New Chameleon owner nervous cause chameleon mouth opened

[Will3380]

Hi everyone. I am brand new to this forum and brand new to the world of chameleons. I got my first chameleon in November. He is a 6 month old, male, nosy be, panther chameleon. I have had him in my care for 1 month now. He drinks really well from a large dripper plant. His cage is 24x24x48. Below is a picture of both the cage and my chameleon. The temperature according to my temp probe is around 81 right now but I don't think it's reading the correct temp. I have included a pic of my temp probe and the distance between that and my basking lamp below as well. He also has a tube UVB bulb a 10.0UVB, T5 HO bulb. At night he has no light at all. I know that he drinks allot, his poop looks fantastic too. Below is also a pic of latest poop from today. Please help me I am so scared because today only he has been keeping his mouth open allot. You can see his mouth opening in the pic below. Is there something wrong with him? Should I be concerned? Any suggestions to improve my cage or my bulbs? Also he hasn't been eating as much lately. He ate 3 crickets today so far (dusted with calcium). He has had his repashy calcium plus multivitamin twice already too. He also goes to his sleep spot around 4 everyday. I turn his lights off at 7 every night. Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Beman]

Hi everyone. I am brand new to this forum and brand new to the world of chameleons. I got my first chameleon in November. He is a 6 month old, male, nosy be, panther chameleon. I have had him in my care for 1 month now. He drinks really well from a large dripper plant. His cage is 24x24x48. Below is a picture of both the cage and my chameleon. The temperature according to my temp probe is around 81 right now but I don't think it's reading the correct temp. I have included a pic of my temp probe and the distance between that and my basking lamp below as well. He also has a tube UVB bulb a 10.0UVB, T5 HO bulb. At night he has no light at all. I know that he drinks allot, his poop looks fantastic too. Below is also a pic of latest poop from today. Please help me I am so scared because today only he has been keeping his mouth open allot. You can see his mouth opening in the pic below. Is there something wrong with him? Should I be concerned? Any suggestions to improve my cage or my bulbs? Also he hasn't been eating as much lately. He ate 3 crickets today so far (dusted with calcium). He has had his repashy calcium plus multivitamin twice already too. He also goes to his sleep spot around 4 everyday. I turn his lights off at 7 every night. Thank you for any help you can provide.View attachment 286336View attachment 286335View attachment 286337View attachment 286334

Is he doing it all the time... Or only when he sees you?

 

[Will3380]

First of all I want to thank you for your quick response. I really appreciate your help and advice. Right now I am looking right at him and he is not doing it at all. I have attached a current pic of him below. He is only that dark usually when he basks. When he sleeps he looks like the other two pics below. He also shed fully once since I have had him. I originally thought it was a defensive posture but now I'm not sure. What do you think? How does he look to you? Thank you again for all your advice.

 

[Beman]

First of all I want to thank you for your quick response. I really appreciate your help and advice. Right now I am looking right at him and he is not doing it at all. I have attached a current pic of him below. He is only that dark usually when he basks. When he sleeps he looks like the other two pics below. He also shed fully once since I have had him. I originally thought it was a defensive posture but now I'm not sure. What do you think? How does he look to you? Thank you again for all your advice.

What are your humidity levels and how often and how long do you mist for?

Gaping can mean a few things with chams... Defensive posture telling you to back off, too hot and trying to cool down, and sign of illness related to a Respiratory infection.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Ya i think he might've been stressed if he's new or gaping cuz he was hot. Also I know you were just trying to get a picture but try not to light up your chams when they're sleeping, it can stress them out

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Nosybes are known not be as sociable of the chams from what I've heard .Your cham shouldn't be sleeping that early early, sounds like your supplements are off too which could be causing the day sleeping. Live plants are always better btw

 

[Will3380]

I actually can't see my humidity gauge at this moment because it's crooked and he just ate and is basking. If it is a defensive posture I don't want to continue to bug him. I know my humidity level is normally around 50%. I just turned my humidifier on in case that is the issue. I also do have a repti mister and mist his cage maybe once every other day for about 5 minutes in the morning until the leaves are dripping wet. I stopped my misting him multiple times everyday day because he drinks allot. He spends a good amount of time during the day climbing his dripper plant. He also hates when I mist.

He just opened it again now while climbing his plants. Here is another current pick of him. He then closed it when I sat down. I really hope it's a defensive issue and not a respiratory infection. How can I tell which it is? Is 81-85 too cold? Also how much should he be eating at this age? So far I have fed him crickets and hornworms. I plan to get dubias tomorrow. Thank you again! You have no idea how much I appreciate your help.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

81 to 85 is too hot for ambient temp, that's fine for basking but other than that he should be fine, they regulate their body temp by moving to the area that has the temp they want to be at so it is critical to create GRADIENTS!

