Mouth slightly open MBD?!

Today I noticed that my chameleon’s mouth was slightly open tonight and I was worried because it looks like MBD. His mouth closed right after I sprayed him and he’s doing pretty well besides that. Thoughts? His arm is swollen because he used to have articulate gout and it is still swollen. He had surgery and is still recovering and on allipurinol daily. Here’s pics I’ll get some full body pics tomorrow. 88395A79-222D-40FE-87B2-DC667836B20F.jpeg
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Hi. I really know almost nothing about Jackson’s but do know that they can have problems with temporal glands filling/getting infected. There’s also things like mouth rot and respiratory infection that could cause him to keep his mouth open, along with mbd. More pics will definitely help. If you’d like you could also have your husbandry reviewed to make sure that mbd and other things can be ruled out. You’ll find the help questions here if you want to do that. Just copy & paste. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
Hopefully someone with experience with Jackson’s can better help you.
 
Hi. I really know almost nothing about Jackson’s but do know that they can have problems with temporal glands filling/getting infected. There’s also things like mouth rot and respiratory infection that could cause him to keep his mouth open, along with mbd. More pics will definitely help. If you’d like you could also have your husbandry reviewed to make sure that mbd and other things can be ruled out. You’ll find the help questions here if you want to do that. Just copy & paste. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
Hopefully someone with experience with Jackson’s can better help you.

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Male xanth, around 4.5- 5 years old, 4 years in my care
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Almost never but occasionally for transportation purpose or if there is a power outage at my house

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
My Cham tongue issues so I am forced to hand feed, mainly dubias but also hornworms, superworms, every once in a while crickets, I want to start varying his diet more though. Because of hand feeding usually 1 relatively large bug everyday, gutload mostly consists of leafy greens such as collards, kale, bok choy, turnip greens, but includes carrots, raspberries, blueberries, apple, banana, zucchini occasionally

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Zoo med no d3 calc 2-3 times a week
Calc w d3 once a month
Reptivite once a month
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

I must 36 oz bottle (5-10 min) in the morning before lights go on and after the lights go off.
I also include a hydration session where I offer him water by spraying lightly near his mouth. He usually drinks then so I see him drink

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Not tested for parasites, his poop is usually looks firm as in it keeps it’s shape, unrated are white as the moon maybe too white and sometimes a little watery

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

He was diagnosed with articulate gout 2.5 months ago. His tongue doesn’t work it shoots out only 1 inch, I used to not know what I was doing and I used to not fully give him best care possible which could be reason for some of his issues

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
24 24 48 reptibreeze
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
White heat light creates 84 degree basking spot, and 24 inch t5 ho 5.0 zoo Med reptisun for uvb 12/12 on off cycle for both
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Floor is around 68-70 top is around 73-75, night time temp around 66-70. Usually 66. I used a digital thermometer
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Daytime-50-60% I live in a very humid area nighttime I’m not sure but probably 60-85 depending on where in the cage because it is bioactive I use a spray bottle, I use a digital hygrometer

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Yes, I have one large massangena or mass cane that is very large, two draceana little trees, and a yucca cane
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Located on a high drawer way higher than humans, I do have a fan facing towards it at night to help with the temp drop
Location - Where are you geographically located? Houston, hot and humid

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
MBD slightly open mouth
 
Hi there and welcome! You have a handsome boy there! I also have a Jackson’s male. While I’m not an expert I do have some experience with these guys. The first thing I see is he’s beginning to show a few slight signs if being overweight. His casque is beginning to bulge a little and that’s the first sign you may see. I noticed that you feed him every day as well and he doesn’t need to be fed every day at his age. He should be feeding every other day and only maybe 5 medium size bugs. I see he does have a feeding problem though. Maybe giving him a rest every other day may help. Super worms and horn worms are known to bite so he may have a tongue injury due to that. He doesn’t need hornworms if he is well hydrated and I’m not sure that super worms are the best thing for him. I feed my guy Dubia, bsfl, crickets and I’m trying some silk worms soon. Your gut loading sounds really good. Once a month when you give the calcium with D3 and the vitamins why not give him Reptivite with D3 that way you can give your vitamins and D3 in one feeding and then go back to plain calcium with your other feedings. Now as for your lights, the basking temp of 84 is a little high for a Jackson’s. Mine prefers no higher than 80 or he starts gaping which is opening his mouth to thermoregulate. Maybe try getting a lower wattage bulb like a 60 watt. Don’t leave it on all day, just a few hours in the morning and maybe another hour in the afternoon. Your uvb sounds spot on. Make sure your replacing the bulb every 6 months because that’s about how long they last. Your other temps sound good but just remember these guys need a real good temp drop at night down into the low 60’s preferably 50’s but if he’s in your house I understand that’s difficult. Humidity at night needs to be 80 or above that’s why it’s really handy to have something like a mist king that you can set and forget. It will mist several times during the night to help bring humidity up and temps down. If you can get your temps below 67 at night you can also add a cold mist humidifier and pipe the fog into the top of that cage so it cascades down and that also help bring humidity up and temps down. You really need a hygrometer and be able to check it to make sure the humidity at night. A Govee thermometer/ hygrometer is great for that because it pairs with your phone and you can get a full read out the next day of what temps and humidity were all night the night before. These are available on Amazon for I think around 11.00. As for plants you want thick foliage plants like a ficus benjamina. My guy loves his and he loves hiding in it because you can’t see him when he’s in there! Jackson’s are very secretive and shy creatures and like their privacy. These small trees do loose a lot of leaves when you first get them but after a month they stop doing that. They don’t like change! Lol! Now I’ve thrown a lot of info at you.. I hope it has been helpful. Please ask any questions you have, that’s what we’re here for! I hope and pray your guy gets better! He’s so beautiful!
 
