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I got Silk (female purple bar ambanja-10 months old) about 9 days ago. About 2-3 days after getting her I noticed her left eye was sunken in, closed, and pussing. I rinsed it with R.O. water 2 times a day for 3 days. Then I took her to the vet. They gave me an antibiotic ointment to put on it and it seems to be helping. It's still sunken in, but it's open most of the time now. I imagine it's still sunken in due to some pain (I think she scratched it and it got infected). However, she seems to be completely uninterested in feeding, although still active and alert, and drinking. I don't think she's eaten in almost a week. Due to her VERY pleasant nature I can't get her to gape at all to feed her myself. Any suggestions?

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Doug.

0.1 Veiled Chameleon
1.3 Ambanja Chameleons
1.1 Blue bar Ambilobe Chameleons

A week is not a very long time to go without eating if she's healthy (and she looks great) and drinking. If she will lick from a dropper you could give her some diluted Ensure, or squeeze some "bug juice" on her snout (there's a recipe for bug juice on www.adcham.com), but chances are she'll start hunting when she gets hungry. It's hard to balance stressing her more by trying to feed her and leaving her alone. Chams often keep an injured eye pulled in for a while. If the eye ends up being permanently damaged she can learn to shoot one-eyed. It will take her a while, but less time than you might think.

Thanks for the info. That pic of her was before I got her, probably 2 months ago. As I said, she's still active and alert, but much thinner. She's starting to get wrinkles. I'm not too worried, but still.....

Anyways, thanks. Have a good day.
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Doug.

0.1 Veiled Chameleon
1.3 Ambanja Chameleons
1.1 Blue bar Ambilobe Chameleons

Hi there,

She may need more water if you are noticing wrinkles. Is she gravid? Females will slow down on feeding prior to laying their eggs, which is normal. The eye problem could also be causing her stress to the point where she does not want to eat. In that case, she will need some extra attention. Don't let her go on too long without eating. Once they get weak, its very difficult to get their energy back up.

I've tried both the ointment and eye drops in the past, and have found that both tend to cause a bit of mucus build up inside the eye. Just keep the area clean. If you do notice a film covering the eye, gently remove it with a clean wet q-tip.

If you can weigh her, I'd do so now. Keep an eye out for how much weight she is losing.

Keep us posted.

Vincent

She's at about 38 grams. She's pretty little. Every time I take her out to put the ointment on I rinse out her eye first with R.O. water. Before putting new ointment on it I use that time, which is when she's most comfortable with me, to spritz some water in her mouth. She drinks that way really well. It was thought she might be gravid, but I feel nothing when palpating her belly. She laid her first clutch about a month ago, and then caught a respiratory infection. She was treated for it for 2 weeks and then shipped to me. She thought she might double clutch, but she doesn't roam around looking for somewhere to lay them. I have a setup ready just incase, but to this point have had no indications that I know of to put it in there with her. I leave crickets for her in a clear dish so she can see them, but she shows no interest. She's awesome and I don't want to lose her. HELP!!!
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Doug.

0.1 Veiled Chameleon
1.3 Ambanja Chameleons
1.1 Blue bar Ambilobe Chameleons
1 marine reef aquarium (home)
1 marine aquarium store

I have a panther, named Arwen, that had EXACTLY the same problem, and she looks just like yours. I did what you have too - I gave her showers every day but she kept rubbing her eyes, was lethargic and stopped eating. I noticed that she stopped pooping. She's all better now.

Here's what I did: First, I eliminated any supplements. I'd read that too much vitamins can cause eye problems and consipation. Then, I gave her 1 giant mealworm that had been dipped in mineral oil. That evening, she pooped and was much improved the next day. I still brought her to a vet to check her. He said that she definately needed extra moisture, and that the mineral oil couldn't hurt, but not to over do it. He also thought she was overweight (before this she'd easily snap up 10-20 crickets a day at 5 months old!)

I had to force feed her twice, and I really stepped up the moisture. I'm back to supplementing her, but only twice a week very lightly. I've given her lots of sun on the weekends. Don't give up! I'd really recommend not supplementing for a while, and don't be afraid to give her a meal or two forced.
Good luck!

Thanks. Might not be a bad idea. It's really hard to force feed her though. She's so gentle. It's a two person job. I guess I'll try some gut loaded cricket goo in a syringe. Probably the only way I can do it myself. Thanks for the info.
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Doug.

0.1 Veiled Chameleon
1.3 Ambanja Chameleons
1.1 Blue bar Ambilobe Chameleons
1 marine reef aquarium (home)
1 marine aquarium store