Chameleon Stretching Mouth open

[My Chamelon]

This morning when I woke up, I notice my chameleon was awake too before his lights came on, and I saw him stretching his mouth very wide, as if he had a very strong yawn. But chams dont yawn, and his Temps were low as it hadn't turned his lights on yet. What is this a sign if as it couldn't have been too hot in his cage? Very worried cham mother! Thanks for any help! I will take pictures or give any information when I am able to get home

 

[CBee7726]

How long was he awake before his lights came on? Did he stretch his mouth open and immediately close it, or was he sitting there with his mouth open for an extended period of time? How is his health/color/behavior otherwise?

Chams might gape their mouths open for a few reasons including:
Getting ready to shed- they might gape their mouths open to help get rid of skin while shedding.
Defensive posture- chameleons will gape their mouths as a defensive posture open when they feel threatened
Too high temperatures- if a chameleon is too hot, they will lighten up in color and open their mouths to release heat. If this is the case, then some husbandry changes may be required. If his lights weren't on yet, I might guess that temperature is not the issue here, but knowing the ambient temperature of the room in the morning might be helpful.
Respiratory infection- Other signs of respiratory infections include pointing their head upwards, as well as a popping sound when they breathe. If this is the case, then this an emergency and would require a trip to the vet.

However, we can't tell for certain what's going on without additional information. In addition to the husbandry form below, photos of both your chameleon and the enclosure would be extremely helpful.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the husbandry form so one of our experts can help you out.

Chameleon 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.

Cage Info:

• 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?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[nightanole]

Chams yawn. Infact most lizards yawn. They may not yawn cuz sleepy, but all of my scaly friends yawn at some point during the day.

 

[NashansCamos]

. But chams dont yawn

yes they actually do I have seen all 3 of my chams yawn (and sneeze) multiple times

 

[MissSkittles]

yes they actually do I have seen all 3 of my chams yawn (and sneeze) multiple times

I’ve seen mine yawn but never sneeze.

 

[Chameleomom]

Could be he has a shed coming on. They do this to loosen things

 

[NashansCamos]

I’ve seen mine yawn but never sneeze.

mine sneeze and its actually sort of like a human sneeze lol except there mouth dosent go open. I wish i had a video of it but that would take a while.

 

[My Chamelon]

How long was he awake before his lights came on? Did he stretch his mouth open and immediately close it, or was he sitting there with his mouth open for an extended period of time? How is his health/color/behavior otherwise?

Chams might gape their mouths open for a few reasons including:
Getting ready to shed- they might gape their mouths open to help get rid of skin while shedding.
Defensive posture- chameleons will gape their mouths as a defensive posture open when they feel threatened
Too high temperatures- if a chameleon is too hot, they will lighten up in color and open their mouths to release heat. If this is the case, then some husbandry changes may be required. If his lights weren't on yet, I might guess that temperature is not the issue here, but knowing the ambient temperature of the room in the morning might be helpful.
Respiratory infection- Other signs of respiratory infections include pointing their head upwards, as well as a popping sound when they breathe. If this is the case, then this an emergency and would require a trip to the vet.

However, we can't tell for certain what's going on without additional information. In addition to the husbandry form below, photos of both your chameleon and the enclosure would be extremely helpful.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the husbandry form so one of our experts can help you out.

Chameleon 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.

Cage Info:

• 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?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

I noticed he was awake about 20 minutes before his lights came on, His colors and general health seems fine, behavior I have noticed him raising his head sometimes. I noticed he stretched his mouth for a little while and closed it when i approached. be appeared to be in a defensive posture as his body was leaf shaped and his neck was poofed out, but he is kept out of range of other pets and it is very unusual for him to become defensive when approached by anyone.

