Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,
I havent posted much on this forum, but I have a serious question regarding my 14 mo. old male ambilobe.

He has been doing very well since I bought him at 8 mo. old from FLchams. I have been feeding him primarily crickets dusted w/ ca. 2x a week and multivitamins 1x a week. I know he should have a more varied diet, and i do feed him various worms when possible. But, he does seem to be doing well off this diet. Also, i mist him at least once a day.

Normally, i will bring him outside during the day time every day from his inside cage. However, as of 2 nights ago, i left him outside the whole night. He seems to be a bit more lethargic since this, and his colors have been a little bit darker. Just 10 minutes ago, i noticed that his left eye seems to be giving him trouble, as it wont open fully. He also managed to rub his eye on the side of a branch.

I am not sure if this is due to leaving him outside for 2 nights (temp around 80-85 during day and 75-80 at night). I have called a local vet and i am planning on taking him there ASAP (whats the best way to bring him to the vet?)

I would greatly appreciate some advice, as this is my first chameleon. Like I said, he has been doing awesome up until this point, and has had no issues whatsoever.

Thank you very much.

Sounds like he needs longer and or heavier misting periods. All of my groups gets 1 hour heavy misting 3-4 times daily.
Good luck

I agree. Leaving him outdoors in those temps was not a problem. Chams often develop eye problems from dehydration, so it is a good first step to deal with. Sometimes they get bits of bark, leaves, or dust under the lid which can irritate, but normally they would try to clear the eye by rubbing and rolling the eye while they are being misted. You can shower him too, using luke warm water. Gently for a longer period is better than intensely for a short time.

If he still has problems, there is discharge from the eye, swelling, discoloration, take him to a good herp vet.

Thanks so much for the replies.

I did bring the chameleon directly to the vet yesterday after I posted. Luckily, she seemed to know a whole lot about reptiles, and specifically chameleons. She gave me some vetropolycin, an antibacterial ointment much like bacitracin to administer to each eye once a day. Although the consensus seems to be longer/heavier misting (which I will do), the vet also mentioned how the smoke from the many forest fires around here may have irritated his eyes.

I obviously care alot about the little fellow, so thank you for helping with this situation.