Cham yawning? URTI?

[Sykou]

I searched and found answers only to symptoms of consistent "open mouth" and "wheezing".
My Jackson doesn't always do this but it is about every morning. When I go to feed him he looks as if he is yawning. He opens his mouth up wide, then slightly closes it but it remains open for a bit. No heavy breathing, no excessive mucus, not under the basking area. Mouth stays open for maybe a minute at most then he closes it, swallows?, then his mouth is closed like normal for the rest of the day (or at least all the times that I see him).

Is this a normal "routine" for chams in the mornings or is this a cause for concern?

I haven't been able to catch it on video yet but I am still trying.

This pic is of him while misting.

Cage setup

Close up shot. I don't know his age. Any guesses???

1. Chameleon Info:Your Chameleon- The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
   Jackson. Male. ~3 weeks
   Handling- How often do you handle your chameleon? Never handled except for cage cleaning.
   Feeding- What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
   Crickets, 3-4 crickets every other day. Mornings. Some days he only eats 3, others 4. Gut loaded with carrots, romaine lettuce, oats, water crystals.
   Supplements- What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
   Reptival w/out d3 every other feeding. Reptivite with d3 once a month
   Watering- What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?Misting after morning feeding. Spray bottle with warm water. Ten minutes hand misting top of the cage. Chameleon goes under dripping water and opens and closes mouth. Dripper scheduled 4 times daily. 20-30 mins each(haven't figured out a time yet) I have made a "shower" for him that will drip along some artificial leaves hanging down into a funnel about a foot underneath. No automatic misting system installed.
   Fecal Description- Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
   Normal colors feces, I haven't been able to find the white part of it on his most recent "deposit". Not tested for parasites yet.
   History- Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
   Caught wild. Must have been hungry as he ate as soon as I placed crickets into the cage. No fecal tests yet and no vet visits.
   Cage Info:Cage Type- Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?18"x18"x36" zoo med screen cage Lighting- What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?Reptisun 5.0 uvb 13w. 25w ExpTerra daylight basking spot. On at 5:30 off at 6.
2. Temperature- What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking area ~81-83. Cage temp ~80. Night time ~72-79.
3. Humidity- What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? ~50-60% humidity. Morning misting, dropper set to 4 times daily in a certain spot of the cage.
4. Plants- Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Variegated pothos potted. Placed on bottom of cage in terra cotta pots. Topped with organic topsoil and a layer of large sized river rocks. Artificial pothos hanging from top of cage for water to trickle off of for drinking. Various artificial leaves placed as shady areas under branches.
5. Placement- Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? On a countertop near bottom of the stairs. Set back about 4 feet from walkway. Four feet above floor. Ceiling pans to the front and back of the cage located about five feet away. Ceiling is a foot and a half above the cage top. Two story house. Cage is on bottom floor Location- Where are you geographically located? Oahu
6. Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about?

 

[Alexander1]

Is he basking when he does it? My Cham also yawns from time to time, almost looks like he stretching his jaws. Some chama do this when they're about to shed, or want to vent some heat out their body. I would keep an eye on other tell tell signs of trouble along with the gaping. If you hear popping, he has mucus or stops eating, for now I would see what experienced jackson Cham owners would say

 

[Remkon]

my jax opens his mouth every now and then it's to regulate his temperature (cool down)... If it's only occasional and not continuous and you don't hear anything that's nothing to worry about.
My panther opens his mouth too sometimes but it's to show me I should piss off.

I would see if you can drop his nighttime temperature 72 is was away to hot in the long run, few nights will not hurt him but a jax needs a big temperature drop to like 59F( but he can take even a lot colder). He needs this drop to rest properly and it helps his digestion and appetite.

oh and his age is hard to say... I would think maybe 8 months since he has his flooring but his horns are still on the small side.

 

[Sykou]

Is he basking when he does it? My Cham also yawns from time to time, almost looks like he stretching his jaws. Some chama do this when they're about to shed, or want to vent some heat out their body. I would keep an eye on other tell tell signs of trouble along with the gaping. If you hear popping, he has mucus or stops eating, for now I would see what experienced jackson Cham owners would say

Not in the asking area. He is about half way up the cage whilst doing this

 

[Sykou]

my jax opens his mouth every now and then it's to regulate his temperature (cool down)... If it's only occasional and not continuous and you don't hear anything that's nothing to worry about.
My panther opens his mouth too sometimes but it's to show me I should piss off.

I would see if you can drop his nighttime temperature 72 is was away to hot in the long run, few nights will not hurt him but a jax needs a big temperature drop to like 59F( but he can take even a lot colder). He needs this drop to rest properly and it helps his digestion and appetite.

oh and his age is hard to say... I would think maybe 8 months since he has his flooring but his horns are still on the small side.

Hmmm. Have any idea on cooling the cage down to 60 at night? I have central AC but unlike the Cham, we like the warm.... is there such a thing as a mini AC just for the cage?

Along the lines of sleeping... any tell tale signs to ensure he is getting a good nights sleep?

 

[Sykou]

my jax opens his mouth every now and then it's to regulate his temperature (cool down)... If it's only occasional and not continuous and you don't hear anything that's nothing to worry about.
My panther opens his mouth too sometimes but it's to show me I should piss off.

I would see if you can drop his nighttime temperature 72 is was away to hot in the long run, few nights will not hurt him but a jax needs a big temperature drop to like 59F( but he can take even a lot colder). He needs this drop to rest properly and it helps his digestion and appetite.

oh and his age is hard to say... I would think maybe 8 months since he has his flooring but his horns are still on the small side.

8 months... hmm he is still a little one then. Would make sense eating three to four crickets every other day. Oh and "flooring"? What is that exactly?

 

[Sykou]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

[Remkon]

8 months... hmm he is still a little one then. Would make sense eating three to four crickets every other day. Oh and "flooring"? What is that exactly?

That's autocorrect being a dick and changing colourings into flooring for some reason.

Jackson's don't eat that much compared to other chameleons once they are full grown.. They need a lot of humidity but less supplements, food and heat...

 

[Sykou]

That's autocorrect being a dick and changing colourings into flooring for some reason.

Jackson's don't eat that much compared to other chameleons once they are full grown.. They need a lot of humidity but less supplements, food and heat...

Gotcha. Haha. I was worried about the humidity but I put my thermometer/hygrometer in and it reads 50% normally. ~60% after a misting

 

[Remkon]

It should spike up to atleast 80% when misting...
Humidity in the room where my chameleons are usually doesn't fall below 70%... It's humid where I live and I expect humidity to drop only during the winter so I have a cool mist humidifier for when that happens.... It helps a lot.