Help Senegal breathing weird!

[NEIRR50644]

Hi we run a reptile rescue and we recently got a Senegal cham. in and he was thin but other than that looked pretty good. We have been feeding him his crickets and gut loading them and every other day dusting them with calcium powder. We had him in a 30 gallon tank with a screened top and his UV light and a basking light. In the tank I had frog moss in there a huge water dish and fake plants. Then today we noticed he was opening his mouth and taking a deep breath then closing his mouth and he would repeat this step every so often. So we decided to build him his own enclosure with a screened in front and OSB boards on the sides and top. As I was cleaning the old tank out I noticed the frog moss had some mold on it. Could this be why he is breathing weird? Should I take him to a vet or will he come out of it since we put him in a new enclosure with out the frog moss? Please help we don't want to loose this big guy he is such a sweet heart. Thank you so much!

 

[SpinyFranky]

Firstly you should fill out the how to ask for help form located as a sticky on the health clinic forum.

Moss in general is not a good item for chameleon cages, mold would indicate bacteria which may have been inhaled by the animal and results in a respiratory infection.

Though he could also be too hot and gaping to cool off, I cant tell unless you fill out that form.

It sounds like he was in an aquarium?

Chameleons need screened cages or specially designed glass terrariums (depending on species and keeper location). Chameleons are also arboreal animals and thus require vertical space rather than horizontal space.

Pictures of your enclosure would help here (both the old and the new).

In the end, if the animal is making a strange noise a vet trip is probably required - especially if the animal is a rescue and thus could have been in previously neglected condition.

S.F

 

[kinyonga]

If its not overheating...I would get it to the vets.

Is it raising its head when it opens its mouth? They do this when they are seriously sick or dying...sorry to tell you that.

 

[chamelisa]

He may have a respiratory infection. See a vet and take in a fecal sample for testing for parasites. It's hard to post on an iPhone but if you want my help call me tomorrow at 818-219-9315. I've worked with this species in rescue over the years.