Possible allergic reaction???? PLEASE HELP!

Don't worry, the Chams are fine. The allergic reaction is all mine. I am very worried. PLEASE read through this and help me to find an answer...


I have a Jackson's Cham in a glass terrarium with a screen top, and an all-screen terrarium for my brand new female Veiled Cham (she's only 1-2 months old at this point). I have my Repti-Fogger going into both terrariums to keep them equally humid (obviously the screen enclosure is less humid because it goes into the room...) - - but here is my problem. They are in my bedroom. I have been waking up the past 2 weeks not being able to BREATHE right! I cough like crazy and I'll tell you it's anything but pleasant.

I think it is because I am allergic to something in the air...or maybe it is the humidity of my room (it is much hotter and humid in there than the rest of the house. This keeps it to ideal conditions for the Veiled but still in a screen enclosure). I keep the door closed all of the time.

I slept in another room last night and woke up with not a trace of breathing problems. These problems started when I got the new Cham and the humidity in my room increased.


I don't have the money to purchase a new glass terrarium to help contain the humidity for the Veiled...I just paid $400 to have a surgical procedure done for my Jackson's...if I put the veiled in another room it would be too cold/not humid enough.



Does anyone have any sort of opinion on this? I want her to be taken care of as best as possible.

Its possible that its from the humidity. Whenever i use a humidifier in the winter and wake up in the morning i feel like i just smoked a pack a cigarettes, but whenever i use it, after a couple nights it seems to get better.

bwert435 said:

Its possible that its from the humidity. Whenever i use a humidifier in the winter and wake up in the morning i feel like i just smoked a pack a cigarettes, but whenever i use it, after a couple nights it seems to get better.

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I'm really glad I'm not the only one to have this problem! I have not had a breathing problem in my life so I was really just thinking it was some kind of bizarre cold...but it didn't get better by the day, it got worse.

So you just waited daily for it to get better?

szpond said:

I'm really glad I'm not the only one to have this problem! I have not had a breathing problem in my life so I was really just thinking it was some kind of bizarre cold...but it didn't get better by the day, it got worse.

So you just waited daily for it to get better?

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Yeah i waited it out and eventually it got better, i have allergies and also asthma so a little variations in temps or humidity affect me. I wouldn't rule out an allergy though, if you are using subrates in any of the cages it could trigger a reaction.

Some members put plastic sheeting over 2-3 sides of the screen cage to help keep the humidity in, you could try that and monitor stats fir a few days, see if you can cut back on the humidifier a bit, even if just at night? It's good for the enclosure to have a drier few hours to minimise the risk of respiratory infections.

Trillian said:

Some members put plastic sheeting over 2-3 sides of the screen cage to help keep the humidity in, you could try that and monitor stats fir a few days, see if you can cut back on the humidifier a bit, even if just at night? It's good for the enclosure to have a drier few hours to minimise the risk of respiratory infections.

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Thank you for the input! That is a good idea, with the plastic. I was thinking about getting some sheets of glass but I would be worried about the fit. I could get plastic cut at Home Depot, yeah? Do you know what type of plastic off-hand?

And yes I will definitely be sure to adjust, thank you.

szpond said:

Thank you for the input! That is a good idea, with the plastic. I was thinking about getting some sheets of glass but I would be worried about the fit. I could get plastic cut at Home Depot, yeah? Do you know what type of plastic off-hand?

And yes I will definitely be sure to adjust, thank you.

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Easy...just get some clear vinyl shower curtains or some painter's plastic sheeting. The clear vinyl will look better as you'll be able to see your cham better. The point is you can probably reduce the amount of time your foggers run which will lower the room humidity and reduce the chance that you are reacting to some sort of mold growth.

I go all out, I buy shower curtains at the dollar store. I like the green ones.

Holy cow! This happened to me too and I was thinking it might be my cham, but then thought I was crazy. My dr made me go buy an epipen and everything! I got the itchiness in my ears and throat and my chest felt like it was closing! We have had our cham since may, and never had a problem until we moved house. Camilla is in the bedroom also, and the air conditioning sucks in the room so it is always a lot hotter and humid in here. This is crazy!

I just got a steroid injection because my allergies were so bad. The chameleons are not in my room, there is no way I could handle that. The humidity and the live plants in the enclosures create excessive mold spores which many people are allergic to. The cricket poop is also an irritant. Forget silkworms, I had to get them out of the house because I wheeze terribly with them around.

I had that problem when I had a humidifier for Pascal. I'd wake up all icky and short of breath, but I took out the humidifier and was fine.

Can people even be allergic to chameleons? That would be like the worst thing ever!

My vote would be the cricket poop. Insect poop is highly allergenic. It's believed to be one of the prime causes of childhood asthma in cities.

Perhaps an air cleaner in your room would help?

Humidity should not really cause such extreme breathing problems as far as I know. Mould as a result from humidity could. And mould must not be visible to your eye.

An air cleaner would help with mold as well.

I'm allergic to new carpet....whenever I'm in a situation (at home or at work) that involves new carpet I bring an air cleaner with me. They are also called Air Purifiers. They filter the air and blow clean air out. You keep yourself on the clean side. Both times carpet was put in my house I just carried my air cleaner from room to room and stayed near it. It saved me.

You can get one for not too much money (you'll pay for the filters!) and there are small ones that can fit on the table next to your bed.

squeekz1992 said:

Can people even be allergic to chameleons? That would be like the worst thing ever!

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I am lol when they walk on my skin they leave red marks. I don't have the problem now, cause it's getting colder and I wear long sleeves