Right Eye Closed
- Thread starter bufoalvarius
- Start date
leid
New Member
Okay. Well. As a premed student who has worked in doctors clinics before, the best thing to do is go to the vet with a list of questions if you're uncertain about their experience. Ask them how many chams they see? Ask them if vitamin deficiencies could have done this to him. Make sure you mention his shed. I'd REALLY consider getting bloodwork done if your husbandry is adequate. Chams go downhill really quick.
Docility
New Member
i get stressed out when i get a shot lol, and i know what it is. imagine not knowing what it was, and why it was hurting you! sounds pretty scary, but thats why i opted to dot he pill instead suck the liquid out dilute it in water, and hes good to go!
Tara-
I think she was saying for the other person, because vets will push shots to make money =/ , but anyway she said either do that, or give him the 5000iu shot so i figured $2.85 and less stress was well worth it to administer it myself.
Syn
Avid Member
Your chameleon faced a life or death situation where it was either stress or death, I'm just saying this may not be the same situation where the shots will be unnecessary. But you already ruled it out. So no worries.
Oh I know! I hateeee shots.
I have a phobia. Horrid things.
Oh I know! I hateeee shots.
I have a phobia. Horrid things.
leid
New Member
Chameleons get stressed out over almost anything. But its apparent that more chameleons die of illness than stress just by reading threads.
Syn --
Yeah the pet store didn't have any uvb on him. He was ticking time bomb when i got him. I don't think he'll ever be as beautiful or healthy as some of the chams I see on here. It's kinda sad, but I still love him.
Syn --
Yeah the pet store didn't have any uvb on him. He was ticking time bomb when i got him. I don't think he'll ever be as beautiful or healthy as some of the chams I see on here. It's kinda sad, but I still love him.
Docility
New Member
i forced my store to replace the bulbs, and spent the entire day rearranging stuff so it was in the right areas so they would all have the same heat/ humidity/ uvb Reqs. I put it like this. " No we may not see the immediate result of this, and since we move them kinda quickly we may not experience the problems. but be sure once we sell them maybe not 1, but 2 years down the road when peoples pets are dying due to MBD(Rickets) then they will be mad, and come back to you. Unless you want to lose a lot of business you need to do this." he wasnt happy, but we ended up replacing all the bulbs! A small victory for reptiles!
leid
New Member
lol.
Amazingly enough, he didn't have MBD. He was FIVE MONTHS OLD and enclosed in a tiny, shallow glass tank level with the FLOOR with another one of his brothers, who had his eyes closed. I did research immediately after I bought him, but if I had known the conditions they were living in I probably wouldn't have bought Fred. However, my ignorance at the time saved his life probably, so.. I dunno.
Amazingly enough, he didn't have MBD. He was FIVE MONTHS OLD and enclosed in a tiny, shallow glass tank level with the FLOOR with another one of his brothers, who had his eyes closed. I did research immediately after I bought him, but if I had known the conditions they were living in I probably wouldn't have bought Fred. However, my ignorance at the time saved his life probably, so.. I dunno.
Lyneeso
New Member
Well. There would be why the right eye is closed, and that would be the reason why he opened them in the sun.
Natural light is almost 100% filtered through glass, hun. It is MANDATORY that you get a UVB light, and not just any. Get the zoomed 5.0 LINEAR tube. Not the compact.
Goodluck!
how does that add up? i'm not quite following your reply...
oh, and what is wrong with the compact 5.0?
Chameleon Company
Avid Member
Could be several things, but it does sound like classic vitamin A deficiency. 5000 i.u.'s is a lot, btw. I've posted this before, so for what it is worth:
Possible Vitamin A Deficiency in Chameleons, Symptoms and Solutions
By The Chameleon Company, LLC
Vitamin A deficiency is a common malady in LTC chameleons, either with WC or CB origins. This stems from the chameleons inability to synthesize real Vitamin A from common precursors, such as beta-carotene. This can be confusing when evaluating supplementations, as many dry supplements list Vitamin A benefits, but only as the precursor, beta-carotene, and not as “pre-formed”, “pro-formed”, or in essence, real Vitamin A.
While lack of Vitamin A effects many aspects of chameleon health, the usual first observed symptom is the appearance of an unexplained eye irritation, manifested in difficulties in keeping first one eye open, and after a few days, both eyes are affected. The eyes will not appear sunken, or in any other way mis-shaped initially, although secondary problems, such as an infection, can follow. The initial observationis that it is causing irritation to the chameleon, and that it can't keep the eye open as normal. It occurs more often in larger animals, but sometimes occurs in larger juveniles. Successfully hatched chameleons seem to be born with a supply of Vitamin A, an essential ingredient for successful embryonic development, and fresh WC’s seem to be imported with a supply. Mother Nature seems able to provide this vitamin without problem. Without some real vitamin A in their diet, these stores will deplete. It is a difficult vitamin for the hobbyist to gut-load via crickets and insects though, and such attempts are usually ineffective.
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, as is Vitamin E. It is most commonly sold in gel caps, with each gel cap containing approximately three drops of an oil solvent. It is available on-line from many suppliers, or is sold in most vitamin and health stores. The most common, and consensus most effective, form of vitamin A is a compound known as retinal palmitate. It is a common human food supplement as well. Depending on manufacturer, gel caps may contain 2000-15,000 iu’s (intravenous units) per gel cap. Read the label to insure you are buying a product with retinal palmitate as the Vitamin A. The solvent may be fish oil, which outside of its odor, is OK.
