Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi there my chameleons name is Gonzo hes about nine months old and he is a veiled male i am just concerned with his left eye.. he regularly has it closed id say about 60% of the time. only in the past 3 to 4 days have i noticed this, it looks to be very very slightly sunken in almost not even noticeable or like he is nursing it or something. i have noticed him digging in the corner of his terrarium often and i think he may have gotten something in his eye? also a couple other questions one is about humidity levels i try and keep it between 50 and 60 percent is that right for a veiled? and should i be worried about ventilation and stale air, being that it is an exo-terra glass rainforest terarrium with swinging front doors with vents and a screen top? one more question.. last time i cleaned the terrarrium i planted pet grass in the tropical substrate i have in the tank he is now eating it regularly is that good for him or should i take it out? i know its a long list of questions but i just want to make my chameleons life as comfortable as possible.

This is the same cham with the dying tail tissue? If so, you have some serious problems. Closing an eye could be a symptom that your cham is fighting a systemic illness or a nutritional problem. The most common reason chams close an eye is dehydration, but it can be a sign of general stress and illness too. If he's been digging in the cage bottom he's trying to get out, needs a bigger space, or is stressed by the solid sided cage. Chams just don't understand why they can't get past the barrier, or he can see his reflection (an intruder) constantly. Eating the grass isn't a problem in itself, but if there are fertilizers or pesticides in the soil they are not a good thing for him to be eating. What do you gutload and dust with? How often? How do you offer water? Does the cage humidity fluctuate higer and lower at all? How do you measure it? The stick on humidity gauges sold at most pet shops are not accurate so it may be much different than you think. There may be bacteria or molds in the soil causing problems too. This setup is obviously not working well for your cham and he needs a vet and a change in caging I suspect. It could help to read the more recent care articles about veileds on the chameleonnews.com website. Might give you some ideas. But, you will need a vet's help to deal with the dying tail problem for sure.

i actually am not the dyin tail dude i just replied to his post because i noticed a couple small black dots on my chams tail and was not sure what they were. the only problem i am having is that Gonzo keeps his left eye closed quite regularly. i gutload my crickets with "Gutload" i bought at petland.. not quite sure of the exact manufacturer as i have thrown the box away, also i throw some carrot peelings, and pieces of potatos. i dust the crickets once a week with "Rep-Cal Phos-free Calcium with vit D3" before i put them in the terrarium. i also spray him once a day with "Zilla Humidifying spray tropical mist... it says it helps with dry skin and shedding problems, has emolients and aloe. i mist the terrarium for a couple minutes twice a day with distilled water until he starts opening his mouth and licking lips, and right after i put an ice cube on top of the screen top so it drips onto his leaves. although i have never seen him drink off leaves. the humidity does fluctuate quite a bit as i am having troubles keeping it steady. but for the most part between 50 and 60. i DO have those cheap dial gauges and am upgrading to a digital thermometer/hygrometer. i really want to give him a little bit larger enclosure with a real plant and more ventilation but at the same time i live in calgary alberta (dry mountain climate) and think i would have a heck of a time keeping humidity levels up with a screen cage. man oh man!... im really sorry about the novel and greatly appreciate your advice im just really concerned about making things perfect for him asap.

I can see several things you should do differently:

Stop using the Zilla shedding mist. No reason for it and one of the ingredients could irritate his eyes. You should be misting a LOT more. The key isn't to drown him with heavy spray for a couple of minutes, but give a gentle shower for a longer time. Chams tend to shy away from the spray if it's heavy and cold (use very warm water...by the time the droplets hit him it will be cooler), but once they get wet they tend to start licking and swallowing the spray as it falls on their head. The water runs down to their lips and they start drinking.

I kept chams at high altitude in Colorado...that's similar to what you are dealing with. It can be done with a screen cage! You'll want to fill the cage with live bushy potted plants such as Ficus alli, Schefflera, Pothos, all of which can be found at most nurseries and home improvement stores. All the leaf surfaces will hold water for drinking and slowly release it into the air during evaporation. Drape some plastic sheeting (I like clear shower curtains as they have hanging holes and look fairly nice too) on the back and/or sides of the cage to hold more humidity in and protect the wall and furniture from overspray. You'll probably have to get an ultrasonic room humidifier. It will really help maintain your humidity between sprayings or while you are away. If you get a type with a round removable spout on the top of the reservoir you can attach some pvc water pipe to it and make a plumbing connection through the cage side. This will direct the fog inside the cage and saturate it. Cycle it on and off with a multiple setting lamp timer. With some trial and error you can figure out how often the humidifier needs to run to maintain the humidity level you want depending on the season. Works great and will pay for itself pretty quickly.

The gutload is probably not too good. Most commercial pet store chain gutloads aren't worth much. Most of us make our own with fresh ingredients such as left over veggies (not broccoli) and dark leafy greens (not spinach), fresh fruit like oranges, fortified cereal grains like Total, some flake fish food, and bee pollen. Also, if you just throw the crix loose into the cage they will lose their gutload fairly quickly and eat shed skin, feces, and other grungy stuff you don't want your cham to eat. They are also pretty voracious and have been known to chew on chams at night if they don't have gutload somewhere in the cage.

Thank you sooo much man this really helps alot.. Greatly appreciated i feel a little less concerned now!

How long have you had the chameleon? What brand and type (compact or long linear tube) of UVB light do you use? Is there any glass or plastic between the chameleon and the UVB light? Have you changed the bulb recently?

i have had him since xmas, i use a compact coil exoterra reptiglo 5.0 uvb there is only the screen top between the light and gonz, and the bulb is pretty well new.

Some of the compacts can cause photo kerato conjunctivitus....I would recommend changing it for a long linear tube UVB light like the Repti-sun 5.0.

You can read about the eye problems with the compacts here...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/