Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a young Panther cham. He seems to get discharge/crustiness in his eyes especially after sleeping. I took him to a "recommended reptile vet". The vet gave me eye drops for him because there was an inflamation in his lids more so on the left side. The drops do not seem to help much. I have him in a screen cage with totem pothos. His basking temp is about 90F and his cages goes down to 78 at the furthest point from the light. I hav a DIY drip system and I spray him 3 times a day. I give him reptivite every other feeding and he has a uvb light as well. Can someone give me some insight to what the problem could be a how I can correct it. I just want the best for him.

Thanks

Doug

What do you mean by "totem pothos"? Do you mean
a pothos supported on a piece of cedar? Cedar contains
oils that are not good for chameleons.

How many days ago did you start using the drops? Did the vet
check for bacteria? Are they antibiotic eye drops? Most
antibiotics take a couple of days to kick in. If they are
antibiotic eyedrops and they eye trouble is being caused by a
bacteria, its possible that the drops don't work against
whatever bacteria it is.

You mention giving him reptivite...do you give him calcium too?
(I'm not mentioning this as something to do with the eye....just
wondering if he's getting calcium.)

What UV light do you use? How old is the bulb?

The pothos is supported by a piece of wood but it is def not cedar. The vet thought it was a inflamation but again I have used the drops for about five days and I do not know if it is an anti-biotic. I use a fairly new reptisun 5.0 I think. I do not give him separate calcium. Should I be doing this if so what kind do you recommend?

Yes, def need calcium.

Get RepCal...and dust the crickets lightly everyday for a baby...and every few days for an adult. You only need to dust with the minerall every week or two weeks I would say.

Don't go crazy with the dust either. It has been said too much (at one time or all together) makes chams sick.
-----
1.0 Baby Sunburst Veiled Chameleon -- Dexter

Do you know the name of the drops? I'm not a vet, but I would
think that since you have been using the drops for about 5 days
there should be some improvement by now. You should let the vet
know that things aren't improving and see what he recommends.

Glad to hear that the wood support for the pothos isn't cedar.

The light should be fine too. I use Reptisun 5.0's myself.

Insects have a poor calcium to phosphorous ratio, so I always
dust with (Rep-cal) calcium a couple of times a week for adults.
I gutload my insects too.

Sorry I can't be more help concerning the eye problem....but like
I said, I'm not a vet.

My vet has always prescribed gentimycin (sp) for eye infections. But it should have improved some by now. I would let the vet know it has not helped.
I can send you a care sheet for panthers if you e-mail me directly.