Infected eye!

[Ciddian]

hello all, i really need your help

I just bought a female veil cham at the last reptile show. I am fairly new to chams and have been reading up on them like mad.

I went to give the tank she's in a spray and i noticed that she was blinking her eye a lot. She does have coconut fiber on the bottom of her tank and she does do a lot of digging for a young babie (3 inches or so long)

It seems like a bit of dirt has gotten into her eye and she can't blink it out. I gave her a good spray with some warm water to hopefully help her out a bit (boy she hated that!) I was hoping maybe to wash it out.

Her colours are still green and orange, i don't think i've ever seen her dark brown or black.

Her tank set up right now is a long uv with half of the tank full of soil/coconut fiber that is well packed. I filled it up so that there was about 5 inches of space for her plants and vines. I didn't want her to get lost in the 5.5

I need to know what to do about her eye. I really don't want to loose her. For a veil she is incredibly sweet mannered. :)
Any help would be wonderful!

Thanks
Ciddian

[panther_dude]

i would sudjest either to just keep spraying her with warm water. so that it will work its way out. Or a quick trip the the vet, for eye drops or something. Vets probably the best choice. Anything to do with eyes should be handled by a qualified vet because they are so delicate and they rely on them greatly.

[choriona]

Digging a lot for a veiled - makes me think she dosen't feel comfortable in her enclosure.
Is there losts of hiding areas?
Is the outside of the enclosure heavy traffic or surrounded by better-looking places to live?
Any other pets hanging around her cage to stress her out?
Is she in an aquarium?

I have heard of eye problems developing from being in an aquarium. Too tired right now to dig up the exact info, but for other reasons as well, if she is in a tank, maybe she should move out to something more ventilated.
For washing the eye - maybe put her in the shower for a while and see if the excess moisture and humidity help the situation. Don't spray the water directly on her, but point the spray on the wall to splash back at her.

Is her eye "bubbled out" looking? Or just closed? If it is just closed, it could be any number of things having to do with her overall health.

But yeah, if it persists - take her to the vet. Eyes are something you don't want to mess around with.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Ciddian]

Hmmmm i definatly want to take her to the vet but unfortunatly it will have to wait till monday, no cash at the moment but now i know to keep a reserve just in case!

I'll keep misting.... the eye looks bubbled out a bit and she is squinting with somthing in there But....it actually looks better. Still I want to take her for a check up.

I do have her in a tank at the moment. Just a temp thing. Maybe i will put some tank backing around the tank for a while because i do have a cat who doesn't know how to leave little green things alone lol.

Quick question, what is the best set up for a baby?? I hear of all these wonderful ventilated set ups for adults but she is only 3 inches or so.

Thanks for your time... :)

[choriona]

Best set-up for a baby is one in which you can really make sure you are meeting all the husbandry requirements, since they are at their most vulnerable point when they are small. That being said, I think it is more easily said than done. lol.

A simple rule to go by is : the more ventilation provided, the more often you should spray.

It's up to you what you are capable of. I think tanks are perfectly fine for young'uns.

What I said before about the tank causing an eye problem is the WORST CASE senario. You are probably right about it being just some crud in her eye. But if she can't work it out by the end of two days I would start to get worried. There is a possiblity that the object can scratch her eye surface, or it can become infected.

Another thing you can try is putting her in your sink with warm water that is low enough that if she put her head down and it wont get in her nostrils. Then spray her like mad. Use the whole spray bottle. The reason I say the sink is that she will be unable to get away on the slippery surface and has to sit there through it all. (At the same time, if you find she is just way too stressed, don't continue.)

Good luck.

[tHeGiNo]

When the chameleons eye has something stuck in it, I was always told to bring the chameleon into the shower on a plant, and give it a good spray for a decent period of time. Supervised at all times, of course.

[meow_mix450]

dont make the poor thing to stressed

Meow

[Ciddian]

OOhhh i bugged her heaps by giving her a good spray but it seems to have done the trick! (without too much stress)
Her eye is still slightly swollen but clear now and no gunk. She is able to open it again and look around. I will pick her up some polysporin drops on the weekend if her eye is not totally fine. (polysporin is safe for chams right?)

My first cham scare is over....*whew* but who knows what is next! O_o

Thank you again for all your help, my little green girly thanks you too ^_^