Chameleon abusing basking privileges...

[Ag09g]

So I have a 1 year old male veiled chameleon. He seems healthy except for one little issue - he constantly gapes while basking. Now, the Cage is the standard "large" screened cage, 4X2X2ft, room temperature is 75 and basking areas are 88-90. Originally his vine was about five inches below the bulb, but I have since moved te bulb into a corner with no vines nearby since he was clearly overheating.

Now I have no heard any crackling or wheezing from him, and he only gapes while basking. If I turn the light off hell close his mouth and go on his merry way. When he's not directly under the light he will not b gaping either.

I thought that moving the light away from vines would take away from his ability to spend extended periods of time basking and gaping, but alas, this picture is what we get instead.

The good news is shortly after I took this picture he walked away to go eat some worms, but there have been times he's spent an uncomfortably long time under the light while gaping.

Should I be concerned and what can I do to prevent this?

 

[Ag09g]

Also I'm on my phone so I apologize for the picture, I don't know why it's upside down haha. He's hanging on to the screen vertically, not upside down.

 

[SaintJimmy]

My chameleon spends like 7/10 of his day in his basking spot, and he opens his mouth to yawn, but doesn't gape. Maybe it's too hot for him?

I'd wait until someone else responds though. If he's gaping constantly, it's probably too hot, but he still wants the heat so he stays.

My cham 'yawns' but never gapes. So I have no clue. That's just my guess though.

EDIT: I just read that they 'yawn' to get their shedding skin off (which he is starting to do for the first time since I got him).
So scratch the yawning idea, unless he's shedding.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Sounds unusual at those temps to me........how are you measuring the temperature?
Gaping like that really is only due to over heating so either it is too hot or for some reason he is spending too long there.

 

[Ag09g]

I have a digital thermometer that I use to get the temp. And I thought it must just be too hot and that's why I moved the light, but as you can see he decided he just needed to climb an inch away from the light now...
The thing I'm worried about is just the fact that hell start gaping, but then won't move away to cool down ya know?

 

[Ladybones]

Can you raise it higher off the screen top maybe? or lower wattage bulb?