green anole won't open eyes

Discussion in 'Anoles' started by fawn, Jun 3, 2011.

  1. fawn

    fawn Embryo

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    habitat: i have a green anole, i've only had him for about a month/month and a half, . i bought him from petsmart because my friend is one of the reptile caretakers and he's one of the most knowledgeable people i know when it comes to reptiles. he couldn't tell me how old he was, but told me that he was full grown.

    his tank is 20 gallons. the ground is soil with clean, flat rocks, a heat rock, and some kind of fast growing grass, and a few patches of that tall organic grass they make for cats. there's also some reptile-specific decorations for him to climb and sleep on as well as get shade in. i got the heat lamp used from a friend and i'm not sure if it provides uvb light so i worry about that a lot and i take him outside every time i take my dog for a walk.

    there are live superworms in the enclosure that he eats occasionally and i let loose two live crickets in the tank every day, though i leave dead, supplement-coated crickets in his tank because i was told before that anoles don't really over eat. there's a water bowl but i don't think he really drinks from it, though i change it every day, but he likes to drink water off the leaves and etc when i spray his tank.

    problem: a few days ago, there was some brownish gunk in both of his eyes and he wouldn't open them. i ran him under a light stream of warm water and brushed the gunk out of his eyes and he opened them and seemed okay. this morning, though, he was brown and it scared me because he is virtually never brown, and i picked him up. he wasn't breathing and he wouldn't move at all and it scared me so bad. i was sure he was dead and i started crying, and i ran his body under some warm water and kept rubbing him since he always prefers to be held (he likes to try to sleep on me or especially in my hair if he can get the chance). he started turning green again and breathing really faintly. since then, he's just been really lethargic and hasn't opened his eyes all day.

    please, if i'm doing something wrong -- tell me and i'll fix it, but i've never had a reptile before, so understand that i am trying my best and be kind, okay :c
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. HerpboyFLA

    HerpboyFLA New Member

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    When you take him outside? Is he behind glass? UVB can't penetrate glass. Most heat lamps don't provide UVB, though there are varieties out there that do. Could you provide a name and model of the bulb? It's probably printed on it somewhere. Anoles are diurnal, and need UVB.



    Superworms or mealworms? Superworms are enormous, mealworms are smaller. Supers are probably a little big for anoles, even if they try and eat it.



    Does he eat these? Most insectivores in my experience don't take to well to immobile prey.



    As for the gunk. Can't help you there, I'm not a vet, just a keeper. Doubt that would be caused by a lack of UVB though, which to me sounds like the only thing you don't have.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. fawn

    fawn Embryo

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    when i take him outside he isn't behind glass, he likes to crawl on my shoulders and head. ehr i don't see a number anywhere but this bulb is kind of faded, it says zoo med though?

    whrr mealworms sorry not superworms, you're right. and yeah, he does eat the dead crickets now and then.

    his head was shedding this morning and he seemed okay, one of his eyes opened and he was moving fine, but now he isn't moving at all, but he's still bright green.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. dogking

    dogking HOTM Winner September

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    I've never worked with anoles before. I don't know if taking him outside is giving him enough UVB. It sounds to me like he may be developing MBD. I don't know about the brown gunk though... Maybe somebody else will know.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    brown gunk to me means that he most probably has an eye infection or shed stuck on his eyes. I would try bringing him to the vet if you can. Also you might want to up the humidity in his tank for a while, anoles like daily spraying of water in their tanks, that's usually how they will get their hydration.

    Can you put up a picture of his tank? That might help us make better suggestions for you... good luck with him!
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Tarik

    Tarik Embryo

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    It may be a ifection on his eye that he probally got out of your hair since he likes to be there. And take the non eatin crickets out of the cage at night cause they can team up on him and maybe the supplement got into his eyes at night .
     

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