Dehydrated and Gaping

[Metal725]

He was amazing yesterday!! Ate 12-15 medium crickets dusted with calcium w/o D3, active, alert, everything seemed fine. I wake up today and it was 11 am and he was still sleeping which isn't normal or good. I noticed today he looks extremely dehydrated and is gaping. He opens his eyes for a bit but just looks exhausted. I tried feeding him and he watches the crickets but won't move from his spot. I sprayed an area that was running down the screen to his mouth and he drank a good amount. I've had him since he hatched which was almost 7 months now with no previous issues. Could this just be a dehydration problem or something more serious. With the holiday today and then the weekend, I won't be able to get to a vet until monday. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[CDON]

give him a shower for 20-30 min and let him soak up the water drink it

 

[Metal725]

Your Chameleon*- 7 month old panther chameleon
How long has it been in your care? 7 months
Handling*- 2-3 times per week
Feeding*- 10-15 medium/4 week old crickets. Calcium every day, multivitamin time every other week, calcium with D3 every other week.
Watering*- Mist 3 times a day for maybe 30 seconds
Fecal Description*- brown poop with white urates
History*- no previous history
Cage Type*- Describe your cage- 18x18x36 screen cage
Lighting*- 5.0 reptisun bulb with 50w basking bulb. 12 hours on, 12 hours off.
Temperature*- 85-90, 65-70 at night.
Humidity*- 30-50%
Plants*- Fake vines and plants
Placement*- in the living room but away from human traffic
Location- SF Bay Area

 

[Metal725]

He is normally very easy to handle. Today he is very irritable. Should i continue to remove him and give him a shower with how stressed he is?

 

[RonWhitmill]

I would try to put his entire enclosure in the shower if possible. His eyes look very sunken. Hopefully a long shower with warm water will help him.

 

[waynek]

I would try to put his entire enclosure in the shower if possible. His eyes look very sunken. Hopefully a long shower with warm water will help him.

I agree with ron , if you can't get the whole cage in then at least put a plant or 2 in the shower with him , something around 3 feet tall

 

[djfishygillz]

This problem is beyond a long shower being the miracle cure...

Has he been exposed to any possible pesticides? Was there any change in diet?

What have his fecals looked like? Did they have a lot of orange crystals in it? As that is a sign if dehydration.

 

[christineacero]

Did you change his lighting/ uv bulb? Or was he outside yesterday? He may be too hot, which could be why he is gaping. His lights may be too hot thus drying out his enclosure too fast before he can get enough to drink.

 

[junglefries]

White in the poop means he is hydrated. However, it may be an old one and you missed his current. Give extra mistings. Keep your misting bottle next to the cage, as to keep the water warm. They hate cold water. Maybe bring his temps down some. Ambient to 82-84°f. Basking spot @ 85-88°f. Set up a dripper for him. Some don't like to drink in front of humans. This way he can drink when he wants, as necessary. If it starts to really worry you, you can get some plain pedialyte and add it to his dripper. Keep up the showers. Look for sunken eyes, wrinkling skin, lethargy, sleeping during the day, etc.. You could try some hornedworms or silkworms to increase his water intake. Chams can't resist worms. They really can't. Good luck. If it persists, get to vet asap.