Swollen eye on Jackson's Chameleon

[vgaines]

I just adopted my little girl today from someone who was not taking proper care of her. I am not sure of her age. Her left eye is swollen on the top and she has what appears to be a sore on the right half of her front right foot. I can not take her to a vet until Wednesday afternoon. I was just wanting some ideas what is causing this and what I can do until the vet visit.

 

[ataraxia]

Hi, Do you have any pictures of the sore and eye?

 

[vgaines]

I will take pictures and attempt to post them now.. Thanks

PS Her enclosure is full mesh 38x18x18 It came with A large branch that reaches from bottom to the top and lots of vine. The bottom is covered with repti-bark and moss which I will change out if need be. I will have to ask about bulb type.

 

[ShadowFire]

That seems very similar to problems I'm having with my adopted Jackson's female, although I hate to say the eye on yours looks a bit worse . Mine also has an infected eye, but the swelling on her's was entirely on the top. It looks like yours might be around the eye or behind it. The best thing you can do is get her to a reptile vet asap. My understanding is that sometimes (maybe all of the time I'm not sure) reptile infections effect their whole system, thus spreading to otherwise healthy areas. So what may have started out as a foot infection could have spread to the eye, or vise versa.
After I adopted mine I took her to the vet, who prescribed Baytril. After some time it liquefied the puss, which was then drained. She has been more or less fine, given how sorry she looks with a big swollen eye, foot, and leg. How is yours behaving? Still eating and drinking? Mine attempts to hunt every now and then, but her aim is off so I feed her bug juice via syringe (water too if she decides not to drink much). Lately she gets mad when I try to handle her and gapes her mouth, so I'll give her live food that way, it sure beats forcing her mouth open. Obviously food and water are important even for healthy animals, but now especially you want to make sure she gets nutrients and water even if you have to force it.
Sorry to ramble on and on, I just wanted to relate my story as it seems our poor chams have alot in common. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope your cham pulls through.

 

[ataraxia]

The eye is infected. A vet will be your only option for curing this issue.

The foot. Till you see the vet on wed. I would soak the foot in providone iodine. You can mix this with bottled water to make a mild tea looking solution. I would personally soak the foot for 5-15 minutes a couple times daily. Be sure the animals plant and branches are clean. If there is any visible infection i would also clean it off.

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!
God bless you for taking on the care of this poor Jackon's .
In addition to the good advice that Ataraxia has given you....
Just as salt water rinses help your mouth after dental work, rinsing her eye with a special saline solution may at least keep the infection from getting any worse before the vet visit.

Bausch & Lomb Sensitive Eyes, which is a saline contact lens rinse is one.
There are some more details in the 2nd post of this:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/saline-solution-35457/

You'll want to be sure that the vet is very knowledgeable about reptiles.
Oftentimes a vet visit to a regular vet is a waste of money---not always but often enough.
In case you don't know of any, here is one thread with links to TX vets, including some in Houston:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eye-difficulty-20521/

This caresheet should also help you to be sure that everything is set up the way she needs it to be:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

 

[vgaines]

Jacksons Chameleon with swollen eye....

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will be taking Raine (named her last night) to the vet Wednesday afternoon. I gave her a good soak last night and took a closer look at her swollen foot. It had a cut on it that I'm sure is infected. Her eye is still very swollen but it doesn't seem to affect her sight. Her eyes are always open unless she is asleep. I am feeding her jump start once a day hoping it will help her regain her strenght. Will extra heat help her feel better? I know silly question but I want her to be as comfortable as possible.

Thanks againg everyone,
Virginia

 

[ShadowFire]

If I'm not mistaken I believe that sometimes a temp increase is beneficial for sick reptiles, but with Jackson's being a montane species I'm not sure. They like cooler temps than say a Panther or Veiled, and although I've only had mine a little over a month, I only really see her basking when the lights first come on in the morning as a "pick me up". If anything I would say increase your ambient air temp / basking spot to around the mid or max range recommended for Jackson's and no higher(just my two cents, more experienced keepers may say differently). For example, my sick female has been lethargic today, and if I move her basking light (50W, several inches above) over her she will move to another spot after a minute or so. It doesn't put out a lot of heat but she still feels more comfortable being elsewhere, so I just let her be.
Aside from the antibiotics that the vet will probably prescribe, one of the biggest things is to make sure of is that your cham stays hydrated and fed, even if you have to assist in the process. I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow.

 

[vgaines]

sad

Well, we are very sad this afternoon. Came home from work this afternoon and found Raine had passed away. My six year old son is very upset and so is his mommy..

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I am sure we will be looking for another Jacksons to make part of our family real soon.

Virginia

 

[deadhd5]

Well, we are very sad this afternoon. Came home from work this afternoon and found Raine had passed away. My six year old son is very upset and so is his mommy..

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I am sure we will be looking for another Jacksons to make part of our family real soon.

Virginia

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Something about these little guys just gets under your skin, and losing them is very hard. Kudos to you for doing everything in your power to get her the best care possible; she was lucky to know your love at the end.

Shame on the person who let her get to that state.

When the time is right, and you get another chameleon, we look forward to supporting you!

 

[ShadowFire]

Sorry to hear about your chameleon passing. Unfortunately sometimes all that can be done with an animal acquired in such a state is to make it more comfortable until it passes. She was lucky to end up with someone who tried to get her healthy again.

 

[vgaines]

New Baby

Well, my son and I could not wait to get another baby. This time I went to a local pet shop and got a health Veiled Chameleon. After I picked out the most chilled one in the bunch the girl working there told me that it was a high yellow. I don't really care about color, I just want a healthy one. He seems a little lost in his new home so I was wondering if I should move him to a smaller one. I am worried about moving him because I only have a glass habitat and I know all screen is best. I did watch him actively hunt and catch a small cricket tonight so I am sure he will be able to eat in his current home.

A local vet has a great wellness program for lizards and I will be taking this guy once a year for check ups.

Thanks again for all of y'alls help.. (I'm a Texas girl so I say 'Yall a lot). I look forward to learning from everyone.

Virginia

 

[Lovereps]

I can't blame you for not wanting to wait.
That was my solution to the heartbreak of a beloved cham passing.
If you can get your new cham to cup feed, then the screen enclosure will be fine.
Here's some info on feeder cups:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/mordecais-feeding-cup-103028/

Here are 2 caresheets that provide plenty of info on Veiled cham care:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

This one is 2 pages long and quite detailed:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html

 

[vgaines]

Thanks Lovereps for the suggestion of Cup Feeding. I tried it this afternoon and Raine took to it right away. I just started out using on empty meal worm container and stuck it in the vines below where he was sitting. He went right over to it and caught himself a cricket. Also, thanks for the links to the caresheets. They are great and answered a lot of the questions I had.

Virginia

 

[Lovereps]

You're very welcome.
I'm glad to have been able to help.