Can you send a picture of both sides of his face? Also, send a picture with his entire body in view.

Also, it looks like your cham has gout in at least the front right arm. That puffiness is more than fat/added weight. I wish I could stick around longer, but I'm already running behind schedule. I can try and hop on tomorrow. Linda has provided good information that you can adopt. I can add on to this later. I would only feed your cham 2-3 feeders every other day (Mon, Wed, Fri and then skip the weekends).
 
Can you send a picture of both sides of his face? Also, send a picture with his entire body in view.

Also, it looks like your cham has gout in at least the front right arm. That puffiness is more than fat/added weight. I wish I could stick around longer, but I'm already running behind schedule. I can try and hop on tomorrow. Linda has provided good information that you can adopt. I can add on to this later. I would only feed your cham 2-3 feeders every other day (Mon, Wed, Fri and then skip the weekends).
This Cham is being treated for gout already. She said he had surgery and was on alopurinal which is for gout. I don’t know why the surgery though.
 
Hi there and welcome! You have a handsome boy there! I also have a Jackson’s male. While I’m not an expert I do have some experience with these guys. The first thing I see is he’s beginning to show a few slight signs if being overweight. His casque is beginning to bulge a little and that’s the first sign you may see. I noticed that you feed him every day as well and he doesn’t need to be fed every day at his age. He should be feeding every other day and only maybe 5 medium size bugs. I see he does have a feeding problem though. Maybe giving him a rest every other day may help. Super worms and horn worms are known to bite so he may have a tongue injury due to that. He doesn’t need hornworms if he is well hydrated and I’m not sure that super worms are the best thing for him. I feed my guy Dubia, bsfl, crickets and I’m trying some silk worms soon. Your gut loading sounds really good. Once a month when you give the calcium with D3 and the vitamins why not give him Reptivite with D3 that way you can give your vitamins and D3 in one feeding and then go back to plain calcium with your other feedings. Now as for your lights, the basking temp of 84 is a little high for a Jackson’s. Mine prefers no higher than 80 or he starts gaping which is opening his mouth to thermoregulate. Maybe try getting a lower wattage bulb like a 60 watt. Don’t leave it on all day, just a few hours in the morning and maybe another hour in the afternoon. Your uvb sounds spot on. Make sure your replacing the bulb every 6 months because that’s about how long they last. Your other temps sound good but just remember these guys need a real good temp drop at night down into the low 60’s preferably 50’s but if he’s in your house I understand that’s difficult. Humidity at night needs to be 80 or above that’s why it’s really handy to have something like a mist king that you can set and forget. It will mist several times during the night to help bring humidity up and temps down. If you can get your temps below 67 at night you can also add a cold mist humidifier and pipe the fog into the top of that cage so it cascades down and that also help bring humidity up and temps down. You really need a hygrometer and be able to check it to make sure the humidity at night. A Govee thermometer/ hygrometer is great for that because it pairs with your phone and you can get a full read out the next day of what temps and humidity were all night the night before. These are available on Amazon for I think around 11.00. As for plants you want thick foliage plants like a ficus benjamina. My guy loves his and he loves hiding in it because you can’t see him when he’s in there! Jackson’s are very secretive and shy creatures and like their privacy. These small trees do loose a lot of leaves when you first get them but after a month they stop doing that. They don’t like change! Lol! Now I’ve thrown a lot of info at you.. I hope it has been helpful. Please ask any questions you have, that’s what we’re here for! I hope and pray your guy gets better! He’s so beautiful!

