Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was checking on my female panther chams, and I noticed ones eyes were looking weird. I didn’t think much about it at the time. The next day it was gone. Then a couple days later I checked and it was back. Now it hasn’t gone away since. I looked at it and it is like her eyes are covered with puss. Then it scabbed over. It has stayed that way until this moment. I don’t know what to do. I don’t have any vets who know about herps near me. I will attach a picture but it is not very good quality, but I hope it helps.

~Walter~

here is a link to the picture

http://www.geocities.com/crazycreations2000/badeyecham

I looked at your picture again & the chameleon does look a bit dehydrated, so the luke-warm shower should be a benefit to the chameleon. Hopefully, you have a "water-drip system" for hydration; also provide adequate humidity via humidifier. Goodluck & please post a follow-up status.

I couldn't distinguish too much from the picture due to lack of clarity. If there is pus, then it's definitely some kind of infection. First, I would suggest giving the chameleon a luke-warm shower for 30-40 minutes to rinse debris/bacteria from the eye(s)--(watch the chameleon to make sure no problems occur). You can go to an animal feed & supply store & pick-up some topical Terramycin optical ointment & start to apply it gently to the eye(s) per instructions. This could be a peri-occular sinusitis infection which is a form of an URI & requires other antibiotics. Check your caging husbandry, too; ie: temps, humidity, lighting, cleanliness, etc..

In the meantime, you should find a vet in your area that is familiar with herps. That way, a culture can be taken to determine which antibiotic will work the best. You can find a source on the ARAV site below or ask a local vet/staff for a reference to one. Goodluck & please update the status of your chameleon.
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