Veiled Chameleon?

Question

recently bought a veiled chameleon, 3 inchs nose to vent, is it normal for her to rub her eyes on the branches hard, and squish her eyeballs when shedding, it seems like she is going to severly hurt her eyes for the future. they are very red near the edges and i have never seen a chameleon do anything like this, should it raise concern?

Answer 1

Yes. I've never seen any of my chameleons do this. Does she only do this when she's shedding? She may not have enough humidity. Try misting her enclosure (but not her directly) with a spray bottle several times a day. They should have humidity over 75% (you can buy a hygrometer at pet stores to measure yours - these run about $6-8). If she's doing this all the time, I'd worry about an infection or mites.

Shed info: http://www.anapsid.org/shedding.html#prob
Mite info: http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html

If neither of these seems to be the problem, you might want to get her to a vet that specializes in reptiles. This website has a link listing by herp (reptile & amphibian) vets by state: http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html

Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes you should be concerned,Sounds like she is having a bad shed.You should be spraying her daily with "repti-vite"This is a vitamin supplement that is absorbed through the skin.Veils aren't as hardy as other species.They are very beautiful and somewhat delicate.Get a book and read ,read,read.Spray her in the evening with repti-vite,then again in the am with store bought water.Keep the substrate moist.She could have gotten some moss in her eyes too.If so use a very soft cloth (damp)to wipe it out.Also wouldn't hurt to spray her with mite spray that is for reptile and amphibians.Change her substrate as if it is mites they will be in the moss as well.I hope this is helpful to you.Ive seen my share of dead veils and it is heart breaking.GL!