Thank you for responding!
Your right I have noticed he is a little over weight so I reduced his feeding to every other day but the issue is that hand feeding is extremely time consuming because his horns get in the way and he hates eating when I’m near him so instead of 2-3 every other day, 1 bug daily is way more convenient and still adds up to the same amount but I’ll reduce an eating day if you think I should. Maybe the super worm bite hurt is his tongue I’m not sure though. The big reason I feed hornworms is because they are easy for him to bite because they are thick and slow moving so he can bite them off the screen without his horns in the way. I feed Dubia and I’ll get crickets soon but bsfl are way too small for him he barely notices them. I really want to try silkworms too!! Thanks for the gutload and supplement advice. For the basking bulb I used to have it at around 79 but he would sit there for many many hours so I upped the temp to 84 which really helped reduce his time basking. I’m planning on replacing the uvb every 6 months. For night drop I try to turn on the a/c but I can’t have it on all night. It gets down to 65 most nights with just fans and a bit of a/c. For the mist king, I’m hoping to get one soon as well as a fogger and I am fully aware to disadvantages of hand misting. My chameleon actually doesn’t hide very much probably because He’s used to me hand feeding, spraying, and medicating him. I’ll show pictures of him and his enclosure below. Btw he has a plant light and his cage is bioactive
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Your cage looks great! I understand that it’s difficult to hand feed. I’ll have to refer to another more knowledgeable person on how many feeders he should have each day. I do think crickets and roaches are better for him than super worms and horn worms but I’ll let them give you the info on that. I can tell you really love your Cham and are trying hard to give him the best. Let me just tag in a couple people who have a lot more experience than I do.
@Mendez @JacksJill
 
Your cage looks great! I understand that it’s difficult to hand feed. I’ll have to refer to another more knowledgeable person on how many feeders he should have each day. I do think crickets and roaches are better for him than super worms and horn worms but I’ll let them give you the info on that. I can tell you really love your Cham and are trying hard to give him the best. Let me just tag in a couple people who have a lot more experience than I do.
@Mendez @JacksJill
Thanks for the help!
 
I feed my chameleons daily but half the amount I would if I skipped days. I have not had any problems from this system.
It’s good to have a variety of feeders but with a hand feeding situation you just have to do the best you can. I do something weird to feed dubia. I flip them on their back on a plastic spoon. It keeps the dubia in place and chameleons with limited tongue ability can strike them easily. I would feed the smallest he will accept and be very sure they were fed a low protein and vegetarian diet because of his gout.
 
That ankle looks painful. :( It also has an open wound on the inner aspect. Are you using anything on that? When the vet did the surgery, was he at least able to remove some of the gout crystals?
@jannb do you know of a good vet in Houston?
 
That ankle looks painful. :( It also has an open wound on the inner aspect. Are you using anything on that? When the vet did the surgery, was he at least able to remove some of the gout crystals?
@jannb do you know of a good vet in Houston?
There is an excellent chameleon vet in Houston. Dr. Pacheco is really good with chameleons.
Here’s the link.
https://www.gcvs.com/
 
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I feed my chameleons daily but half the amount I would if I skipped days. I have not had any problems from this system.
It’s good to have a variety of feeders but with a hand feeding situation you just have to do the best you can. I do something weird to feed dubia. I flip them on their back on a plastic spoon. It keeps the dubia in place and chameleons with limited tongue ability can strike them easily. I would feed the smallest he will accept and be very sure they were fed a low protein and vegetarian diet because of his gout.
Thanks for responding.
Yeah, I enjoy feeding everyday and it helps to build a relationship and schedule for your Cham. I’ll definitely have to try the flipped Dubia on a spoon and see if it works for him. Thanks for the gutload advice. My vet said the gout was due to chronic dehydration but I believed it was because of this gutload I was using. It was the repashy super load and I saw that it had pea protein as the second or third ingredient 🤦🏻‍♂️I immediately switched to fresh fruits and veggies after
 
That ankle looks painful. :( It also has an open wound on the inner aspect. Are you using anything on that? When the vet did the surgery, was he at least able to remove some of the gout crystals?
@jannb do you know of a good vet in Houston?
I know🥲 he has trouble climbing because his arm is so big and it probably hurts him terribly. The wound is still there but it is healing. I used to apply ointment to it. The vet told us that he did remove as many crystals as he could but he said that there was still swelling and it would go away. It hasn’t gone away at all.
 
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