Please Help Me

[donatella]

Help Please

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Juvenile Veiled (guestimating 5-6 months), Female
Handling - 15 minutes or so every few days.
Feeding - Gut loaded crickets (given various fruits), about 5 per day, and a couple of mealworms every few days.
Supplements - Supplementing calcium a couple of times a week and vitamins every 2 weeks.
Watering - misting several times a day and also using a fogger.
Fecal Description - Brown poop and white urate.
History - Nothing major.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 24x24x48 screen
Lighting - UVA and UVB lights from ExoTerra, lights set on timer for day and night.
Temperature - Basking is about 85, mid/lower in 70's.
Humidity - Humidity at least 50-60% at LOWEST, trying to keep it around 70%.
Plants - Live Shefflera plant.
Placement - Cage is in living room, not directly by air vents or fans.
Location - Houston TX

Current Problem - Donatella started bulging one of her eyes and rubbing at it this evening, and closing her eye(s) even when she is in light. I've given her a long misting (I tried the shower but she wouldn't have it--she hates the bathroom!), and she is currently sitting underneath her fogger, which is on full blast. She is continuing to bulge the eye; it's gone back and forth from looking normal to looking swollen. She has been rubbing it against her bend a branch, and closing her eyes and swirling it.

I'm really worried about her, somebody please help me know what to do... When I held her she rubbed it against my hand and it broke my heart to see her so uncomfortable... When is it something she will heal from on her own, and when should I take her to a vet? Please help, I am scared for her.

 

[DrRhymes]

Is today the first time you have seen her doing this? It is most probable that she has something in her eye. Could you fill out the https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[donatella]

I noticed her closing one eye occasionally a day or two ago, but no bulging. I edited the original post to include the general info you asked for.

 

[Vicky]

I sorry to hear your little one doesnt feel well...Do you know if she is gonna a shed?Mine will rub his eyes when he is getting a shed...if not...try to get her some eye drop to clean the eyes and if she is keeping do that a vet visit is necessary..hope she is feeling better...

 

[donatella]

She just shed last week, so I don't think it's that.

What eye wash/drops should I try? And what is the best way to administer them?

 

[camimom]

First your basking temp is too high.

Is the eye oozing? Crusty?

She could have something in it.

Try the shower method. You can also get some plain saline solution and put a few drops in the affected eye.

 

[donatella]

camimom, my husband corrected me. Basking is actually about 85. Her eye is not crusty or oozing, just swollen.

Do I need a special saline solution, or just something from the drug store?

 

[DrRhymes]

Just generally your basking seems a little to hot. As for her eye I can only think of a few things that are causing it: Vitamin A deficiency, Something in the eye such a shed or dirt, or the humidity is incorrect but the humidity sounds good to me.

 

[donatella]

Thank you DrRhymes, my husband corrected me and her basking temp is actually around 85 degrees. She had spent a lot of time up there though, so I wonder if she dried out her eyes and irritated them. I will update in the morning.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Basking is still to high even at 85, when I had my female Veiled I had hers around 80 or so. To high will speed up the process if she is eating enough to produce her infertile clutch earlier. She may have been rubbing her eye to much on something and that could have caused it to swell.

 

[Vicky]

camimom, my husband corrected me. Basking is actually about 85. Her eye is not crusty or oozing, just swollen.

Do I need a special saline solution, or just something from the drug store?

You can get the saline solution from regular store like CVS...it is just a regular eye drop solution...

 

[donatella]

Update

Donatella's eye was still a bit swollen this morning, though not quite as bad as last night. I washed it out with saline solution. She wasn't at all happy with me about that, and voiced her opinion, but I'm proud that she didn't even try to take a snap at me (she never has, by the way). After washing her eye I left her undisturbed for the rest of the day, and just gone back to look at her.

Her eye looks back to normal, though she does seem to be doing the swirling/cleaning movement more often than normal. But no bulging or rubbing! It makes me so happy and relieved that she is feeling better.

Thank you to all who helped me help her.

 

[ReptileLove18]

she may have a piece of shed suck in her eye from her last shed. washing it out with saline solution and frequent misting should help if thats what it is! the bulging and swirling is their way of cleaning out their eyes. keep us updated on how she is doing!!