Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I recently got a chameleon right before christmas, my girl friend knew i had been wanting one, so she bought me all the stuff. i had been doing research for months .The cham is prolly 3-4 months old 3 inches nose to vent. She has been doing great unltil 2 weeks ago i noticed her her one eye shut, i thought maybe it was a mild injury, and i tried washing it out with warm shower, saline soultion, but she had been catching prey and eating normal, so i have just been treating her normal, she has shed twice in the 2 months ive had her, last time being the other day. the day before she shed she quit eating but continued drinking, she is still friendly and always has her "happy" light green color and doesnt get mad, ive tried give her meal worms, wax worms, to fight the eating fit. nothing is working, she pooped the day after she shed, last time 3 days ago, I keep her in a 20 gal long ( i know its not the ideal, im having a cage built as we speak. i have a 24inch reptisun 5.0 and a basking light, a pothos in her cage, along with lots of fake foliage and bendable vines, temp 75-80 day, 70 ish night, basking spot is at 101 degrees. dust crix every 2 days with calcium, crix gutlouad with frozen veggies i made, collard green, carrots, cantelope, blueberrys, oranges, mango. once a week dusted multivit. she goes on her out door ficus prolly 1-2 hours a week for sun. i dont know what to do. I called a vet in town that claim they deal with reps... she told me to just wash her eye with saline, (this is before the not eating shedding thing.) I m strapped for cash right now, i cant afford 200$ vet visit, which is what the vet told me that i should plan to pay if i bring her in. THe reason that i dont is that shes is mobile, climbs exlecent does have gripping probs doesnt act ussual except not eating, and one eye shut, and she does open the one eye to catch prey when she was eating, she still opens her eye when she moves around and explores. I already know the answer most are going give, " go to vet" which i would if it wasnt going to cost 200$ when she seems happy, and besides that , the vet didnt seem like she had alot of experience. if anyone lives in phoenix please recommend a vet, also any constructive advice is greatly apreciated

btw nothing is around the eye, no crust or fluid, it looks normal pretty much, just a little wrinkled...

If your vet told you it would cost 200 for a visit, you need a diff vet. My basilisk had an eye infection, it cost me 30 for the visit, and another 40 for odds and ends (injection and oral antibiotics) I think its worth the life of your animal to take it in. If its acting as you say it is, i know i would.
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2.0.0 Veiled Chameleons (Eros & Himeros)
1.0.0 Sandfire red/gold Beardie (No Name yet)
0.1.0 Brown Basilisk (Leroy, I know shes a girl!)
0.0.2 Chinese Water Dragons (Merl & Maggie May)
0.0.1 Marbled Gecko (Chalmers)
1.0.0 15 year old Eastern Box Turtle (Radar)

Comming
Senegal Chameleon breeding pair
Hopefuls
Female beardie named Sissy. Hoping to adopt her from mid michigan reptile rescue. Keeping my fingers crossed!

If you researched the purchasing of this chameleon, you should have come across the cost of upkeep and vet visits which is one of the most important aspects you should take into account before purchasing an exotic animal. I don't wanna sound like an asshole but this animals life is in your hands, and you owe it to her to do what you can, even if it comes to a $200 vet bill (which most would agree sounds steep). Go into your yellow pages and start calling all the vets in your area. Ask if they treat exotic reptiles and if so, what their background is. There has to be more then one in a larger city like phoenix that treats exotics. Either way good luck and I hope it all works out.
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2.0.0 Veiled Chameleons (Eros & Himeros)
1.0.0 Sandfire red/gold Beardie (No Name yet)
0.1.0 Brown Basilisk (Leroy, I know shes a girl!)
0.0.2 Chinese Water Dragons (Merl & Maggie May)
0.0.1 Marbled Gecko (Chalmers)
1.0.0 15 year old Eastern Box Turtle (Radar)

Comming
Senegal Chameleon breeding pair
Hopefuls
Female beardie named Sissy. Hoping to adopt her from mid michigan reptile rescue. Keeping my fingers crossed!

where about in phoenix? i am in chandler AZ. i have a great vet that is mobile and services the east valley or i know of a vet in chandler area that does office visits.....let me know where you are and i can find you another vet.........
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groups.msn.com/JEChameleons
0.2 Chameleo Calyptratus
1.1 Furcifer Pardalis (Nosy Be)
0.0.1 Chameleo Melleri

I won't belabor the vet visit. However, you say you did the research but you still have her in a glass tank????

Aside from the basking spot being WAY too hot (get it down to 85-90F), the night temps could be lower. You're probably cooking her in that tank. Additionally: in a glass tank there's almost no way that you could be misting her for the optimal 5-15 minutes at a time. You can't hydrate poperly or adequately if there's no drainage. Even if you have to buy a cheap, small Reptarium, get her out of the tank and start giving her LONG bouts of misting. With only short bouts of misting she probably doesn't have enough time to go through a proper eye-cleaning ritual.

And cut back on the supplements. It's too much.
Ed

Thanx for the words from everyone, the glass cage was temporary, i take her out quite a bit to mist her for 2-5 minutes twice a day,or in her enclosure. As ive stated ive dont my research and i have a air filter on top puliing air out of the terrium to keep it fresh. THe screen cage is almost complete. I dont mind spending money if i can justify. With that said, i woke up this morning, Cleo is alert, both eyes open, eating like i pig! im so happy. Btw BAsking spot, question, 100Degrees too hot? everywhere ive read it it says 90-105 degree basking spot, what should i do lower or keep it the same? supplements question, how often should i calcium dust, and how ofter for Mutli vit dust.

Thanx guys,
danny

As this is a 3-4 month cham (3" SNL) you need to lower the basking temps. The smnaller the animal the more easily they overheat. An adult veiled should have a basking spot 90-95F. A baby is better off at 85-90F. This is especially important if you've got it in a glass tank. Even with the air exchange it's very dangerous to keep a baby that high and especially so in glass. And the high heat will exacerbate any dehydration problem you might have.

Also I'm nervous about your taking her out of the cage to mist. Veileds tend to be skittish about misting anyway and when you first remove her from the tank and then start misting I can only imagine that it makes her more so and increase the latency from the start of misting to the start (and end) of drinking..
Ed

Hey epollak, thanx so much for the info, i have got the basking temp down to 95 degrees, today she is as green as ever munching crix and drinking well, eyes open, she is about to go outside for a little while today, thanx again.