Mouth Breather

[Rennysgirl]

I saw a different thread on why veiled chameleons mouth is open but I have my own questions. This is my first Chameleon. Here is the details, Renny's nose had white in his/her nostrils around first shed (17th). I thought it was just dead skin. Now my poor baby dose it a lot. I moved the basking bulb incase it was the heat, he moved with it. Temp is 82 under basking. I had be dusting mealworms with vitamin c and crickets with calcium. He has been eating 5-8 crickets daily. His habitat is well misted periodically during the day and once at night. I cleaned his cage today to see if he would close his mouth in happiness but NOTHING is working. I read about mouth rot, and am panicked. His stool wasn't runny but moist. Every time I go to pick him up he gets mad. VERY mad, open mouth and lunging. I go up to his cage and talk to him and he shuts his mouth. I am so worried about him. if I need to post pictures I will. Please let me know what I can do.

 

[bobcochran]

Pictures are very helpful. 82F. isn't too hot for the basking area, so it must be something else. The white around the nostrils is normal-just losing excess minerals.

 

[alphakenc]

What color is his teeth and gums when you saw his mouth open?

 

[kinyonga]

As bobcochran said...the white around the nose is normal. The chameleon is expelling salts.
You said you dust mealworms with vitamin C??? Why vitamin C?
Please list the SPECIFIC supplements you use. What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Please post some recent photos so we can see the mouth and the whole chameleon too.

 

[Rennysgirl]

His gums are pink, you can barley see his teeth he is about a month old. The c was a mistype, I dust with zoo med's reptile vitamins. Gut loaded crickets are fed with Fluker's orange cubes, which is their vitamins, water, and food.

 

[JoshSilba]

Do you have pictures of his enclosure?

 

[Theveiled]

The orange cubes are not the best for gutloading you should use a wide variety of vegetables and many people use bug burger along with it. Does anyone think it could be a respritory problem?

 

[Rennysgirl]

I do not know what to feed the crickets I thought that was the only thing they needed.

 

[Theveiled]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/ here is a link that will tell you some gutloading tips

 

[JoshSilba]

I usually feed my crickets a mix of chopped up apples and collard greens. Simple, cheap, and delicious!

 

[Rennysgirl]

Finally got a picture of his mouth open