URGENT--Chameleon Sleeping During the Day

[zlew]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Ambanja Panther Chameleon, about 5 months
Handling - Three or four times a week, I try to take him out for basking
Feeding - Dubia Roaches, Pheonix Worms, and Houseflies. He kind of decides what he wants to eat then switches every few days.
Supplements - Calcium w/o D3 daily, with d3 twice a month, and multivitamin twice a month. He has a history of eating problems, so the schedule is a little off.
Watering - Mist 3x a day with hand pump. Don't see him drink.
Fecal Description - Haven't seen him poop in two days, but he moved into a new cage and only ate yesterday so I'm still waiting.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 4ft tall, 2ft length and width
Lighting - Two 100w basking bulbs on either side of the cage
temperature-about 86 at basking, 75 ambient. my temp gun is not that accurate so i'm getting a new one. the basking spots are about a foot from the lamps, so I don't think its too hot.
Humidity - My probe says about 50% ambiently, spiking at mistings

Placement - My bedroom, low traffic, 4 ft from floor, will be getting raised shelves
Location - scarsdale, ny

Current Problem - I just came home from the nature center I volunteer at and found him at his sleeping spot, asleep. I think he's been there all day, I misted him at 8 and then left, I assumed he was still waking up. But I came home and found him in exactly the same spot with his eyes closed. He moved into his big boy cage two days ago and seemed to be settling well, he ate ten dubias yesterday but today he is really suddenly lethargic. Please, please help me. I've worked so hard with him and we've had some struggles together and I really love him.

 

[sharp229]

Moving to a new cage can be stressful so it can also exaggerate any previously existing issues.

You say he has two 100W basking bulbs, what kind of UVB bulb does he have? Are you using only an infrared temp gun for the temps? If so, I would verify with a normal temp probe; even the best IR guns are usually less accurate. What is his health history?

Can you post a current (since this started happening) picture of his full body from the side?

 

[camimom]

Are you leaving your lights on all the time?

Is ther any light on his cage at night?

 

[zlew]

he has a repti sun / glo tube 5.0, not really sure which brand. he has his stressed colors on because I had to nudge him a little bit to get the pic. my temp probe says 85 where the temp gun says 90.

 

[Lovereps]

Two 100 watt bulbs sounds like an awful lot of heat for a cage of that size.
You want the right amount of heat in a basking spot but you also want the temperature to be different in different areas of the cage, so he can get warmer or cool down, as he needs to.

Is the room he is in totally dark at night?

Is his cage totally dark at night---no lights--not even red lights?

What do you feed the feeders?

Has he ever been checked by a vet for parasites?

He doesn't look dehydrated in the pictures but his eyes look too bulgy and discolored around the edges--like maybe he has developed an infection in his sinuses and/or eyes.

Infections can make a cham sleepy--just like people get tired when they're sick.

It would be a good idea to get him examined by a vet who knows chams and to bring a fresh poop sample with you to be checked for parasites.

 

[laurie]

Could you post a picture of the cage? Maybe he feels something is lacking. Or he may still be adjusting.

 

[zlew]

his lights come on at 6:30 am and go off at 7

 

[zlew]

I will switch the lights to 75 watts. My house is 66 degrees, so I'm trying to compensate. the room has one dim light that is on at night but that has never bothered him, and it's across the room. he definitely sleeps at night. no red lights or anything. he was checked for parasites in early august and had a clean bill of health.

 

[laurahlove]

I just wanted to say how pretty your set up is but its awfully big for a cham that little, but hey, plenty of room to grow!

 

[zlew]

haha thanks

 

[Lovereps]

I will switch the lights to 75 watts. My house is 66 degrees, so I'm trying to compensate. the room has one dim light that is on at night but that has never bothered him, and it's across the room. he definitely sleeps at night. no red lights or anything. he was checked for parasites in early august and had a clean bill of health.

Your house is 66 degrees during the day or is that at night?

Your basking temp is too high for such a young cham.
I would switch to just one basking light, so that he can sit near the UVB and get either warmer or cooler, depending on his needs---and the one 100 watt bulb might be just fine--you'll need to measure the temp in the basking spot.

The basking temp for a juvenile panther is lower than for an adult.
To quote from the forum's Panther caresheet https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
"Baby/juvenile (<9 months): ambient 72-80F (22-26C), basking 82F (28C)"

A nighttime drop in temperature is actually good for chams.

 

[zlew]

the house is 68 all day and night. the lights raise the temperature of the tank, and then it will drop back down at night.

 

[zlew]

would that be why he is sleeping though?

 

[Lovereps]

Sleeping could be caused by a number of different things.
Not getting enough sleep at night, dehydration and illness are things that come to mind.
If his eyes are irritated, from too intense UVB, too much heat or from infection, he may close his eyes even without sleeping.
In any case, a chameleon should always be awake and alert until it is nearing bedtime.
To me, it looks like he has an infection in his eye(s) because of what looks like swelling on the lids and discoloration around the eye.
That would cause eye closing and sleepiness.
A vet visit would be wise.

On the chance that he simply got something in his eye and that it might be a ble to be flushed out of his eye, you can try this for a day or two but if it's an infection, it can't wait longer than that before treatment with antibiotics begins:

Rinse your cham's eyes with a gentle saline solution,several times a day which may help him to get the irritant out of his eye.


You want to gently squirt the saline solution into the eye and fill it up so the lid puffs out temporarily.
Even with closed eyes the gentle stream can penetrate the closed lid.

I've used these for eye rinses http://m.cvs.com/mt/www.cvs.com/shop...jtt_v_menu=exp
AND have also used this one by Bausch and Lomb
This Bausch and Lomb solution is made with the same ingredients called Sensitive Eyes Plus http://m.cvs.com/mt/www.cvs.com/sear...searchCVS.y=10

 

[zlew]

I will take him to the vet tomorrow morning

 

[Lovereps]

Sounds good.

 

[RyU]

How far are the lights from the cage? Can you provide a picture of the entire setup? 2x100w lights seems an extreme, even 2x75w seems high to me. If the light is close 1x40w should cut it.

 

[Lovereps]

If the light is close 1x40w should cut it.

Not when the room is 68 degrees, it won't.
But I've already told him that 1 100w would be better for his cham.
He is also going to have a vet check his cham, which may have an eye infection or sinus infection.

 

[zlew]

my vet is a full practice with a bunch of different vets that work there, and tomorrow they are only open for emergencies from 9 to 11. i cant be sure if the vet who specializes in reptiles will be the one on duty. should i go anyway? can this be classified as an emergency?

 

[ataraxia]

Are both eyes shut, tail curled and is he hunkered down on a branch (all day)?
or
Does he still move about the cage and you catch him with one eye shut?