Tried everything

[shammie]

hi
i have a veiled chameleon about 8 months old. for the last two days he has openned his eyes very rarely and because of this he is not eating. i gave him a shower yesterday so i don't believe he is dehydrated. he is in a 2' wide 2' deep 41/2' tall screen enclosure with a large ficus tree and many vines. i have a zoo med 10.0 and a exoterra 5.0 uvb 24" florecent and a 60 watt juingle heat lamp. other than not openning his eyes he seems very healthy. do anybody have any advice. anything at all would be a help. i'm at my wits end.

 

[beardeds7587]

im having the same exact problem and tried everything........

 

[gary1621]

Hi Shammie

There is a how to ask for help form, that would be very useful for people to help you If you have some pics of ur cham and his enclosure uploaded that would be great too, but not to worry if not.

First off, are his bulbs the compact bulbs or the linear tubes?

If you are at your 'wits end' and have a good rep vet near by it will not hurt making him and appointment and having him checked over.

You said you gave him a shower, did this perk him up at all? What are his urates like?

How is his grip?

 

[Lancecham]

How long have you had the UV bulbs. He doesn't really need two UV bulbs. Several people on the Forums have experienced eye problems with their chams with a 10.0 bulb. Your best bet is a Reptisun 5.0 bulb.
If you fill out how to ask for help, we can assist further, as their may be other causes as well.
Are the UV bulbs compact or linear?

 

[shammie]

hey
his grip is fine but he can't see where he is going so that makes me a little concered. the shower perked him up a little got him moving faster. the lights are tube, and i have a vet appointment for tomorrow morning.
hope you can help me

 

[shammie]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, i've ahd about 4 months, he is about 8 months old
Handling - he is handled about once every 10 to 12 days
Feeding - he eats crickets loaded with zoomed gut load and fresh carrots, meal worms fed worm food, superworms fed carrots and bran. he has a bowl at the bottom of the ficus tree where he eats 1 super 1 to 4 meal worms and 1 to 2 crickets daily.
Supplements - one day exoterra calcium + d3 next day nothing next day rep-cal herptivite then repeat
Watering - mist twice a day for a few minutes with a bottle and also have a dripper. i do see him drink from the dripper occassionally
Fecal Description - ususally white and black with very little yellow. he has been tested for parasites and he was being medicated about a month ago


Cage Info:
Cage Type - self built screen cage 2' deep 2' wide 41/2' tall
Lighting - zoo med 10.0 and exoterra 5.0 uvb they are 24 inch tubes with no plastic filter. the lights are on a timer that comes on at 8;30 am and goes out at 9:30 pm
Temperature - basking site about 90 rest of the cage about 72 to 80. overnight drops to about 65. two thermometers one in basking site one about midway down the cage
Humidity - humidity at about 50 to 60 percent. i have the dripper going all day and also use a hot water humidifier. i have a digital hydrometer
Plants - one ficus tree
Placement - quiet corner of the living roomno fans no window no traffic the top of the cage is about 6 feet in the air
Location - Nova Scotia Cananda

Current Problem - veiled rarely opens his eyes for the last two days

 

[shammie]

i have only had the lights for about 4 or 5 months

 

[gary1621]

Im not one of the experts here but i see two possible problems, the first being the basking temp. 90 is too high for a Veiled, bring that down to low to mid 80's. His suppliments, it would be wiser to use the pure calcium with no d3 for 6 days out of the week and on the 7th use with d3 alternate weeks with a multi vit powder.

Someone will be along shortly i hope with more help for you

Hope the vet check goes well, you'll have to keep in contact now that you have found us

 

[reptoman]

Too much UVB IMO

Until you see the vet, you should take out the exotera 5.0 and try raising up the reptisun 10.0 UVB. If it is sitting right on top of the screen, take some wood blocks or something to raise it 3 inches or so. For an easy check, try turning off the UVB entirely for a little while and observe what happens. If he opens his eyes, you will know that is part of the problem here. Not saying there is not something else going on so still see a vet to be safe. I have had eye problems with an adult panther using 1 reptisun 10.0 UVB 18" bulb and had to raise it 3" off the screen top. Over exposure will cause them to close their eyes during the day, at least that has been my experience. Good luck and send updates on your chams condition.

