Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i recently got a baby veiled, she is about 6 weeks old, active and eating good. but she keeps her left eye closed 90% of the time. what are some possible causes. there are no visible signs... any help would be great.
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3.5 bearded dragons
0.1 veiled chameleon
2.3 leopard gecko
0.1 crested gecko
1.0 mali uromastyx
1.0 red ear slider
0.1 american alligator
0.0.1 sulcata tortoise
1.0 prairie dog
0.1 american bulldog mix

Hello,

Although I've had a few chams throughout my life, I am no expert. Others here will most likely have more accurate answers for you, but I wanted to get you started. With that said:

First of all, low humidity may be a factor for a closed eye. Screen cages are a must for all chameleons, so if you have her in a tank I would suggest getting her a screen cage asap. Make sure she is provided with UV lighting during the daylight hours, and that her food is supplemented with vitamins and minerals.

These are just some BASIC husbandry requirements, so if these basic rules aren't being followed, the cham may suffer. A qualified vet would be able to give you the best treatment (this doesn't necessarily mean medication) for the eye issue.

I hope I have been a little helpful, and good luck with your cham!

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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

Hey,

Do not go by what I wrote in my last post. I had no idea the cham was only 6 weeks old, and was that small. I would try to hold off on meds for as long as possible, and parasites, as Carlton said, is very unlikely. Also, even if you have a relatively fine spray in the shower, it is still very hard for a cham that small. But keep it well hydrated. Spray down the cage many times a day. I would do it about 5-6, and get it soaked. That is what I would do.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

Hey,

First of all, a pic would be great. Here are the probable things it is:

1.) Something is stuck in her eye- if this is the case, when she opens her eye (10% of the time) look to see if you can see anything. If you do, DO NOT TOUCH IT!!! Simply put her on a plant, put the plant in the shower, and set it to luke warm water on a very fine spray, or adjust it so that it is pointing at the side of the tub and sprays off onto the plant. Leave her there for a few hours.

2.) Respritory infection- This is the most likely cause. This is normally caused from having the chameleon constantly breathing stagnant air, i.e. having him in a tank or having very poor ventilation. Put him in a screen cage to prevent this prob from happening again. You will have to bring him to the vet for this. If she does have this, she will have very thisck saliva and even bubbles in the back of her throat. Open her mouth and take a look.

3.) Parasites- I don't have time to discuss the different types of reptile parasites, causes and treatments right now. However, this is a definite possibility. Simply wait for your animal to deficate and bring it to the vet within the next few hours (within 24 hours I believe). He will examine it under a microscope and perscribe meds from there.

Eyes are ussually the first sign that a chameleon has a problem. Chances are it had a problem for a long time without you knowing. Animals don't show signs when they first get sick. If they did, the predators would know to catch them first cause they are an easy catch. They do not show signs until they are far along, and the sickness has manifested throughout the chameleons body for a while. You will have to bring it to a vet either way. Find a vet that will deal with exotics, ask him if he has any experience with chameleons, and after calling a bunch, pic the best and schedule an appointment ASAP!!!

Well, why are you still reading this thing!!! Go find a vet!!!

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

We can't even guess without more info. When you post a question to the forum it really helps us respond quicker if you include a description of her care including cage setup, lighting (by brand), humidity levels, how you offer water, what you feed, gutload, dust, and how often. If you don't know the cage humidity and what its range is you need to find out. It's probably lower than you think. Get a good quality humidity gauge (not the cheap analog gauges you find at pet shops...not very accurate). She's 6 weeks old? That's a very tiny cham who will be very sensitive to temp, humidity, and husbandry mistakes. Parasites are not likely to be a problem in such a young cham. Have you read the help info at the top of this forum? There may be some simple answers to your questions there too.

here is a pic... i know she is young. right now she is in a small open air setup with a dripper and a reptisun 10.0 compact flourescent. i recently moved her to my bathroom and setup a humidifier cause my house is kinda dry in the winter. she is readily taking gutloaded crix dusted (only every 4-5 times with sandfires cham dust), and a little bit of mustard greens clipped in to hopefully get her used to some veggies early. the temp is about 89 on the warmer side and humidity about 58-60% already since moving her in with the humidifier her eye is opened more. anything else would be great and thanks for the help.

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3.5 bearded dragons
0.1 veiled chameleon
2.3 leopard gecko
0.1 crested gecko
2.0 mali uromastyx
1.0 red ear slider
0.1 american alligator
0.0.1 sulcata tortoise
1.0 prairie dog
0.1 american bulldog mix