Chameleon Medical: Sunken Eyes

Chameleons eyes should be full and bulbous, bright and alert and constantly scanning the area. There are many thing that could cause an eye to “sink” in to where you start seeing a dark ring of the eye socket around the eye turret.  Although a sunken eye is not necessarily a panic situation or even something that requires your immediate attention, it is a window into what is going on inside your chameleon. When eyes are sunken in and there are no other external signs of an issue it usually is just a notice to keep a close eye on the situation. Chameleon eyes are a dynamic organ and being sunken in can be a sign of physical or emotional stress, dehydration, or internal distress. Thus, when you see sunken eyes it is time to look for other clues as to what could be causing it.

Instead of the standard eye turret protruding from the eye socket, the eye turret is reduced showing the outline of the eye socket. It is very easy to identify. What is difficult is identifying why as it could be due to many different conditions ranging from harmless to serious.

The healthy chameleon eye is full and bulbous.

This Trioceros quadricornis chameleon is a new import. She has been under the stress of a rough journey which can be seen by the rub marks all over her face. She is also undoubtedly dehydrated. The sunken eyes will slowly fill back out as the overall health of the chameleon improves. Sunken eyes are a gauge of how well the chameleon is recovering.

This Kinyongia multituberculata is in perfect health, but his eyes are sunken in a more than normal. This is because it was a chilly night and as he warmed up the eyes returned to normal. Not every chameleon will react to conditions the same. They are all individuals and you will soon get to know your chameleon’s individual mannerisms.

This female panther chameleon is in serious distress due to egg binding and her sunken eyes are just one part of the rest of the body signs that this female is in mortal danger if the eggs are not expelled.

This female Trioceros deremensis has a respiratory infection and the sunken eyes show that there is internal distress.

This male panther chameleon is in a state of high aggression. We can only guess as to why he pulled his eyes in. Is it from stress? Is it for protection for the delicate eyes? Is there an internal condition completely independent of the current state of defense? The sunken in eyes are merely a notice that something is going on and that more work needs to be done to identify the issue.

As sunken eyes are a signal of something else going on that may need treatment, there is no specific course of action associated with sunken eyes. But it is a warning indication that there may be an issue that needs attention.