wave.

His humidity at basking area was 30% and 40% elsewhere in the cage. Again though, it was a cool day today.

As for the lights (all reptisun tubes) the 10.0 was only there for a day, then returned. I was wanting to create a uvb range, but I guess that is not how it works...

Anyway, thanks to all for help.. I will keep you guys updated.