 

[Beman]

I actually can't see my humidity gauge at this moment because it's crooked and he just ate and is basking. If it is a defensive posture I don't want to continue to bug him. I know my humidity level is normally around 50%. I just turned my humidifier on in case that is the issue. I also do have a repti mister and mist his cage maybe once every other day for about 5 minutes in the morning until the leaves are dripping wet. I stopped my misting him multiple times everyday day because he drinks allot. He spends a good amount of time during the day climbing his dripper plant. He also hates when I mist.

He just opened it again now while climbing his plants. Here is another current pick of him. He then closed it when I sat down. I really hope it's a defensive issue and not a respiratory infection. How can I tell which it is? Is 81-85 too cold? Also how much should he be eating at this age? So far I have fed him crickets and hornworms. I plan to get dubias tomorrow. Thank you again! You have no idea how much I appreciate your help.

Ok... So your running a humidifier during the day into the cage?


Please fill this out with detail and I will go through it. 81-85 is fine for a basking temp. 50% is fine for humidity during the day. The dripping plant is not recommended for them at all. Misting sessions are incorrect as well.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Will3380]

Nosybes are known not be as sociable of the chams from what I've heard .Your cham shouldn't be sleeping that early early, sounds like your supplements are off too which could be causing the day sleeping. Live plants are always better btw

Thank you so much! I had thought that too. He isn't sleeping though. He just goes to his sleep spot around 4-430. He sits there awake until maybe 6 pm. Should he not be going to his sleep spot around 4-430. What is wrong with my supplements? Thank you again so much. This forum is great and I am so glad I joined! Thank you to everyone taking the time to help me.

 

[Beman]

81 to 85 is too hot for ambient temp

Hold up please. It is going to get really confusing really fast. They did not specify if it was ambient or basking.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

I think he is stressed, i would try to get a cham safe live bushy plant in there like a nice full umbrella!

 

[Beman]

Please fill out the form above with detail. I am not at a point of ruling out an RI and would like to be able to go over your husbandry with you.

 

[Will3380]

Ok... So your running a humidifier during the day into the cage?


Please fill this out with detail and I will go through it. 81-85 is fine for a basking temp. 50% is fine for humidity during the day. The dripping plant is not recommended for them at all. Misting sessions are incorrect as well.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

Ok thank you


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Nosy Be, 6 months, 1 month in my care.
• Handling - I never handle him. I know chams are sensitive to that.
• Feeding - so far he has eaten hornworms and crickets. I dust them with calcium only every other day. I dust them with repashy calcium plus twice monthly. The crickets are in a feeder tank with tons of food.
• Supplements - Answered above
• Watering - I use a large dripper plant. I turn a humidifier on for a few hours each day and I mist every other day. He is always in his dripper plant and his urates are perfect
• Fecal Description - pic of his fecal and urate from today below.
• History - i got him from chameleon brothers breeding in Californ
• Cage Info:
  
  • Cage Type - screen cage 24x24x48
  • Lighting - 10.0 UVB T5 HO tube light, 50 watt halogen basking light
  • Temperature - 81-85 basking ledge, 70 everywhere else. I have a pymeyer with two probes
  • Humidity - 50% humidity. Use a humidifier.
  • Plants - yes. One live golden pothos. This is a new addition to his cage
  • Placement - cage is in my living room by the wall far from the window. The only traffic is me and my spouse
  • Location - MOORESTOWN NJ USA
• 
  Thank you so much again to everyone taking the time to help me

 

[Will3380]

Hold up please. It is going to get really confusing really fast. They did not specify if it was ambient or basking.

81-85 BASKING 70 ambient.

 

[Will3380]

Please fill out the form above with detail. I am not at a point of ruling out an RI and would like to be able to go over your husbandry with you.

I just did. Thank you so much in advance for helping me. I want to make sure my husbandry is perfect. Please refer to filled out form and pics of his feces and let me know if I should change anything. Thank you

 

[Beman]

Ok thank you


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Nosy Be, 6 months, 1 month in my care.
• Handling - I never handle him. I know chams are sensitive to that.
• Feeding - so far he has eaten hornworms and crickets. I dust them with calcium only every other day. I dust them with repashy calcium plus twice monthly. The crickets are in a feeder tank with tons of food.
• Supplements - Answered above
• Watering - I use a large dripper plant. I turn a humidifier on for a few hours each day and I mist every other day. He is always in his dripper plant and his urates are perfect
• Fecal Description - pic of his fecal and urate from today below.
• History - i got him from chameleon brothers breeding in Californ
• Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen cage 24x24x48
  • Lighting - 10.0 UVB T5 HO tube light, 50 watt halogen basking light
  • Temperature - 81-85 basking ledge, 70 everywhere else. I have a pymeyer with two probes
  • Humidity - 50% humidity. Use a humidifier.
  • Plants - yes. One live golden pothos. This is a new addition to his cage
  • Placement - cage is in my living room by the wall far from the window. The only traffic is me and my spouse
  • Location - MOORESTOWN NJ USA
• 
  Thank you so much again to everyone taking the time to help me

Is the calcium your using with or without D3?

