Open Mouth

[jones5233]

I have been aiming to ask this question. My Cham will open his mouth at certain times and at certain days. He doesn't do it all the time or everyday(when i am home to c him). I personally watch him drink water from my dripper and mist him and his cage daily. He will sometimes do it when he is basking. Is this just his personality, is something wrong, or is it normal?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[chamelisa]

Possibilities:

1. He may open his mouth when he overheats.

2. He may have trouble breathing due to some infection (URI, LRI) or if he has aspirated water.

3. He may open his mouth and gape at you if he feels threatened.

Do you think any of these apply?

 

[jones5233]

Maybe the overheating one bc 90% of the time and when he's sleeping his mouth is closed. I find that he likes to get too close to my household 60 watt i have had to push it back almost 10" lol

 

[chamelisa]

Maybe the overheating one bc 90% of the time and when he's sleeping his mouth is closed. I find that he likes to get too close to my household 60 watt i have had to push it back almost 10" lol

Next time you see him do it, try to get a good picture of it and show his position in relation to the basking light. A temp gun helps to find out how warm his skin is getting when basking. Do you have one?

 

[jones5233]

Nope lol you talking bout one of the laser infared thermos. He will also do it up near my reptiglo tube when he goes to the highest level in the house lol.

 

[nicoRamirez]

my male veiled will do this on occasion but like said above its probably some way to thermo regulate their temperatures.

 

[chameleon guy]

my female veiled does that too. She flattens her self and makes black spots and stripes while her mouth is open. only on some occasions does she open her mouth.

 

[chamelisa]

Regarding overheating, if your chameleon is getting so hot that it starts gaping, I don't feel that this is a good thing to have happen regularly. You'll know if they are overheated if their coloring becomes very light.

If you are seeing gaping on a regular basis, you might have something else going on with your chameleon, such as a little respiratory infection.

It's hard to say what's going on with these chameleons gaping, but I don't see my veileds gaping from basking. If they get too hot, yes they will gape but the situation must be corrected immediately, IMO.

Maybe this is something a veiled breeder should address. I don't breed veileds. All of mine came to me as rescues and are only here temporarily.

 

[Julirs]

I don't see gaping as something that should be going on long term. They do it for all of the reasons stated above, and I agree, if they are too hot the temps should be adjusted.

 

[jones5233]

Ok Everyone. I conducted my own little gig about this.
These are trials using a 60 watt household bulb reaching about 88-91 degrees F
Day:1
I left the light on for 25%(3 Hrs) of his day time routine. and there was no opening of the mouth seen all day.

Day:2
I left the light on for 50%(6 hrs) of his routine. No opening of the mouth.

Day:3
Normal routine which is 75%(around 8hrs). and achived an open mouth.
and he was actually trying to get closer to the light?

After a misting his mouth went back closed. So I am assuming that they are thermo regulating their body temps in some sort of way eversince i recorded him not trying to get away from the light but getting closer.

 

[pr3mo15]

I see my panther do it in the morning when he wakes up like hes yawning maybe? im not too sure myself...

I have seen him do it when hes basking as well...Pretty sure most chams will do it.

 

[Goggles]

my 4 month old veiled started to do this under his basking light.
I raised the light 2" and no more gape.