Jackson male spitting up foam..please help.

[JacksonPanther]

My male Jackson ( about 1 year old) has been sluggish / not eating much. Temp and humidity are not issues. He has not eaten any wild insects or been exposed to anything harmful. He has been drinking but not like usual and his poop is super small with small signs of hydration. I have noticed the foam within the past 2 weeks. First time I saw the foam, it was hanging off a vine near the basking area. Just this morning his mouth was open not long after he woke up and I saw him actually throw it up and tilt his head on a vine to wipe it off. We dont have any vets around here that actually specialize in chameleons. I knew something was wrong because I spend a lot of time with them and he was acting different. I stopped handing him to keep the stress down. Just this morning I pulled him out and his grip is getting weaker so something is going on for sure. I also have a female panther and she is fine. I pulled him out of the room and into another room just incase it's contagious....any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Bush baby]

He may be impacted, or it may have gone down his respiratory tract. There's nothing you can really do at home other than make him comfortable. He really needs a vet.

Are you using those bendable vines that are commonly sold at pet stores? The inside of those things have a white foam/styrofoam center. Maybe your cham had an odd habit of biting them..? I've also seen crickets eating this stuff too, so he may (not likely but maybe…) gotten some in his system this way.

He really needs a vet….

 

[JacksonPanther]

He may be impacted, or it may have gone down his respiratory tract. There's nothing you can really do at home other than make him comfortable. He really needs a vet.

Are you using those bendable vines that are commonly sold at pet stores? The inside of those things have a white foam/styrofoam center. Maybe your cham had an odd habit of biting them..? I've also seen crickets eating this stuff too, so he may (not likely but maybe…) gotten some in his system this way.

He really needs a vet….

I am around him most of the day and he doesnt chew on anything. I did find out that the humidifier that I have been using can blow impurities in the air....which can cause respiratory issues. I was using tap water which is not recommended because of minerals amd what not in the water. It is a warm mister. The cool misters breed bacteria which for obvious reasons is not good. The warm mister kills bacteria but doesn't stop other impurities from floating around. I had been noticing a fine white dust on the tables and spaces in the chameleons area but thought it was my vacuum cleaner which I took apart and cleaned. He had the humidifier near him all night last night..which I think caused his spitting up the foam. Now that I think about it, this all started shortly after the humidifier was purchased....the white dust..which he was obviously breathing in. It didnt bother the panther luckily. If your water is from the tap or not demineralized...it goes in to the air and the chameleons breath it. Tuff lesson for me. Also the vines have no foam in them...nothing in the cage had beem chewed on of exposed.

 

[JacksonPanther]

And

I am around him most of the day and he doesnt chew on anything. I did find out that the humidifier that I have been using can blow impurities in the air....which can cause respiratory issues. I was using tap water which is not recommended because of minerals amd what not in the water. It is a warm mister. The cool misters breed bacteria which for obvious reasons is not good. The warm mister kills bacteria but doesn't stop other impurities from floating around. I had been noticing a fine white dust on the tables and spaces in the chameleons area but thought it was my vacuum cleaner which I took apart and cleaned. He had the humidifier near him all night last night..which I think caused his spitting up the foam. Now that I think about it, this all started shortly after the humidifier was purchased....the white dust..which he was obviously breathing in. It didnt bother the panther luckily. If your water is from the tap or not demineralized...it goes in to the air and the chameleons breath it. Tuff lesson for me. Also the vines have no foam in them...nothing in the cage had beem chewed on of exposed.

Thank you for replying back...much appreciated.

 

[bobcochran]

I am around him most of the day and he doesnt chew on anything. I did find out that the humidifier that I have been using can blow impurities in the air....which can cause respiratory issues. I was using tap water which is not recommended because of minerals amd what not in the water. It is a warm mister. The cool misters breed bacteria which for obvious reasons is not good. The warm mister kills bacteria but doesn't stop other impurities from floating around. I had been noticing a fine white dust on the tables and spaces in the chameleons area but thought it was my vacuum cleaner which I took apart and cleaned. He had the humidifier near him all night last night..which I think caused his spitting up the foam. Now that I think about it, this all started shortly after the humidifier was purchased....the white dust..which he was obviously breathing in. It didnt bother the panther luckily. If your water is from the tap or not demineralized...it goes in to the air and the chameleons breath it. Tuff lesson for me. Also the vines have no foam in them...nothing in the cage had beem chewed on of exposed.

