Please help :( Pedro is sick!

[mikey32235]

Hi there, my cham pedro seems to be ill
Im really scared and don't know what to do, his left eye seems to be infected somehow it kind of looks a little grey in there he can't fully close it, his right seems to be okay but he keeps it closed. rarely I've seen both open for a few seconds then he closes it. i try to wave my hand in front of him when its open and he doesn't react I'm scared he's going blind…

I have read that the coil bulbs can cause eye damage so i have shut it off and I'm going to see what happens in the next couple of days until i obtane a strip light.

here are the pictures of his eyes, does anyone know what i should do? i bathed him with warm water for about 10 minutes, he drank a lot then threw it up after ( i read its common if they drink too much too fast), and i also had to feed him crickets because he cannot see so he is not eating them.. what do i do i would like to try to heal him myself before going to a vet..

 

[zsazsa85]

Unfortunately I can't help! I am very sorry for the little guy. Are you sure his eye is infected and not Respiratory Infection for example? Does he have any other symptoms?
My veiled little boy had that and he kept his eyes or one eye half closed just like yours.
Do you have a good vet?

 

[symphonica]

You really should just take him to the vet. With chams, the sooner problems are diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis. Time is of the essence, and with some illnesses, by the time symptoms present themselves, it may be too late.

Has he ever had a fecal exam done to test for parasites?

He also looks a bit dehydrated. Is your husbandry on point?

If it's an injury causing the eye issue, you can dab a bit of Neosporin onto it.

You have to be careful about them drinking too fast or you hand-giving him water. They can very easily aspirate, which can cause severe respiratory infections.

Do you filter your water before you use it?

 

[Lathis]

He looks like he could be dehydrated. Rather than giving him a bath, can you give him a nice long spray with warm water? That will allow him to drink without downing too much at once and give him a chance to clean out his eye. He could have a bit of dead skin or other debris shut in there. It doesn't look swollen.

You can try the "shower method" if it doesn't upset him too much. Place a branch or fake plant in the shower, turn the water on warm (not hot) and aim the shower head at the wall so that that water bounces off the wall and hits the plant. Let Pedro sit in the shower for at least 20 minutes. Always supervise, do not leave him alone! If he gets a little upset at first but then settles down, that is okay.

One question for you: Do you have a red light? Do you leave it on at night? You don't need a red light at all. A regular house bulb for basking and a UVB bulb are all you need. No lights at night. Heat isn't needed unless it drops into the low 50s. Chameleons can see all colors of light - even with their eyes closed because of their light-sensitive third eye (parietal gland). Lights at night can disrupt their sleep patterns.

 

[symphonica]

And coiled bulbs themselves won't cause eye problems. What's the UVB output? There's no scientific evidence for modern coiled bulbs to cause blindness. These are just all suspicions and hear-say. The 10.0 bulbs when they first came out supposedly were poorly designed and caused blindness, but the odds of the coiled bulb having caused this is very slim.

 

[mikey32235]

i just started putting a red light a few days ago, i don't think that is the issue, he can't close his eye which worries me, ill try the shower method for 20 minutes tonight after work and see what happens. no there aren't any vets close by the only one that does reptiles is 3 hours away. ill try and let you guys know what happens. I've had him for over a year and I've always used the coil bulb, are you sure i can use it? its not causing harm to him?

 

[Psychobunny]

Can he not close his eye at all?

From your pic, it doesnt look infected, but cant be sure.
I think he is dehydrated as well.

Examine the eye carefully, use a magnifying glass if need be.
Look for any tiny pieces of skin or dirt under the eyelid.
A wet Q-tip cotten swab may help in your examination.

If the warm (not hot!) misting doesnt help, get a small ball of sterile cotten,
soak it in warm water, and gently press it againts the eye for a few minutes.

If none of that works, you need to take him to a vet without delay.

 

[mikey32235]

hmm ill try the cotton ball thing when I'm home, before i left i actually did shower him for 20 minutes and his eye seems to be closed now, so I'm not sure if i helped him or not, but i will hopefully check up on him during lunch, or after 5 when i get home from work. i think he looks better, but under the shower he didn't drink much at all. but he did seem to enjoy the water on him! heres the picture, what do you all think? i don't think whatever was in his eye is there anymore.

 

[mikey32235]

anyone have an idea?

 

[Lathis]

He does look dehydrated, so even if he did clear his eye, keep giving him extra showers for a bit. See if he is responding better to feeders now.

 

[symphonica]

From the photo you just posted, he looks very dehydrated. Keep up with the mistings and maintaining humidity. What is your typical humidity at?

We could help you out better if you fill out this form:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

In terms of a red night light, get rid of it. In order for them to fall into a deep sleep pattern, they need complete darkness. They don't need a heat lamp unless the temp drops below 50, which I doubt if he's in the house. They actually need a temp drop of about 10 degrees at night time.

 

[mikey32235]

gr thats so frustrating about the red light i just bought it!

I have 2 mist nozzles that go off every 12 hours for about 15 seconds,

The options are Frequency (1,3,6,12 hours) and seconds (15,30,45,1m)

the humidity i need to check i don't remember exactly also the temp. why would the expert at the store tell me that he needs a red light at night?

