Help !

[trioceros jacksonii]

Hi I had a beautiful Jackson chameleon until past Tuesday he past away . Unknown just started opening his mouth wired and his tounge. So I rushed him to the vet but it was to late . Now I just bought a panther chameleon and now what I want all you to help me with is what can I do in order to prevent this from happening again . I have a large terrarium Zoomed about 48 inches tall wide s ought with a reptisun 5.0 a zoomed fog humidifier and a water drop system basking spot 93•F lower cage is 72•F I have cage set up real well with plenty of space and everything clean it every 2 to 3 weeks and now I'm worried about this guy I just got him yesterday and he is not eating just basking under neath the fluorescent bulb . He has drink water earlier but no signs of him eating.

 

[MRDEEDUB83]

Its normal for them to not eat for a week or so at 1st when u get them as there settling in mine went on hunger strike foe a week an a bit then just started eating when i was putting food in just keep putting his food in as normal he will eat eventually with the mouth opening only thing i can think of is basknig spot maybe to hot as my mitsio was doing it so i chnaged his bulb to a 75 watt instead of 100 watt an he stoped doing it an hasnt since

 

[carol5208]

Opening of the mouth can be a sign of a respiratory infection. If untreated for too long it will kill your chameleon. Also how old is your panther?

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

Reply

If you have a 75 watt that is low . I should change it asap because I have a 150 watt bulb with a deep dome light fixture. Idk exactly how old is it I got him from petco just yesterday . .,, ok great he is drinking water but maybe in time he will start eating thanks .

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

But the Jackson didn't do that before just that morning when I woke up . The vet doc said he might have choked on something other than its food .

 

[DavidBuchan]

If you have a 75 watt that is low . I should change it asap because I have a 150 watt bulb with a deep dome light fixture. Idk exactly how old is it I got him from petco just yesterday . .,, ok great he is drinking water but maybe in time he will start eating thanks .

A 75W bulb is fine, depending on the size of cage and distance from basking spot. My female Veiled has a 40W and that is perfect for her.

But the Jackson didn't do that before just that morning when I woke up . The vet doc said he might have choked on something other than its food .

Do you have substrate? (eg. soil or bark). I would guess he is gaping due to overheating. 93F is pretty hot even for an adult panther. Here is some great info. which might be of use to you - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...ng-veiled-panther-chameleons.html#comment1617
As Carol says it may also be a sign of respiratory infection. Check for any signs of mucus, and for wheezing or 'popping' sounds when he breathes.

 

[carol5208]

Are you sure he is a panther? I have. Never seen panthers sold at PETCO. Only veilds

 

[carol5208]

A 75W bulb is fine, depending on the size of cage and distance from basking spot. My female Veiled has a 40W and that is perfect for her.

Do you have substrate? (eg. soil or bark). I would guess he is gaping due to overheating. 93F is pretty hot even for an adult panther. Here is some great info. which might be of use to you - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...ng-veiled-panther-chameleons.html#comment1617
As Carol says it may also be a sign of respiratory infection. Check for any signs of mucus, and for wheezing or 'popping' sounds when he breathes.

That chameleon already passed away. (The one that was gaping) hè was saying he did not know why he was opening his mouth. I was telling him it might be an RI.

 

[DavidBuchan]

That chameleon already passed away. (The one that was gaping) hè was saying he did not know why he was opening his mouth. I was telling him it might be an RI.

I stand corrected (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes ). I guess even I need to read more carefully when I haven't slept in 3 days.........lol, thanks Carol

 

[carol5208]

I stand corrected (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes ). I guess even I need to read more carefully when I haven't slept in 3 days.........lol, thanks Carol

Haha. I am so guilty of doing the same thing and I get plenty of sleep! Btw why haven't you slept in 3 days!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Haha. I am so guilty of doing the same thing and I get plenty of sleep! Btw why haven't you slept in 3 days!

If I could adequately answer that I might not be listening to so much Pink Floyd and Stone Roses right now..........

 

[carol5208]

If I could adequately answer that I might not be listening to so much Pink Floyd and Stone Roses right now..........

love Floyd!!

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

Yes he is a panther I will post more pictures he was price 350$ . I haven't either until I came across this one . ! So I should change my bulb right ? To a lower one . My cafe is tall not big just tall and the panther loves the UVB light and is between both lights. Right now he is sleeping on a vine very cool looking .

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

I'm sti getting use to this forum and will post pictures of my cage soon and from there you guys tell me and help me on what could be wrong or to prevent anything because I really like this new panther and want him to grow huge !!!

 

[ataraxia]

Hi, a 150 watt will cook your kid. How are you measuring temps? Please describe how you are doing this and a picture would be great. If your room ambients are around 72 degrees, depending on the distance from the bulb to the basking branch typically a 40-60 watt house bulb will do the trick.