• My chameleon Bo is a panther chameleon about one year old and has been in my care for about 9 months.
• Handling - I handle my chameleon every other day or every two days as he loves coming out of his cage.
• Feeding - I feed my chameleon mostly crickets, then waxworms. Ive fed him hornworms, and mealworms for treats. I aim to gage him around 5-6 crickets a day but sometimes its 9 and he usually eats everything. He eats in the morning, my schedule just changed so he went from 9-10am to 6am and I gutload my feeders using vegetables such as carrots.
• Supplements - I use Flukers calcium without d3 everyday and then use Rep Cal multivitamins and rep cal calcium with d3 twice a month.
• Watering - I have an Exo Terra monsoon RS 400 humidifier that mists every hour for about a minute. He also has a waterfall at the bottom of his cage that is constantly running water, ive seen him lick the sticks and go to the waterfall but i dont see it all that frequently. His humidity usually falls short at 50% generally
• Fecal Description - His poops are usually hard and black, softer once they're fresh. The urate is white generally.
• History - Bo has no health problems but LOVES coming out of his cage and he climbs his screen frequently even though he knows he is going to fall

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Bo has a screened cage thats 2x2x4'
• Lighting - I use Zoo Med repti basking spot lamp at 75 W that keeps his ambient around 80 degrees F and
• Temperature - I have a temperature guage and the lowest temps at night are 70-72 degrees F
• Humidity - My humidity stays around 50% unfortunately and I bought a new humidity guage recently but cannot remember the brand
• Plants - I have a schefflera arboricola, a dwarf umbrella tree
• Placement - My cage is on the floor of my room and right next to the AC vent and in front of the window where he gets plenty of natural light in the morning
• Location - I sleep in my bed, in which the cage is at the foot of the bed

Current Problem - I'm worried about a respiratory infection, but I am not sure

 

[CBee7726]

I noticed he was awake about 20 minutes before his lights came on, His colors and general health seems fine, behavior I have noticed him raising his head sometimes. I noticed he stretched his mouth for a little while and closed it when i approached. be appeared to be in a defensive posture as his body was leaf shaped and his neck was poofed out, but he is kept out of range of other pets and it is very unusual for him to become defensive when approached by anyone.

• My chameleon Bo is a panther chameleon about one year old and has been in my care for about 9 months.
• Handling - I handle my chameleon every other day or every two days as he loves coming out of his cage.
• Feeding - I feed my chameleon mostly crickets, then waxworms. Ive fed him hornworms, and mealworms for treats. I aim to gage him around 5-6 crickets a day but sometimes its 9 and he usually eats everything. He eats in the morning, my schedule just changed so he went from 9-10am to 6am and I gutload my feeders using vegetables such as carrots.
• Supplements - I use Flukers calcium without d3 everyday and then use Rep Cal multivitamins and rep cal calcium with d3 twice a month.
• Watering - I have an Exo Terra monsoon RS 400 humidifier that mists every hour for about a minute. He also has a waterfall at the bottom of his cage that is constantly running water, ive seen him lick the sticks and go to the waterfall but i dont see it all that frequently. His humidity usually falls short at 50% generally
• Fecal Description - His poops are usually hard and black, softer once they're fresh. The urate is white generally.
• History - Bo has no health problems but LOVES coming out of his cage and he climbs his screen frequently even though he knows he is going to fall

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Bo has a screened cage thats 2x2x4'
• Lighting - I use Zoo Med repti basking spot lamp at 75 W that keeps his ambient around 80 degrees F and
• Temperature - I have a temperature guage and the lowest temps at night are 70-72 degrees F
• Humidity - My humidity stays around 50% unfortunately and I bought a new humidity guage recently but cannot remember the brand
• Plants - I have a schefflera arboricola, a dwarf umbrella tree
• Placement - My cage is on the floor of my room and right next to the AC vent and in front of the window where he gets plenty of natural light in the morning
• Location - I sleep in my bed, in which the cage is at the foot of the bed

Current Problem - I'm worried about a respiratory infection, but I am not sure

Do you have photos of your cham? Have you heard any popping/ wheezing or pointing his head upward? As everyone else said previously, if he just opens his mouth once in a while it's not usually a cause for concern and is pretty normal. If he's gaping for extended periods of time along with other symptoms then it might be cause for concern.

