Ricky The Cham
Member
He is breathing weird and also its weird he's not eating any food. Any advice or am I paranoid?
Last edited:
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
no none at all. I have even put him super close to my ear.Are you hearing wheezing?
So the best thing would be for you to fill out the form below by copy pasting it into your reply. But crawling on the top is not good. Something has him upset. Can you take pictures of the entire enclosure lighting down please. Has anything changed in his environment or the room in the last 5 days since this started?no none at all. I have even put him super close to my ear.
I posted the answers to this in a post below but forgot to reply.So the best thing would be for you to fill out the form below by copy pasting it into your reply. But crawling on the top is not good. Something has him upset. Can you take pictures of the entire enclosure lighting down please. Has anything changed in his environment or the room in the last 5 days since this started?
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- 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?
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
--------------
Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Ambanja Panther Chameleon. 7months old. 4 months of care by me.
- Handling - whenever he free ranges around on his wooden tree or goes outside which Is 3-5 times a week. Does his free-range have proper UVB? when he free ranges inside the house he has no uvb but its only for about 30-45 mins and when we go outside he just has the sun.
- Feeding - I usually give him a cup with 10 crickets and 2 superworms to give him a little choice. I used to only feed crickets and mealworms as treats but he got bored of that. I offer him food daily multiple times through the day until about 4pm. he never usually eats all his food in one meal. I gut load my feeders with highlighter dust which is a combo of greens and bee pollen and some carrots and healthy things that the breeder feeds his bugs. He only needs to be fed once a day. With the Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-All Outdoor, you need to gutload with Sticky Tongue Farms Vit-All gutload, prepared properly
- Supplements - I dust his feeders with minerall-outdoor calcium daily and give him herptivite multivitamin every wednesday. With Miner-All and Vit-All used together, you don't need a multivitamin or any extra supplements, just the Miner-All. i will buy some of that forsure.
- Watering - I give him a water glass full to the brim every morning and he drinks from it and then he is misted throughout the day and sometimes drinks, then I offer him his glass another time at night which he sometimes takes. i mist 4 times a day (1am, 8am,2pm,9pm all for 2 minutes). yes I see him drink. How often do you clean his water glass, and how long is each misting session? each session is 2 minutes, I clean his water glass weekly.
- Fecal Description - his fecals look good other than slight orange in his urates the past few days. How much orange was there? the urate was mostly white with just a bit of orange on the end close to the poop.
- Cage Info:
- Cage Type - 2x2x4 screen with some cardboard covers on the sideto keep basking spot warm.
- Lighting - 65watt eco incandescent white bulb with 8 inch dome for heat. and a t5 high output reptisun hood with a 24w t5 high output bulb 5.0. What is the age of his UVB bulb, and how far away is the bulb from his basking branch? I just swapped his uvb that was 4 months old yesterday. and his uvb is about 6 inches from the spot and sits on the top of screen.
- Temperature - basking spot is 85-87. ambeint temps are 70-75 throughout the day and at night it gets down to about 68. I measure this with a temp gun.
- Humidity - humidity is 45-70%in the day and about 60-70% at night. 45% is a little low during the day, and 70% is high for during the day. 50-60/65% is preferred for during the day. Ok I can tighten up the levels of humidity.
- Plants - A big umbrella tree in the center.
- Placement - The cage is on a table about 2 feet off the ground and the top of the cage is about 6 feet tall. not by and vents or airways. and the only traffic is me playing video games or doing homework at my desk in his room.
- Location - Eugene, Oregon
- Current Problem - He is refusing food and breathing weird. he still drinks everyday but has been screen climbing frequently too. Could he have something stuck in his throat? That is one of the things I was thinking originally. he was digging at his plants that were hanging up high before this problem started and then I took them out cause I kept catching him dig trying to bite the roots or something. they were both 4 inch pot with all natural soil and rocks covering the dirt. one was a pothos the other was a spider plant. he was digging at them so I took them out.
Never been tested for parasites in my care but the breeder tested him before I picked him up.Has he ever been tested for parasites, either?
Okay I will get him tested for parasites for sure. and start cleaning his glass daily. What do you think this breathing is from. he doesn't do it when he's just relaxing only when he's moving a lot or hanging in a weird position. if he hasn't eaten more that 1 superworm and 1 mealworm in the past 6 days should I be concerned?I would clean his glass at least once a day minimum. His UVB bulb should be 8-9" away from his basking branch. Also, a digital thermometer with a probe, with the probe placed where the top of his back is when he's on his basking branch, is way more accurate than a temp gun. A temp gun measures surface temps, but basking is air temp, which a digital thermometer measures. How do you measure your humidity levels? I would get him tested for parasites just to rule them out, plus Highlighter Chameleons (which is where I think you got him from) has sold sick chams before
One week is fine, but neither of those bugs are good staples, only as treats. Have you tried other worms or roaches, moths/flies, mantids, stick bugs, etc? Here's a great feeder chart! As for the breathing, I don't know. When you take him in to check his fecal (bring a fresh one with you), have the vet (who needs to be experienced with chams) do a check-up and voice your concernsOkay I will get him tested for parasites for sure. and start cleaning his glass daily. What do you think this breathing is from. he doesn't do it when he's just relaxing only when he's moving a lot or hanging in a weird position. if he hasn't eaten more that 1 superworm and 1 mealworm in the past 6 days should I be concerned?
Ok will do. Yeah I have treid crickets, super worms, horn worms, black fly larva, and dubia roaches and he looks at it like he's interested for half a second then looks away and doesn't care anymore.One week is fine, but neither of those bugs are good staples, only as treats. Have you tried other worms or roaches, moths/flies, mantids, stick bugs, etc? Here's a great feeder chart! As for the breathing, I don't know. When you take him in to check his fecal (bring a fresh one with you), have the vet (who needs to be experienced with chams) do a check-up and voice your concerns
possibly I guess if he was digging in the dirt. what do I do if that happened or how can I know? do you think I should just take him to the vet Monday if he doesn't start eating and improving?Could he have aspirated on something or have something in his lungs?
I have no idea. I say take him to the vet on Monday (obviously sooner if he progresses) and see if they can x-ray his lungs/body, along with checking out everything else, to find the causepossibly I guess if he was digging in the dirt. what do I do if that happened or how can I know? do you think I should just take him to the vet Monday if he doesn't start eating and improving?