Chameleon Gagging

[Orangejuiceman]

Hello,

I’ve posted here more than a few times now trying to figure it all out as I go.

My chameleon is a year old now, cage has been approved and I follow Chameleon Academy pretty religiously.

I fear my chameleon has a respiratory problem and I’m not sure what’s causing it or if it’s too late. Today is Saturday, he has a vet appointment Monday, that’s the soonest.

He keeps opening his mouth, coughing, almost gagging. This has to be respiratory but it’s only showed up recently. I am at a loss and don’t know what to do. It’s hot in Miami so I’m keeping his cage temperature regulated as best I can. Never is above 85 at his basking lamp.

The coughing is concerning, he is coughing like a human. I don’t know how to post a video but here pictures.

 

[Gloriawood]

You have to upload the video to another platform then share the link. YouTube works, I personally use instAgram. If you have one, that would be helpful

 

[kinyonga]

When does he do this? How often does he do it?

 

[Beman]

Looks like an RI and sounds like an RI based on what you have said. It may be due to the humidity and heat living in FL. They can have a very hard time if your ambient house humidity is high along with not having a low enough ambient temp in the cage so that they can move out of the basking heat. Looks like the cage is in front of a window as well. If this gets direct sun it will heat up the ambient temps of that cage quite a bit.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Usually the biggest risk factors for respiratory infections is a combination of high humidity with high heat. What has your humidity been during the day? What are your temps at night and humidity? How are you hydrating him? Are you using a fogger/humidifier and if so, when and for how long?

 

[Orangejuiceman]

Looks like an RI and sounds like an RI based on what you have said. It may be due to the humidity and heat living in FL. They can have a very hard time if your ambient house humidity is high along with not having a low enough ambient temp in the cage so that they can move out of the basking heat. Looks like the cage is in front of a window as well. If this gets direct sun it will heat up the ambient temps of that cage quite a bit.

I recently moved him into a new room of the house and this has got to be the issue. I moved him into my office in the Florida room but the last week I’ve noticed the ambient temp is way too hot and have been considering placing him back in his old room. It was cooler and only got morning sun for the first part of the day. He loved it and seemed so happy.

You’re right about the heat, that confirms it for me. I have recently lowered his basking temp as well. When I first got him I had it at 95 now I have it around 85-87 max, is this ok?

My house humidity is rather high but so many chameleons live wild down here I thought this would be okay. This is def a temperature and humidity issue I see.

 

[Beman]

I recently moved him into a new room of the house and this has got to be the issue. I moved him into my office in the Florida room but the last week I’ve noticed the ambient temp is way too hot and have been considering placing him back in his old room. It was cooler and only got morning sun for the first part of the day. He loved it and seemed so happy.

You’re right about the heat, that confirms it for me. I have recently lowered his basking temp as well. When I first got him I had it at 95 now I have it around 85-87 max, is this ok?

My house humidity is rather high but so many chameleons live wild down here I thought this would be okay. This is def a temperature and humidity issue I see.

I would keep basking temps between 80-85 max. I keep my adult male at 82. Hotter is not better it can actually cause issues with dehydration which long term can impact organ function. Most people that deal with a high ambient humidity run a dehumidifier in the room during the day and/or run a window unit or portable air conditioner. If you run an air conditioner this is going to help dry out the room but also allow for ambient temps to be in the low 70's.
This is one of those just because they live wild in FL does not mean they thrive. In the wild they retreat to the coolest parts to escape the high heat levels of the day. But in a cage where the entire cage is a higher ambient temp they have no way to get out of it. So they start gaping.

@MissSkittles lives in Florida and can give details on what she does to control ambient levels in her cham room.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m in central Fl (Brevard) and it can be a challenge o keep temps and humidity in check. In addition to the house’s central ac, I have a room ac unit as well as a separate dehumidifier. The electric bill can get insane, but usually it’s just in the summer that I have to run all the extras.

 

[Orangejuiceman]

Hi. Usually the biggest risk factors for respiratory infections is a combination of high humidity with high heat. What has your humidity been during the day? What are your temps at night and humidity? How are you hydrating him? Are you using a fogger/humidifier and if so, when and for how long?

Humidity is high during the evening, around 70-80%. I mist in the evening and middle of the night for two minutes to keep humidity up. During the day lately the humidity has also been very high the last two weeks. Some days reaching 60% or more in the office (south facing). I am going to move a small floor fan in here just to circulate the air a bit more (but not toward the cage).

I hydrate through misting or hornworms. He doesn’t show any dehy at all according to the his exotic vet yesterday. We have been working on him drinking from a glass bowl but he doesn’t understand it yet.

No fogger, no humidifier, just misting and taking him out on cooler mornings for some early sun rays.

The vet yesterday said he is perfectly healthy, no signs of respiratory, not dehydrated, he’s pooping and eating, colors are great….hes just developed these two new attitude things I can’t figure out yet. I think the ambient room temp is major problem, fixing this currently.

He also said the open mouth might be him just auto regulating, but I still don’t understand the coughing action he showed. I will get a video if it happens again.

The vet has conflicting views from what I’ve read here and other places, so I’m keeping an open mind to all things but not taking EVERYONES advice is hard.

 

[MissSkittles]

Humidity is high during the evening, around 70-80%. I mist in the evening and middle of the night for two minutes to keep humidity up. During the day lately the humidity has also been very high the last two weeks. Some days reaching 60% or more in the office (south facing). I am going to move a small floor fan in here just to circulate the air a bit more (but not toward the cage).

I hydrate through misting or hornworms. He doesn’t show any dehy at all according to the his exotic vet yesterday. We have been working on him drinking from a glass bowl but he doesn’t understand it yet.

No fogger, no humidifier, just misting and taking him out on cooler mornings for some early sun rays.

The vet yesterday said he is perfectly healthy, no signs of respiratory, not dehydrated, he’s pooping and eating, colors are great….hes just developed these two new attitude things I can’t figure out yet. I think the ambient room temp is major problem, fixing this currently.

He also said the open mouth might be him just auto regulating, but I still don’t understand the coughing action he showed. I will get a video if it happens again.

The vet has conflicting views from what I’ve read here and other places, so I’m keeping an open mind to all things but not taking EVERYONES advice is hard.

If your temps are too high, he will open-mouthed gape to help cool himself. Daytime humidity should be between 30-50% ideally and yes, ventilation is essential. I don’t understand the gagging/coughing either if he doesn’t have a RI. Definitely keep a close eye on him. Unfortunately, many of our exotics vets have limited knowledge and experience with chameleons. That’s where having this forum is a huge help as we can share info, experiences and ask questions about our vets and visits to them.
There is so very much bad, incorrect or outdated info out there about chameleons, which is why I stick exclusively here. The guidelines we go by are the most current and naturalistic as well as having been determined by experts in varied fields. For example, it is unnatural for chameleons to drink standing water, as from a glass. There is a site that insists that this is the best and only way to hydrate chameleons and refuses to listen to or consider anything else. It is something that was discussed here with relatively open minds. For the reasons I stated, it is not a hydration method that we suggest or encourage, unless your cham has already been ‘trained’ and will only drink from a glass.