New with questions :)
- Thread starter Linds0806
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Scottsquatch
Chameleon Enthusiast
Why do you think she's having eye issues? Are they sunken? Is she rubbing them? Could be debris in them, could be dehydration, or it coud be a vitamin deficiency. Also, poor UVB lighting can aggravate the eyes. Do you have a linear fluorescent light? Is it a reptisun or Arcadia? Some UVB bulbs suck. Also, the compact fluorescent UVB lights were known to cause eye issues sometime back. The problem is supposed to have been fixed, but the linear UVB lights have become the trusted standard. I'd still get her into the vet for a positive diagnosis if I were you. Good luck!
Linds0806
Member
Yeah- I’ve got a standard UVB light that isn’t linear.
We think she has eye issues because she seems to struggle to grab vines/snatch up crickets. Also, she misses a lot! Before, her tongue would reach much further, but now in only goes a few inches.
Linds0806
Member
Right, thankfully she’s not sleeping during the day anymore.
Linds0806
Member
Linds0806
Member
Second picture was from last weekend- she was rolling her eye... really freaked me out. We upped the misting and dusted the crickets with multivitamin that contained vitamin a.
First photo was 2 days ago. She was shedding her skin before too, and I’m wondering if the debris was just a flake of the dead skin... she’d scratch her eye with her back leg, kind of like a dog.
Aside from the suspected eye issues, she seems much better since she started shedding and got the skin off.
Right now the trip to the vet is kinda postponed, my dad isn’t doing very well and I’ve really got my hands full. Early onset Alzheimer’s, and it’s progressing a lot faster than any of us expected, including his doctors.
First photo was 2 days ago. She was shedding her skin before too, and I’m wondering if the debris was just a flake of the dead skin... she’d scratch her eye with her back leg, kind of like a dog.
Aside from the suspected eye issues, she seems much better since she started shedding and got the skin off.
Right now the trip to the vet is kinda postponed, my dad isn’t doing very well and I’ve really got my hands full. Early onset Alzheimer’s, and it’s progressing a lot faster than any of us expected, including his doctors.
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Linds0806
Member
Yeah, i told my boyfriend to make sure he brought a fecal sample with him. They didn’t want to do a blood test because she’s so little... she’s got a follow up in a few weeks, if parasites are still present/symptoms haven’t improved, they’ll do a blood test then.
Scottsquatch
Chameleon Enthusiast
Glad to hear shes getting help. Great job getting her to a vet. So many new owners wait until its way too late to make a full recovery. Good luck!
Linds0806
Member
Yep! She was checked for eggs and is in the clear. Vet says she’s about 5-6 months old, and it appears that we cought the parasite problem early on.
They highly recommended feeding Dubia Roaches because their calcium to phosphorus ratio is much better (crickets 13:1 ; dubias 3:1). The dubias we got from the reptile store were freaking huge though! She stopped eating them, I sort of assumed it was because it hurt her mouth. Any tips on finding smaller ones?
Parasites came from something she’s been eating, I’m thinking it was that stupid fly she snatched up from a while ago. Maybe not. Either way we’re not buying anymore crickets from petsmart, work on getting her to eat the Dubia roaches, and replace the laying bin in case she decided to fertilize the soil with her parasitic poop.
Scottsquatch
Chameleon Enthusiast
Your best bet is to start a colony of dubia or Orang head roaches. They breed well, dont smell bad, and are far superior to crickets. That way you will also always have the appropriate size.
Linds0806
Member
In case anyone is interested in specifics (like my nerdy/OCD self), I’m attaching a photo of Pascal’s exam/findings/treatment rendered.
Turns out, it was more than likely the waterfall after all!
You guys are more than welcome to use any bit of this thread to inform other chameleon owners how dangerous the waterfalls are.
My next goal is to figure out how the parasites got into the waterfall in the first place... not sure if they can grow from just bacteria alone.
Turns out, it was more than likely the waterfall after all!
You guys are more than welcome to use any bit of this thread to inform other chameleon owners how dangerous the waterfalls are.
My next goal is to figure out how the parasites got into the waterfall in the first place... not sure if they can grow from just bacteria alone.
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Scottsquatch
Chameleon Enthusiast
Your cham probaby had a small parasite load already, but when poop got into the waterfall, he ingested all the parasite eggs. This would cause his parasite load to climb drastically wich led to the downturn in his health.
Linds0806
Member
Update: She seems better as far as energy goes. However, we’ve been hand feeding her for weeks. She doesn’t seem to be able to “hunt” and doesn’t extend her tongue at all. I was told that reptiles recover very slowly. Just worried, I hope we don’t have to feed her like this forever. Seems so pitiful, and I think she enjoyed hunting her food and catching them with her tongue.
