Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted a while ago about Bender's eye. It has a small scratch on it but it was healing up. Last night I noticed that he had scratched it again and it was bleeding. I haven't had a chance to inspect it yet today since I leave for work before he wakes up. Is there something I can put on it to help it heal? Should I not mist him directly till it's healed so he won't rub it? Could a vet help? I've been cleaning all vines really well every day to help it not to get infected. He doesn't keep it closed, except after I've misted he does keep it closed for about 2 minutes after I'm done. Am I just over worried? Oh, I've been filtering tap water with Brita filter. Going to try distilled. General run down of care info, 38 gallon reptarium (screen, duh), lots of plants and vines, humidity is around 60-80%, water drips all day, 50 watt basking bulb, ESU UVB coil bulb, misting twice a day for at least 5 minutes, temp range is 83-70 with bottom of cage is much cooler than that even. 5 crickets every other day, dusted once a month with vit, twice a month with reptical, silkworms, mantis, and hornworms once a week. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd be very reluctant to put anything near the eye without vet advice. I'd be too afraid that something would get into the eye and make it worse. Just watch it. If it doesn't stat to re-heal or if it looks like it's starting to get infected, then you need the vet.
Ed

Distilled water is a bad idea! I'm no chameleon expert, but I am an A.P. Bio student, and know a thing or two about diffusion. In relation to a cell membrane are two environments: intracellular and extracellular. In the balanced, isotonic state, there's the same amount of mineral junk in both environments. If one is "hypertonic" to the other (more mineral junk) the minerals will slowly diffuse into the other "hypotonic" environment, while water moves into the hypertonic environment to make room. Water is smaller than any mineral and thus moves through a membrane faster. This leaves the side that started with more mineral junk with more water than it can handle entering the membrane. The cell's membrane expands and can eventually explode.

In short, distilled water is hypotonic (less mineral junk) to the chameleon's cells. When the chameleon drinks the dripping distilled water, it could become quite sick. I'd stick with Brita.

Sorry about the long, boring post, but it's sort of the way I operate, for better or for worse!

Cheers!

We were discussed the distilled water less for drinking and more for washing the eye. I agree that it isn't ideal but the original fear was that the tap water MIGHT be sufficiently hard to be causing the eye problems. Not the most likely possibility but not that remote either. the smart thing would e to get your tap water tested before going to the expense of distilled water. FWIW, I know a number of folks who use distilled water and while your theory is correct, in practice it seems to do no harm. The cham, is, afterall, taking others things than just water into their stomachs and they don't usually drink huge amounts. Some people might be more concerned with deionized water than distilled..
Ed

Ed, in your experience, what do most people do for watering their chams? I've heard of letting it set overnight, using Repti-safe, using bottled water, reverse osmosis, etc...but I'm curious as to what most people that you have talked to do. I'm trying to get my chams set up outside, so the water issue is a big one for me right now. I'd be interested to know what the big timers do, as well...since they have so many chams to water, what do they hook their misting systems up to?

Thanks!!!

Kristen
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1.2 pygmy leaf (r. brev)
1.1 carpet chameleon (f. lateralis)
0.0.3 red eared sliders

Yeah, and after rolling over the plants and sitting around, it probably regains enough nutrients to be okay...and nothing's better for actually washing the eye! Sorry to interpolate...I usually don't talk about stuff I don't know about, but I was kind of concerned about the possibility of an exploding chameleon.

Oh well, no harm done!

Cheers!

Thank you all for the advice! I just worry so about my little guy. I got some RO water and let some run over his eye. He really didn't like that. Got all thin and tall and flashed some wild colors. But it seems to have done some good. He kept it open wide for the rest of the day. Oh and I'd never use distilled water as drinking water for him. The water here does have quite a bit of clorine in it but the brita filter seems to get a ton of it out (i'm very sensitve to it so easy to tell). I also let his drinking and misting water sit for 24 hours after being filtered. Thanks again for the replies. Helps me to stop freaking out so much. lol

I use a misting hose that I got on-line. It's basically a bunch of little spray nozzles on polyethylene tubing that hooks up to your garden hose. I have a trimer from home depot that lets me adjust frequency & duration of watering. I just use tap water because my water is not insanely hard. Others go to greater lengths.
Ed

Thanks Ed! I'm glad to hear that is what you do...it was exactly what I was planning to set up for my outside cages.

Now, I know that our water is not "soft"...but I don't think it's really hard either...if it is too hard, what would I need to add in order to still use this outdoor set up?

Thanks so much!
Kristen (who is trying SO hard to get her chams outside!)
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1.2 pygmy leaf (r. brev)
1.1 carpet chameleon (f. lateralis)
0.0.3 red eared sliders

I don't know what you'd do for outside water except maybe to call your "Culligan Man."

But remember, outside they'll be getting lots of rain showers too.
Ed