Are you running a humidifier into his cage during the day?

How many feeders are you giving?

 

[Will3380]

Is the calcium your using with or without D3?

Are you running a humidifier into his cage during the day?

How many feeders are you giving?

Calcium without D3 every other day. Repashy Calcium Plus 2 times monthly. I have been feeding him 6 large feeder crickets every day. He eats between 4-6 every day but today he has only eaten 4. I also fed him hornworms and I plan to feed him Dubias starting tomorrow. I also will be ordering silk worms. Should I order large silkworms 1 inch to 1.5 inches long? Or is that too big?

yes, I run the humidifier in the afternoon for about 3 hours. How do his feces look? That poop and urate are from today. How will I know if it is a respiratory illness or just defensive? Are there other signs of respiratory illness? Thank you.

 

[Beman]

Calcium without D3 every other day. Repashy Calcium Plus 2 times monthly. I have been feeding him 6 large feeder crickets every day. He eats between 4-6 every day but today he has only eaten 4. I also fed him hornworms and I plan to feed him Dubias starting tomorrow. I also will be ordering silk worms. Should I order large silkworms 1 inch to 1.5 inches long? Or is that too big?

yes, I run the humidifier in the afternoon for about 3 hours. How do his feces look? That poop and urate are from today. How will I know if it is a respiratory illness or just defensive? Are there other signs of respiratory illness? Thank you.

So I am concerned about an RI. A fogger/humidifier should never be run during the day into a cage. This creates hot wet air. This then can lead to them developing an RI.
I would start calling around and find an exotic vet you can take him into for an exam to make sure this is not the beginning of an RI. I would also recommend getting a fecal done to ensure he does not have parasites.

Urate and fecal looks perfect. See additional feedback below in red bold..
Let me know if you have any questions.

• Your Chameleon - Nosy Be, 6 months, 1 month in my care.
• Handling - I never handle him. I know chams are sensitive to that.
• Feeding - so far he has eaten hornworms and crickets. I dust them with calcium only every other day. I dust them with repashy calcium plus twice monthly. The crickets are in a feeder tank with tons of food. At 6 months old you will move him to an every other day feeding schedule of 5 feeders. THen at 12 months old you will reduce further to 3 feeders every other day.
• Supplements - Answered above You need to be dusting at every feeding. Calcium without D3 should be used at all feedings except 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th you use the repashy calcium plus.
• Watering - I use a large dripper plant. I turn a humidifier on for a few hours each day and I mist every other day. He is always in his dripper plant and his urates are perfect Dripper plant should be removed because they grow bacteria.. Utilize fogging at night only and misting Morning and evening only while temps in the cage are cooler. 2-3 minute misting.
• Fecal Description - pic of his fecal and urate from today below. Looks perfect.
• History - i got him from chameleon brothers breeding in Californ I would recommend getting a fecal done to rule out parasites. You would take a fresh sample of the stool in to a vet to have them run it. Make sure they are an exotic vet.
• Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen cage 24x24x48 good.
  • Lighting - 10.0 UVB T5 HO tube light, Distance to basking branch below should be 11-12 inches with a 10.0 UVB T5 Bulb in a single bulb fixture to get approximately a 3 UVI level. 50 watt halogen basking light
  • Temperature - 81-85 basking ledge, 70 everywhere else. I have a pymeyer with two probes These are good.
  • Humidity - 50% humidity. Use a humidifier. Do not run the humidifier during the day at all. Only at night when temps drop below 68.
  • Plants - yes. One live golden pothos. This is a new addition to his cage.. It will be better for him to replace all fake plants with live ones. Do this after you get the fecal done to ensure there is not a parasite risk you need to treat for first.
  • Placement - cage is in my living room by the wall far from the window. The only traffic is me and my spouse. Make sure it is up on a table. Make sure you have a drip pan to be able to pull water from the cage. Dragon strand makes some and you could wet vac these or use a gravity drain. you do not want paper towels in the bottom. You want it to be bare and easy to clean so it does not grow bacteria.
  • Location - MOORESTOWN NJ USA
• 
  Thank you so much again to everyone taking the time to help me

Here are additional links.

Start reading through every module in this husbandry program: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

https://chameleonacademy.com/panther-chameleon-care/

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

www.dragonstrand.com

https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery

 

[Will3380]

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it very much. Would there be any other signs if he does have a respiratory infection or just mouth open? Thank you again for your detailed response.