Is this normal??

Goliath

New Member
Hey guys,
I am a first time owner. I got Goliath back in June, was misinformed about the amount of care :( , and well anyway.. he now has mbd. I have been treating him for about a month now and he recently shed!!! Yay. Good sign. I have learned alot in the past month from breeders and the forum but I have a question about his behavior. I have noticed that he will open up his mouth randomly and sort of just sit there. I have a picture in the gallery. He has also been changing to lighter colors more often at night or under the basking spot. Is this a positive thing or could he be to hot? Just wanted your opinions. Thanx:) P.S. His head was also grey, is that normal?
 
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Yes, he seems to be trying to regulate his temp by opening his mouth.
Can he thermoregulate?
Are there warmer and cooler spots in the enclosure?
What's the temp?

-Brad
 
Im using a 60 watt for his basking spot and there are other parts of the cage that are cooler. The temp of the cage is usually in 70's. I live in California so its been pretty dry here. The humidity is hard to keep up and I have live plants. I havent actually taken the temp under the heat lamp though. Thanks for the reply
 
What is the basking temperature?
How much is he drinking?
Is there excessive mucus when the mouth is open?
 
Does he open his mouth when you are not around? How would you know, right? Anyway, I wonder if he is gaping at you. Maybe he doesn't like you and is trying to scare you off. Maybe he is scared of you.

My panther almost always lightens up at night, his sleeping colors are much prettier than his normal colors.
 
Is he doing the gaping when he is sitting under the basking light?

How are you treating the MBD? What changes have you made because of it?
 
I don't think he is gaping at me. I will walk into the room and notice that he just has his mouth open. When I walk over and start to open his cage he will shut his mouth. I need to check the temp of the basking spot though. He doesnt have excessive mucus or anything. I have been treating his mbd for two weeks now. I give him liquid calcium two times a day, mist him numerous times throughout the day, and I took him to the vet about a week and a half ago. He gave him a vitamin D3 shot and a shot of calcitonin. He is getting stronger, I can tell by his grip. He never tries to bite me and has never hissed at me. He's a really calm and friendly little guy. o ya--- I have noticed he is gaping while under the basking light. About the water, I havent seen him drink lately but the vet said he doesn't look dehydrated.
 
An open mouth like you are describing is a common technique used by various animals of the world. When the mouth is open it allows saliva to evaporate and mixes with the incoming air. This cools the air and in doing so cools the core (mid section of the body). How hot the basking area is will depend on the species and age can come into play also.

I do not own Panthers but most recommend a basking spot of 85-90*.
 
His basking spot is about 95F. When I put my hand under, it just feels warm, not hot. i will try to lower the vine which is directly under the spot so its not as intense. Thanks for the info.
 
One more question someone might be able to answer. When I first started giving him the liquid calcium I was giving him a pretty good amount, approximately half of the syringe. When I took him to the vet, he told me to only give him .07cc. Thats the equivalent of about 2-3 drops. Since I have been doing this the past week and a half he seems to be a little bit more shakey when he walks. I have also been dusting his crickets to try to get more calcium in him. I talked to a friend who suggested giving him more calcium. He said 2-3 drops doesnt sound like enough. He used to breed chams. What do you guys think?
 
Well I have only had one chameleon that had to take medicine like that he was a jackson. I can not remember how much it was but it seemed like about 2-4 drops. You got to remember that even big chameleons have no substainal mass. A big one is just barely over a pound.

For my supplementing schedule I use calcium everytime. Calcium:phosphorus in feeder insects are very poor. I supplement with Calcium with D3 every week. The multivitamin I use once a month. All of the products I use to supplement are Repti-Cal brand. He gets exposure to a UVb source too. This is for an adult male veiled. You may want to talk this over a bit with your vet. I could not really see a problem with supplementing like this while he is taking medicine but then again I am no vet. Getting all his level back in line may take awhile.

I hope he gets better. I looked in your gallery and he is a cutey.
 
Too much calcium can cause serious problems as well, so I recommend following the instructions of your veterinarian.
 
Just got back from the vet. He was not happy. He saw a turtle in the fish tank and turned bright orange. He looked really pretty. He got two more shots and now he's back in his cage. I will stick with the amount of calcium the vet suggested. Thanks again for the advice.
 
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