 

[shammie]

ok
thanks for your suggestions. i shut his uv lights off and i'm going to monitor him for the next while to see if his eyes open. from now on i'll just go with the reptisun 10.0
i hope this helps

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post some pictures please?

It possible the supplements and the lighting could be playing a part in the eye problem...but a vet visit is a good idea if it can't be figured out quickly.

Since most/many feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus its recommended that at most feedings you dust the insects with a phos.-free calcium powder to make up for it.

I dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the (Repti-sun 5.0 long linear fluorescent tube) UVB light in the cage. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to problems, but as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB the D3 produced from the UVB exposure will not build up.

I dust twice a month with herptivite...it contains beta carotene. Beta carotene (prOformed) sources of vitamin a will not build up in the system like prEformed can....but by using the vitamins with the beta carotene in it means that the chameleon can't overdose on vitamin A. There is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene though so some people give a little prEformed once in a while. Excess prEfomed vitamin A may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD.

D3, vitamin A, calcium and phos. are all important players in bone health and need to be in balance. Look at your supplements, what you feed to the insects and what you feed to the chameleon when trying to balance them.

 

[shammie]

vet visit

hey
went to the vet twice today. both times he openned his eyes at the vet. the second time he ate 3 crickets and had a poop. but both times when i arrive home he continues to keep his eyes shut. the vet said his eyes look fine and are not infected or anything.
does anybody have any kind of explanation for what's going on between here and the vet office?

 

[Titan]

I would say it is not doing well with any of those lights. Just to see for a bit try a regular florecent bulb and see how it does. (Im sure thats the lighting at the Vet's office.) Then Get the 5.0 Reptisun if all goes well. O yea bring the temps down to the 70's for him also

 

[draetish]

Leave all the UVB lights off for one day and just use the basking light. He will be okay without UVB for a day. Then observe him to see where he is sitting most of the day. The next day turn on the 5.0 UVB and observe and see where he sits. Sounds like his eyes are closed due to all the uvb, it's way too much. Can you post a pic of his enclosure? He should have different levels of vines/limbs to bask under. Also the uvb and basking light should be separate. You will notice him basking under one or the other throughout the day. Also, proper gutloading and supplements is a must.

 

[draetish]

I would say it is not doing well with any of those lights. Just to see for a bit try a regular florecent bulb and see how it does. (Im sure thats the lighting at the Vet's office.) Then Get the 5.0 Reptisun if all goes well. O yea bring the temps down to the 70's for him also

Are you saying 70's for basking or ambient temp? Basking should be around 85

 

[shammie]

i left his uv light out most of the day. the only time he openned his eyes all day was at the vets office. it's hard to monitor where his is spending his time because he can't see where he is going and it appears to me like he is just wondering around aimlessly

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post some pictures please???

If the chameleon is not eating and wandering around the cage with his eyes shut, its not a good thing IMHO.

Have you tried to hand feed him? Drip some water on his nose, when he starts to drink, stick a cricket (head first) between his teeth and see if he will eat it.

 

[Tazjunky]

is there a particular reason that you are using both a 5.0 and 10.0 uvb?
I was under the impression that if a reflector is used with a 5.0 then thats adequate enough. if you are using a 10.0 with a reflector then surely you will be overloading the cham with excess UVB?

10.0 tubes are best used for cages that block out substantial levels of UVB like the exo-terra flexariums. Remember that 10.0 tubes are usually needed for Dessert species where there is little cloud coverage, Chams dwell in the trees and are exposed to moderate amounts of UVB as and when it pleases them, hence the 5.0. Most cages including the aluminum and reptibreeze allow adequate levels of uvb using just a 5.0 bulb.

I would ditch the 10.0 and stick with the 5.0 using a reflector to penetrate the UVB a little further in to the cage. The 10.0 IMO is too much for the little fella to cope with.

Just MO though. I have a 2x2x4 set-up with a 2.0 and 5.0 light source. as the cham frequents the top portion of the cage, the 5.0 is more than enough for him.

 

[shammie]

hey
i ditched the 10.0 a couple of days ago now. today he is openning his eyes more than yesterday. i think the food that he ate yesterday is starting to help him out a lot. i have been trying to feed him in a box so it is easier for him to catch the crickets. it worked yesterday but so far not today. i'll keep you guys updated, and thanks for all the advice and keep it coming

 

[Thompson]

Glad to hear he is doing better! But I would just try and cup feed him in his own enclosure so he won't get stressed.