 

[mikey32235]

Your Chameleon - Veiled cham, about a year old i would say.
Handling - only when i need to clean the cage, maybe once every 3-4 weeks
Feeding - I have a big cage so i put a bunch of crickets in there, lots of meal worms are in the soil (jungle mix) and the crickets are fed this green jelly that has all these vitamins and stuff in it i can't remember the name. They have been living a long longer ever since I've used those. when i put fruit in the cricket cage they die after a few days from too much humidity.
Supplements - I have this white powder calcium that i put in the jelly for the crickets
Watering - I have a mister with two nozzles that are currently set to go off every 12 hours for 15 seconds
Fecal Description - some droppings are brown and some are white. no
History - No i got him after a few weeks born april last year.
Cage Info: 18/24/48
Cage Type - Glass with screen top
Lighting - I have a heat bulb, the coil bulb, and a red bulb for night time
Temperature - I can't remember i think the heat bulb is a 60w?
Humidity - Humidity i think if i remember correctly was at 70? and the temp is 50? i will double check when I'm home.
Plants - yes i have a live plant, not sure what it is but i know its good for chams.
Placement - In my room on my stand, I'm the only one in my room and when I'm in there I'm usually sitting at my desk or sleeping.
Location - Toronto, Ontario

Current Problem - His eyes are shut

 

[mikey32235]

ok, i checked temperature its at 70, and humidity is at about 27…. i think thats a problem.. right?

both eyes seem to be better i showered him again, but when he finds a spot he's comfortable with he just sits there and closes his eyes. he saw a cricket but did nothing

any suggestions?

 

[symphonica]

Sorry, but I see a lot of problems with your care.

1. 15 seconds of misting every 12 hours is definitely not enough. This would explain why your cham seems so dehydrated. Most people do a minimum of 5 mins two to three times a day. Get a hydrometer to get accurate readings of your hydrometer. Also, you turn off the mister an hour before the lights go off, right? The tank should be completely dry before lights off and he goes to sleep, and mistings while he's sleeping will disturb his sleep cycle, so definitely a big no no. Humidity should be 60-70% at it's highest, and then let it drop down to 30-40% before misting again.

2. Get the soil out of his cage ASAP!!! Especially if he's eating mealworms out of it!!! Chams will very easily ingest any substrate by accidentally sticking their tongue to it when they go after their feeders, and these substrates with cause imp actions and other GI problems. GET RID OF THE SUBSTRATE!!! Chams should have a bare bottom enclosure.

3. If you're a beginner, a screened enclosure is highly recommended. Glass can tend to get too humid, foster bacteria, and not have enough air flow. These can contribute to respiratory infections, which may need antibiotics to clear up.

4. Like stated before, no red night bulb. Pitch black at night, with a ten degree temp drop.

5. Coiled Bulb doesn't tell me much. What is the UVB output of it? It should be 2.0, 5.0, or 10.0. Coiled bulbs aren't recommended. You should get a ReptiSun (not ReptiGlo) T8 tube bulb, 5.0 UVB.

6. You really need to know humidity and temperature. I'm not actually sure how you can take care of them properly without knowing. Get a good thermometer & hydrometer. Digital is better than dial/needle, and temp gun is even better.

7. Temp should be about 85-87 degrees in basking spot, about 2" below heat lamp. The rest of the tank should be 75-80. There needs to be that gradient of about ten degrees throughout different parts of the enclosure.

8. Those green jellies for crickets do absolutely nothing for your chams. They merely keep your crickets alive. You need to gutload your feeders properly with fruits and veggies. Without proper gutloading, they're not getting any nutrients. You might as well starve them.

9. You don't feed the crickets the calcium, you dust the crickets themselves with it. And make sure that the powder is PLAIN CALCIUM WITH NO D3 or PHOSPHATES. They should get this plain calcium every day (by dusting their feeders with it). They should only get D3 twice a month. Any more will cause more bad than good. Too much D3 will cause a ton of health problems that mirror MBD. Also, don't throw in more crickets than your cham will eat. Crickets will gnaw on chams while they're sleeping.

 

[zsazsa85]

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understood correctly: so you mist 2 times a day? If yes,that's not enogh. Especially that you said humidity is around 30...
Please correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[symphonica]

Also, have you ever had a vet do a fecal exam on him to test for parasites? Should be done at least once a year.

And don't believe most pet stores. Remember, they have the motive of making money so they will try to sell you junk you don't need. For example, the red heat lamp is money you wasted. So are the green jellies for the crickets. Also, if they told you to buy a glass enclosure, that's more money. A screen enclosure is much cheaper. A 48x24x24 screen is about $100.

Really, no offense, but if this is the care that the pet store told you to give this cham, I'm surprised he's been living this long without any problems...

Whatever's going on with him, I'd take him to the vet at this point. A full year of insufficient care and he's just now showing symptoms, things may be far worse inside. Sometimes, by the time a cham starts showing symptoms, it may be too far gone. The vet may need to give him IV fluids or nutrients. You're going to have to make drastic changes to his care if you want him to fully recover.

 

[symphonica]

Proper gutloading: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html


And I highly recommend you review their proper care: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/

 

[MelissaB]

Mikey, in that picture you posted, is that a pink colored bump on the bridge of his nose? I don't have a veiled, but sometimes chameleons will get a bump like that if they have a sinus infection, which could also make him keep his eyes closed. A vet can fix it, by cleaning out the abscess and prescribing some antibiotics to clear out the infection. The sooner you get the little guy to the vet, the better.

 

[Carlton]

why would the expert at the store tell me that he needs a red light at night?

Because the typical pet store employee knows NOTHING about chameleon care! Most of them assume they need the same setup as a terrestrial desert lizard. Completely wrong, and that's the main reason new keepers end up finding this forum. Heat at night not only keeps him awake, but adds to the dry cage problem as well.