Please fill this out so we can help you be successful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

Ok we'll I'm on my way to a petco to get a 75 watt bulb yes the temperature in my room is 72 degrees by a house thermometer . Ok I'm going to take off the light no wonder he started sheeding today . Thanks

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

Chameleon type is a Panther chameleon, I got him from petco on the 29th of January 2012 . He is about 5 1/2 months ill say . About his sex type I don't know how to tell . My chamelelon I don't handle him much often just when I have to clean his cage or vet appointments besides that ill say once a month . : I am feeding him gut loaded crickets with Flunkers orange cubs . I use Zilla spray calcium and Spray vitamin supplement . My dust is Flunkers calcium d3 : I feed him crickets I'n the am when he wakes up around 7:50 am followe by another one at 4:20 and his meal worms are always in a bowl for him to eat . : watering I use a zoomed repti fogger humidifier and a little dripper that runs on most of the day the humidifier goes on 4 times a day for about 10 min . And the water droplets on the whole day small drops . : No this panther hasn't been tested for anything . What should I test him for ? I do not know any more information on the chamelelon other than what petco told me .



My cage is a zoomed screen cage the largest screen cage the dimension ill say 52 inches tall and 20 inches wide . : light I am using a reptisun UVB 5.0 fluorescent fixture . Basking bulb is a zoomed basking spot lamp 75 watt with a mini deep dome fixture . : my light run from 6:50 am till 5:30 pm

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

My temperature is Lower part of cage 70•F and basking spot 89•F cool side of cage is 67•F I have a lot of mercury thermometers along with regular petco thermo gauges . . My humidity levels are mid level cage is 67%humidity temp. 68•F lower cage is 85% humidity . : No I am not using live plants non toxic plants all from petco and veins . : My cage is next to my bed no high traffic areas only once or 2 times a month . It is next to a window and we have such a cool breeze here wind is always flowing around my house even in summer I am located in Montebello ,CA USA!!! Thank you all and please help me on what I can fix in my cage or what to do best for my panther

 

[Lovereps]

Much of the setup and care is good but there are a few things that need to be changed in order to help your cham stay healthy.

Just as people require a variety of foods to be healthy, your chameleon needs a variety of feeder insects to stay healthy.
In addition to crickets, dubias, silkworms, hornworms, phoenixworms and blue bottle flies are good.
Mealworms are not one of the better feeders to use.
This place carries a nice variety of feeders.
It is also important to feed your feeder insects nutritious food because they are what your cham gets his nutrition from.
Here is a very good writeup about these 2 things by a vet and cham keeper:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/560-frequently-asked-questions-nutrition.html

To help make up for the lack of calcium of many feeders, dusting the feeders is necessary.
I don't believe that the calcium spray has enough calcium to be relied on--and I believe the same is true of the vitamin spray.
The successful longterm cham keepers rely on good gutloading and light daily dusting of feeders.
It is important that the daily dusting not have D3 in it because too much D3 can damage internal organs permanently.
A good schedule for a Panther is typically
Calcium without d3 every feeding like this one http://www.joshsfrogs.com/food-nutr...s/rep-cal/rep-cal-calcium-without-vit-d3.html
Calcium with d3 twice a month like this http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/rep-cal-ultrafine-calcium-with-d3.html
A multivitamin twice a month like this one http://www.joshsfrogs.com/food-nutr...nhancers/rep-cal/herptivite-multivitamin.html

I'm concerned that the cage may be too damp, so that molds or bacteria can grow. This is known to lead to respiratory infections.
The cage and its furnishings should dry out in between mistings.
The reptifogger might be OK to use if it cycles on and off but I don't believe it should run constantly throughout the day.

Too often stores sell people substrates to use on the bottom of the cage but they are a bad idea for chams. If you have a substrate, please remove it.
Chams can become impacted (intestines blocked) or the substrate grows bacteria or mold and makes the cham sick with a respiratory infection.

It doesn't matter to the cham if the plants are real or fake but he needs plenty of hiding places to feel secure and not stressed. Stress causes chams to get sick more easily.

You'll also want to find a good reptile-knowledgeable vet before you absolutely need one.
The fecal tests that people mention are done to be sure that your cham does not have any internal parasites which can lead to serious health problems or even death. To get fecal tests done, you bring a fresh poop sample to the vet.

 

[trioceros jacksonii]

Reply

Wow thanks man I didn't know that much . I spray the calcium and then I add aslo the powder but I didn't know that too much calcium can mess up their organs so my question is how many times do I put d3 on his crickets ? What about the worms what do I feed the worms ?

My cage Is not that damp I clean it every 3 to four weeks . With Clorox wipes and then with water I keep rinsing them off . I have never seen any mold on the bottom I use a Matt that is green and a bit furry but I wash this as well . Thanks again .