It sounds like an upper respiratory infection, tilting his head up, open mouth, foaming mucus, all classic signs. He needs an antibiotic to cure it, it's not going to go away by itself!

 

[JacksonPanther]

It sounds like an upper respiratory infection, tilting his head up, open mouth, foaming mucus, all classic signs. He needs an antibiotic to cure it, it's not going to go away by itself!

Ok. Thank you very much ! You are a big help!! I will call vet tomorrow when they are open first thing !

 

[JacksonPanther]

I have brought him to the Vet twice now and he is slowing going down hill. Had to start force feed/hydrating him because he is so weak. Had one antibiotic run already from the first visit and now starting a second from the visit yesterday and also a deworming treatment. Been checked over thoroughly for mites and none seen. Poop checked for parasites..none. His lungs and heart sound normal and he still has decent strength if he needs it but sadly that is getting weaker by the day. His poop looks normal as it can considering its not much as he isnt eating on his own.(just the small amount of supplement if feed him) I am beyond frustrated at this point. I have had exotics for over 20 years including Macaws, African Greys, other chameleons, to name a few, high maintenance animals. This little guy has me and the Vet stumped. Any ideas ? He isnt going back to the Vet so this may be it.

 

[brownie64]

All you can do I'm afraid is keep force feeding him at this point, and hope he makes a turn around. Sorry about your turn of events here is hoping things turn around. Good luck.

 

[Carlton]

I have brought him to the Vet twice now and he is slowing going down hill. Had to start force feed/hydrating him because he is so weak. Had one antibiotic run already from the first visit and now starting a second from the visit yesterday and also a deworming treatment. Been checked over thoroughly for mites and none seen. Poop checked for parasites..none. His lungs and heart sound normal and he still has decent strength if he needs it but sadly that is getting weaker by the day. His poop looks normal as it can considering its not much as he isnt eating on his own.(just the small amount of supplement if feed him) I am beyond frustrated at this point. I have had exotics for over 20 years including Macaws, African Greys, other chameleons, to name a few, high maintenance animals. This little guy has me and the Vet stumped. Any ideas ? He isnt going back to the Vet so this may be it.

I know I'm joining in on this thread late, but here are some thoughts to consider. When things don't seem to be adding up, I like to go back to the beginning and look at everything differently. My sense is that you are seeing a combination of compounding stressors on top of the original problem. If he's throwing up foam there's a chance its NOT actually a respiratory problem but an intestinal one. Deworming treatment is stressful and didn't seem to be necessary, force feeding is stressful (I know, a double edged sword), and possibly the antibiotic the vet gave you isn't addressing what is wrong. Baytril is often prescribed as it a broad spectrum med. However, it is hard on chams and some react badly to it. Its also possible that the bacteria causing the infection (if that's what this is) is not sensitive to Baytril. Did the vet do any sensitivity testing (maybe using the cham's saliva or the foamy discharge)? I am also puzzled by the vet's comment that his lungs sounded normal. If he has a RI this serious wouldn't the lungs sound abnormal? Remember, chams have a system of airsacs similar to birds, and they can develop infections too.

A couple of comments about your description of the humidifier "dust". It is most likely mineral deposit from the evaporated tap water. There is nothing inherently hazardous about the dust, so I really doubt it caused the problem on its own. I suspect your panther would have shown similar problems if that was the cause. And, if it was municipal tap water safe for you to drink it wasn't loaded with bad bacteria. If warm water in the humidifier was sitting stagnant in the reservoir for days at a time it could harbor bacterial growth, but it doesn't sound like that was the problem. IMHO the problem with your jax is unique to him, and it could have been something lurking just under the surface for quite a while.

Just wondering if its possible its not actually a RI that is causing the symptoms. Possibilities could also include an irritation or injury to his esophagus or inside of his mouth, a stomach problem. Could you describe your nutritional supplementation and gutloading, both products used and schedule? How long have you had him? WC or CBB? What feeders do you use?