I don't have specific experience with panthers, but I have heard many people warn against using a waterfall in a cham enclosure since they can become breeding grounds for bacteria unless they are cleaned every single day.

 

[Hydra_cosplay]

You wanna ditch the waterfall. They are breeding grounds for bacteria.

(Edit oops just saw cbee said the same thing xD)

 

[My Chamelon]

Do you have photos of your cham? Have you heard any popping/ wheezing or pointing his head upward? As everyone else said previously, if he just opens his mouth once in a while it's not usually a cause for concern and is pretty normal. If he's gaping for extended periods of time along with other symptoms then it might be cause for concern.

I don't have specific experience with panthers, but I have heard many people warn against using a waterfall in a cham enclosure since they can become breeding grounds for bacteria unless they are cleaned every single day.

I dont hear a popping or wheezjng, sometimes j hear him snort, and then i have seen him perching his head up before. I had my mom check on him periodically yesterday and she said he wasn't doing it at all, he only tries to come out of his cage, i took a picture kf him today, he didn't have his mouth open but he had that defensive posture again, i might be able to take out the waterfall but i put it in because he wasn't licking leaves as much to get enough hydration

 

[CBee7726]

I dont hear a popping or wheezjng, sometimes j hear him snort, and then i have seen him perching his head up before. I had my mom check on him periodically yesterday and she said he wasn't doing it at all, he only tries to come out of his cage, i took a picture kf him today, he didn't have his mouth open but he had that defensive posture again, i might be able to take out the waterfall but i put it in because he wasn't licking leaves as much to get enough hydration

What kind of temperature gauge do you have?

Another thing that jumps out at me from your husbandry form is the lighting. Do you have a UVB light in addition to the basking light? if so, what kind?

Having lots of live plants in his enclosure not only helps create little pockets of humidity and shade, but also provides your cham a place to hide. A cham that is constantly trying to get out of his cage can be sign that something might not be quite right with his enclosure. The defensive posture could be that he feels threatened in some way, and my best guess are these two possibilities: He doesn't feel he can hide well enough/ is disturbed in the morning from daily traffic before his lights come on, and maybe his cage isn't high enough? Chams like to be looking down upon us.

 

[My Chamelon]

What kind of temperature gauge do you have?

Another thing that jumps out at me from your husbandry form is the lighting. Do you have a UVB light in addition to the basking light? if so, what kind?

Having lots of live plants in his enclosure not only helps create little pockets of humidity and shade, but also provides your cham a place to hide. A cham that is constantly trying to get out of his cage can be sign that something might not be quite right with his enclosure. The defensive posture could be that he feels threatened in some way, and my best guess are these two possibilities: He doesn't feel he can hide well enough/ is disturbed in the morning from daily traffic before his lights come on, and maybe his cage isn't high enough? Chams like to be looking down upon us.

I dont remember the brand of temp guage I have, i bought it a long time ago, and yes I have a UVB light I have a zoo med uvb bulb and 13W . But I dont think it would be traffic in the morning as we are far from the road and there isn't anything outside the window.

 

[CBee7726]

I dont remember the brand of temp guage I have, i bought it a long time ago, and yes I have a UVB light I have a zoo med uvb bulb and 13W . But I dont think it would be traffic in the morning as we are far from the road and there isn't anything outside the window.

• Is your UVB light a linear tube or a compact coil bulb?- This is very important
• Is your temp gauge digital or analog?
• My apologies, I think I created a bit of confusion by using the word traffic. I meant traffic inside the room/ near his cage, not outside. As I said before, if his cage is on the floor in your room at the foot of your bed there are two potential issues, or could be a mix of both (This is also very important):
  • Chameleons are arboreal, and like to be high up looking down on everything around them. If he's lower/shorter than you, then he might not feel safe. Putting his cage on a stand or dresser so that he's taller than you might help.
  • Chameleons are easily stressed, and lots of activity around their enclosure can contribute to that. Such as: lots of movement around his cage (such as getting ready in the morning) could be disturbing him especially if it's before his lights turn on. Chameleons can also stress when they don't feel like they have sufficient places to hide.