Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I unexpectedly became a new owner of a small vieled chameleon. (Long story). I searched the net and read everything I could, as fast as I could..I now have him set up with a pothos, and an ivy plant, a heat lamp, a UVB lamp, a drip system for water, and have fed him small crickets dusted with calcium powder.
Everything sound okay?
Today is day four- and I noticed while "spying" on him that he had something on his eye-yesterday he was rubbing one eye on a vine. This looked to be something like shed skin, a scale, etc-so I used a moistened Qtip, and QUICKLY removed what was a very small, clearish yellow something-no bigger than a grain of sand.
Now he/she isnt opening that eye. Still eating and walking but that eye is closed except for a tiny tiny spot.

Should I wait or should I do something? I hate to bother the little thing, but if there is something I should do, I dont want it to get worse.

THANK YOU.

Don't wait. You don't want it to get infected. I'd flush it with saline solution twice a day. Not harshly, but a drop or two. Try getting it to open it's eye by touching it softly on that side of the head. It should want to check out what's going on over there and open it's eye. That's how I get drops in Silk's eye. If it still won't open it's eye, it may be a 2 person job. It may be nothing but a small scratch, so irigation might help. Try it for a couple of days, and if it doesn't open it's eye again, get it to a vet. Good luck.
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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

also try misting the chams eye with warm water....he wont like it too much but it helps mine when this happines....

your plants are fine with the exception of the ivy IF it is a true ivy (hedera helix or similar scientific name) Since veiled eat vegetation you don't want that in with him.

you didn;t mention waht sort of cage - screen? glass? if he is still young he can be in a tank for awhile but if he is more than about 3-4 months he needs to be in screen.

here are some general cham sites in case you didn't find them:

This is a top source of current information compiled and written by “tops in their field.”
www.chameleonnews.com/

AdCham
www.adcham.com/

Chameleon Journals – www.chameleonjournals.com/

and of course ask here - we're a pretty friendly bunch

lele
plant database

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

I don't know if it is a true ivy-how can I be sure? It is an ivy that I bought with the pothos years ago- in a hanging basket from Home Depot. The leaves are small and solid green.

I don't have the chameleon in a cage? I put him on the hanging plant, arranged the vines so that they intertwine with the pothos that I hung right next to it. I hung a heat light up to shine onto the top part of the plant, wove a vine under it, along with a stick.Then I have one ivy vine that goes to the screen window where the afternoon sun shines. I put the drip system so that the hose drips water two drips a second, down onto the plant leaves then drips to the dirt in the pot, which then drips out the bottom and into the ficus tree below. There are no vines that reach the ficus at this point, however, I have it there in case he were to fall accidently. I have a UVB light on the window, shining onto the plants/favorite vines. So far I have misted the plants early morning, and in the early afternoon.

I put neopolydex ophthalmic ointment on its eye-three doses so far- and the eye is now open much more than it was yesterday morning.
If there is anything you see wrong with my setup, please let me know. I have gotten quite attached to the little guy/girl-whichever it may be. I wasnt prepared for a chameleon- it was quite a shocking surprise, so my chameleon experience is only five days long, and I only know from what I have quickly read.
Thank you.

I linked you to a google image search below for the ivy that is toxic. Sometimes pothos and other hanging plants are also referred to as Ivy, so if it is the hedera you should remove it.

that's great that you have him in the free range setup just make sure he can't accidentally roam to someplace unsafe - you'd be amazed at how they can get around - even on the ground. It is harder to keep the humidity up in your set up but if he stays hydrated from misting/dripper - good

if the water is dripping into the ficus make sure the ficus drains well so it doesn't get waterlogged. It sounds like a nice setup though and you have thought about a lot in a short period of time. Do you know how old he is? You don't want to oversupplement so age is a good thing to know. So is gender. If you can post a pic I am sure someone here can tell you if it is a girl or boy. Males have a "tarsal spur" and hemipenal bulge. Go here and for pics)http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html
http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary/hemipenal.html

Btw, we are always interested in hearing how cham keepers became cham keepers so your story is welcome - and so are you

lele
hedera spp.

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta