Shes not opening her eyes

[Bruce420]

We have a female chameleon shes a couple monthes old. we got her from a pet store she was doing fine and recently she started not opening her eyes.
we give her the calcium powder and load the crickets.
mist her a few times a day and she has a waterfall tht we keep clean.
she geta 75 watt uva bulb brand all living things- called a neodymium basking bulb
she gets a red heat bulb
we keep her temp in the warm side of the cage in the 80s and abt 75ish on the other side
we take her outside and she climbs on the tree but doesnt really open them she sometimesd scratches her head on the branch
we were looking for some advice on what to do

 

[richpass6]

more heat! i know she is young but try to hit low 90's in her basking spot. you may also want to fill out the help sheet...it will help us, help you

 

[ataraxia]

Hi there, we will need more information about your care to be able to find where the problem is and help you fix this from happening again. Please fill this out. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Im going to start this with what i would do immediately if your chameleon was mine. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ataraxia/594-shower-chamber-treatment.html She is small so watch the amount of water that is being misted onto her.

 

[kinyonga]

She looks very ill....I would get her to a vet asap.

Does she have a UVB light?
How often do you give her the calcium? What brand is it? Is it one with or without D3?
What do you gutload the crickets with?
Where do you live?

 

[carol5208]

you need a uvb bulb and get rid of the red bulb. she cannot survive without uvb. how long are you taking her outside for? please fill ou the form so we can help you better. unfortunately most pet stores do not know how to care for chameleons and give the customers the wrong information

 

[Bruce420]

Help form

chameleon info- veiled chameleon, female, abt 3 or 4 monthes, and weve had her for a lil over a month
Handling - if its warm enough we try to take her outside daily
Feeding - We are feeding it cricket we dust with calcium powder abt 2 times a week. we feed the cricket cricket food tht has calcium in it and collard greens.we givr her 18 small crickets every couples days
Supplements -reptocal calcium and vitamin d
Watering -we have a waterfall in her cage going at all times and we have a spray bottle with dechlorinated water and spray the whole cage 3 or 4 times a day. she normally drinks off the cage when we spray it
Fecal Description -poop in normally yellow white with black a little mushy. as far as we know she never been tested we got her from a pet store
History -the only problem shes had is when we got her she was having problems targeting food.

Cage Info:
Cage Type -the cage is glass with a screen top when she gets bigger we r going to get an all screen case. its a 20 gal 12 x 14x 24
Lighting - a 75 watt uva basking bulb all living things brand and a red heat bulb no sure on brand. she gets the red bulb in the morning for a couple hours then the basking bulb til night time and then the red bulb for part of the night.
Temperature - we have temp gage warm part of the cage is in the 80s
Humidity - humidity gage. abt 80% we mist it to keep the humidty up
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - its on a night stand vents not over or under it. it abt 3 or 4 feet off the floor
Location - in wichita falls texas

Current Problem - shes not opening her eyes

 

[Bruce420]

i filled out the form in a reply on this

 

[Bruce420]

we take her outside fro abt 30 mins at least

 

[lost my mind]

Looks Dehydrated to me. Sometimes it doesnt matter how much you mist them, it all depends on How and Where you make the water available to them. Mine have all learned to drink from the droplets i leave hanging from screen ceiling.

 

[mcleodschams]

i can see a few things u need to fix imo the water fall needs to go and the mistings keep regular install a dripper nevr spray your baby directly also the targeting problem will probably be a vitamin a defeciancy your calcium without d3 should be everyday your calcium with d3 should be twice a month and you should also have a multivitamin i use repcal herpivite with beta carotine also twice a month and a 5.0 uvb is a must aswell tubes are prefered but compacts are ok especially if you take her outside the red bulbs are nogood for chams imo

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi! I'm sorry your little baby is having problems.

I think you should ditch the red bulb. If you need heat at night (unlikely) there are ways that don't involve light. Posters here have done studies and shown that light at night retards growth. We can assume that's because it's not good.

The bulb you have does not appear to be emit UVB.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752666

UVA incandescent reptile lighting
Provides radiant heat reptiles need
Available in a variety of wattages
Made exclusively for PetSmart

Chameleons need UVB to live.

My suggestion would be to get an 18 inch Reptisun 5.0. You can sometimes get these at Petsmart. Call ahead. If not, then you need to look for a reptile specialty store. You can order online, but there is some urgency here. Buying locally would be faster and so better.

You would then need a heat bulb. Most of us just use a regular household incandescent bulb like you can buy at the grocery store. You could use the bulb you have.

You already have the idea of a "warm and cool" side, which is great. That also helps keep the air flowing. I think you need to maximize that. Put the heat lamp as far to one side as you can. In an ideal world, you would have 15 degrees difference from one side to the other.

As has been noted, the waterfall is going to be more trouble than it's worth. Though, if what you have is a "bubbler" not a waterfall, it might be okay.

You just don't want that pool of water that is classically at the bottom of a waterfall. Chameleons can't seem to keep from pooping in it and that means you have to clean it daily at a minimum....that will get old about 2pm tomorrow.

 

[Mueller23]

So, there seems to be some kind of underlying problem. I agree with everyone else, and think you need to increase your heat and get UVB bulb, even though you go outside.

I also think that you could have a vitamin problem. You need Calcium EVERYDAY, D3 about twice a month, as well as Vitamin A like twice a month. I would just buy some "Repashy Calcium Plus." It is like $10.00 on amazon and totally worth it! It helped my chameleon and his eye problem very quickly. Also, I would recommend misting more often (like 4-6 times a day) with luke warm water. Put it in the microwave. (You should also be using Distilled Water).

When my chameleon was shutting his eye, I also cleaned his tank. If you have a substrate on bottom, take it out for a while and see how your chameleon takes it. It may not look too nice, but it helped clear up my chameleons eye problem very quickly! tiny tiny peices of substrate may go up inthe air while you mist and get in thier eyes.

I would also recommend a shower (10-20 minutes with lukewarm water-let the mist hit the chameleon, not the water directly) and/or some generic reptile eye drops.

Between the eye drops and the extra misting with no substrate, my eye problem got cleared up in about three or four days.

Also, eye problems are sometimes and quite often a preluding sign to a bigger problem. So, just focusing on the eye may not be your problem. If your chameleon is rubbing his eye, it is probably strictly an eye problem

 

[Bruce420]

we r going to get the right light today and we tried the shower last night. it has wood chips in its cage

 

[carol5208]

we r going to get the right light today and we tried the shower last night. it has wood chips in its cage

you need to remove the wood chips. Leave the cage floor bare. They can eat the wood intentionally or accidentally and become impacted and die.

 

[Rahafsalsharif]

Not opening her eyes either

mine too but mine is 12 weeks old and she is not opening her eyes either so if your opened her eyes please tell me what to do

 

[JaxyGirl]

mine too but mine is 12 weeks old and she is not opening her eyes either so if your opened her eyes please tell me what to do

Hi welcome to the forums.
I'm sorry your chams is having trouble. You should start a new thread in the Health section so that more people can help you.
Also you should fill out this form so that we can get a little more information about your Cham

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


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