Vitamin A is toxic in large quantities. As you are dealing with an oil, a strong word of caution as well. Chameleons have an extreme dislike for almost any measurable quantity of oil introduced into their mouth. While inexact, usually a negative reaction starts to become likely to occur if a quantity of oil ½ drop or greater is introduced into an adult chameleon’s mouth, and is virtually guaranteed with 2 or more drops. This can induce vomiting and inhalation of the oil, possibly death. Fortunately, the amount of oil (and vitamin A) needed to effectively dose a chameleon is usually less than 1/20th of a drop. Again, an inexact science, but depending upon the concentration of the Vitamin A in the oil, your goal is to deliver a dose that contains approximately 100 iu’s per 50g of chameleon. An exceedingly rough estimate would be 1/20th of a drop of the oil in an average adult female panther chameleon. There is a reasonable margin for error. This can administered by puncturing one or more gel caps, and wetting a Q-tip with the oil, so that is is wet, but not dripping. You can then grab the chameleon behind the head, and when it says “Ahhhh”, touch the Q-tip to its inner gum, etc. It will likely chomp down, then let go of the Q-tip once released itself. Or, if you are able to hand-feed, swab the back of a cricket or such with a smear of the oil, and then coax your chameleon into eating it.
As a rule, we recommend this treatment to all adult chameleons once every two weeks. If an animal is showing symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency, such as eye closing with no other apparent malady, we recommend the dose daily for five days, then once every two weeks. In such cases where Vitamin A deficiency is the problem, the eyes usually improve on the third or fourth day. Good luck.
Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC
Possible Vitamin A Deficiency in Chameleons, Symptoms and Solutions
By The Chameleon Company, LLC
Vitamin A deficiency is a common malady in LTC chameleons, either with WC or CB origins. This stems from the chameleons inability to synthesize real Vitamin A from common precursors, such as beta-carotene. This can be confusing when evaluating supplementations, as many dry supplements list Vitamin A benefits, but only as the precursor, beta-carotene, and not as “pre-formed”, “pro-formed”, or in essence, real Vitamin A.
While lack of Vitamin A effects many aspects of chameleon health, the usual first observed symptom is the appearance of an unexplained eye irritation, manifested in difficulties in keeping first one eye open, and after a few days, both eyes are affected. The eyes will not appear sunken, or in any other way mis-shaped initially, although secondary problems, such as an infection, can follow. The initial observationis that it is causing irritation to the chameleon, and that it can't keep the eye open as normal. It occurs more often in larger animals, but sometimes occurs in larger juveniles. Successfully hatched chameleons seem to be born with a supply of Vitamin A, an essential ingredient for successful embryonic development, and fresh WC’s seem to be imported with a supply. Mother Nature seems able to provide this vitamin without problem. Without some real vitamin A in their diet, these stores will deplete. It is a difficult vitamin for the hobbyist to gut-load via crickets and insects though, and such attempts are usually ineffective.
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, as is Vitamin E. It is most commonly sold in gel caps, with each gel cap containing approximately three drops of an oil solvent. It is available on-line from many suppliers, or is sold in most vitamin and health stores. The most common, and consensus most effective, form of vitamin A is a compound known as retinal palmitate. It is a common human food supplement as well. Depending on manufacturer, gel caps may contain 2000-15,000 iu’s (intravenous units) per gel cap. Read the label to insure you are buying a product with retinal palmitate as the Vitamin A. The solvent may be fish oil, which outside of its odor, is OK.
Vitamin A is toxic in large quantities. As you are dealing with an oil, a strong word of caution as well. Chameleons have an extreme dislike for almost any measurable quantity of oil introduced into their mouth. While inexact, usually a negative reaction starts to become likely to occur if a quantity of oil ½ drop or greater is introduced into an adult chameleon’s mouth, and is virtually guaranteed with 2 or more drops. This can induce vomiting and inhalation of the oil, possibly death. Fortunately, the amount of oil (and vitamin A) needed to effectively dose a chameleon is usually less than 1/20th of a drop. Again, an inexact science, but depending upon the concentration of the Vitamin A in the oil, your goal is to deliver a dose that contains approximately 100 iu’s per 50g of chameleon. An exceedingly rough estimate would be 1/20th of a drop of the oil in an average adult female panther chameleon. There is a reasonable margin for error. This can administered by puncturing one or more gel caps, and wetting a Q-tip with the oil, so that is is wet, but not dripping. You can then grab the chameleon behind the head, and when it says “Ahhhh”, touch the Q-tip to its inner gum, etc. It will likely chomp down, then let go of the Q-tip once released itself. Or, if you are able to hand-feed, swab the back of a cricket or such with a smear of the oil, and then coax your chameleon into eating it.
As a rule, we recommend this treatment to all adult chameleons once every two weeks. If an animal is showing symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency, such as eye closing with no other apparent malady, we recommend the dose daily for five days, then once every two weeks. In such cases where Vitamin A deficiency is the problem, the eyes usually improve on the third or fourth day. Good luck.
Jim Flaherty
The Chameleon Company, LLC
chamelisa
New Member
Don't give up on him like that.
I have seen some pretty horrible looking chameleons recover and gain their beautiful colors. It takes time, patience and the right settings.Good luck with yours.
chamelisa
New Member
Lyneeso, please do a search on the compact lights. You'll find all kinds of information. Here's is a helpful UV website.
