Cham started gaping today (older panther)

I haven't seen him drink much lately, then today I noticed him gaping quite a bit. everything else seems normal. its a little warmer than usual in here today, but nothing he shouldn't be able to handle (80 at most). I turned off his basking lamp, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

Any input would be helpful.

Thanks,
Shawn

may seem odd, but...

Get a wet sheet, or wet a sheet. then get a fan, and hang the sheet spread out. wall to wall somehow curtain style. pop a fan behind it. this will blow cooler air and some humidity his way.

if this is a bad idea, i used to do this as the poor mans AC...during the summers when i was younger.

Sang said:

may seem odd, but...

Get a wet sheet, or wet a sheet. then get a fan, and hang the sheet spread out. wall to wall somehow curtain style. pop a fan behind it. this will blow cooler air and some humidity his way.

if this is a bad idea, i used to do this as the poor mans AC...during the summers when i was younger.

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If your guy has Uri, which is possible, i wouldnt recommend using sangs method. No offense Sang, but that seems to be alittle extreme if hes unsure what the issue is. If he did in fact have uri, the last thing to do would be to blast humidity and cool air at him. What is the entire temp range of this guys cage?

true.

i agree with nico, but in arizona were i am average humidity is like 29%... so that really helps.

and i guess i should of said don't make it soaking wet, just damp...but this may not be the best thing for you.

Nicodemayo said:

If your guy has Uri, which is possible, i wouldnt recommend using sangs method. No offense Sang, but that seems to be alittle extreme if hes unsure what the issue is. If he did in fact have uri, the last thing to do would be to blast humidity and cool air at him. What is the entire temp range of this guys cage?

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He free ramges, so room temp. today would have been high 70's to mid 80's.
he has a basking lamp/spot which is usually in the high 80- high 90 range (was prbably a little warmer today, but he wasn't near it, and I turned it off just in case....but he was still gaping)


Whats general protocall for for URI treatment?

and who's the best vet in the LA area for chams? (distance is no object within 75 miles)

It could very well be an URI as Nicodemayo stated. If that is the case, he may have an infection. A trip to the vet can take care of it. I did give you the info fro DR. Greek in one of your other posts. But go to www.tomgreek.com for all his info.

Check to see if you can hear him breathing (wheezing or a clicking noise) or that you can see any excessive mucus buildup in his mouth. Keep him warm, dry, but still hydrated. Mist him but dont let things get to wet. Setup a couple drippers if you want to see that he is hydrated but still dry. The vet will most likely prescribe oral baytril, or fortaz shots. See what your guy does in the next day to see if he continues this behavior. If he is still doing this tomorrow morning, i would take him in as soon as possible, because uri can progress quickly. If you are are persistent and take him in and it is in fact uri, its a relatively easy bacterial sickness to cure. But keep in mind that your guy is old and that the drugs may be hard on his body, so let the vet be very aware of his age before he moves forward with any kind of treatment.

Dsignrguy said:

He free ramges, so room temp. today would have been high 70's to mid 80's.
he has a basking lamp/spot which is usually in the high 80- high 90 range (was prbably a little warmer today, but he wasn't near it, and I turned it off just in case....but he was still gaping)


Whats general protocall for for URI treatment?

and who's the best vet in the LA area for chams? (distance is no object within 75 miles)

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Dr. Stein in beverly hills is a great vet.

calm down a bit before assuming that it is a Respiratory Infection.
Today was crazy in Cali.
I went to do plein air painting in the park, I could've swear that it was close to 100 degree.
If you don't turn your AC, the temp could have easily rise above 80 F.
(and it could easily be that your thermometer is inaccurate. Do you use the analog thermometer or thermometer strip? -that stuff is horrible-)

Check with him tomorrow if he still gaping.
If you are concerned go ahead and have him checked.

As a clarification (from reading Mader and talk to dr. Wheelock), depending on the case, boosting humidity up is not necessarily a bad idea in fighting Respiratory Infection.
The logic behind that is the humid environment will help preventing your chameleon's phlegm from drying up.
The phlegm in return help your chameleon getting rid of the bacteria.

Have your mum ever turn on a humidifier to help you when you got influenza?

Stagnant humidity however is your enemy. The operative key word here is stagnant.
It allows bacteria to grow rapidly under the condition.

So, too much stagnant humidity or not enough humidity is both not good.

I would check him out tomorrow. not sure what the temp will be like tomorrow... BUT remember the Santa Ana winds are around the corner and dry heat is goingto be the norm for a few weeks now. How often do you mist shawn? Where was your cham when gaping? What did he have to eat today? He may have been warm and just trying to cool off. Today was a bit worm considering the last couple of days we've had. I ran the AC today just to be sure I didn't cook my guys. It could have just creeped up a bit too warm for him.

Is your chameleon lifting his head up at the tip (looking up) when gaping?

no, he's sitting normal, just with his mouth about 1/2 open.

kept my house cooler today and didnt notice him doing it......but I wasn't here much today either

Seriously, yesterday was insanely hot (even today).
SoCal (and pretty much every where) has been experiencing weird weather where it get summer hot in the fall.
on top of that, today we experiencing extreme dryness.

Try to watch him tomorrow.
Remember keep your room cooler (turn on AC or something) and time to use the humidifier.

gaping

I thought gaping was necessary for any lizard to cool themselves. Is that correct? My veiled does almost every other day. It looks like he is yawning sometimes. I also saw him drink some water by shooting his tongue out at a pool of H2O on a leaf.

jukeboxpunk said:

I thought gaping was necessary for any lizard to cool themselves. Is that correct? .

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my chameleon very rarely does it but yes if its to hot they open there mouth,