open mouth??

staysixsixsixkid

New Member
I've had my 4 month old ambilobe for abot a month and i notice that hes always chillen around with his mouth open, like more time then wit it not open, is this normal, none of my other chams have done it?
 
mouth open, like more time then wit it not open

This is not normal.

Two different possibilities immediately come to mind. One, your temps are too hot. Two, an upper respiratory infection or URI. What temperature range are you providing for your chameleon?
 
day time 80 with a 90 degree basking spot and at night 68-70 degrees, he eats well drinks alot, looks like hes doen great but just opens his mouth a lot
 
I had same problem, and here is a test, for few days drop your basking temp to 80-83C and see if that helps.
 
day time 80 with a 90 degree basking spot and at night 68-70 degrees, he eats well drinks alot, looks like hes doen great but just opens his mouth a lot

is 100*f basking area too hot??? i have a 100*f basking area, tank temp in upper regions varys from 88*-76*, lower/shaded regions likely in mid to high 60's ( i havent tested them yet ). is the basking area too hot? what about the other temps, how does it sound?
 
the lower regions are actually also 75* and up. The ground temperature is 70*. at night this should all drop by about 10* i would imagine
 
marxous,
I would change the bulb in my basking light to a lower wattage.
100 degrees is quite hot for a young veiled.
Shoot for 80 to 85 until she's at least 6 months old.

-Brad
 
ya she doesnt spend much time there, she likes it more where its 85, i convientally have a mercury thermometer there, so i have a pretty good idea that the temp is close to that.

Would you reccommend actually buying another heat lamp, or just changing its location>?
 
I'm guessing you have a smaller enclosure right now since she is young so you're not going to get the gradient range I prefer yet, but that's fine as long as you err on the cool side (but only barely) too hot is bad, too cold is bad....there is a fine line but it's not that hard to achieve.
In my 4 foot tall enclosure the temps from bottom to top go from 60 degrees to 90 degrees. With a basking light it is possible to have a 30 degree difference within 4 feet.
For a young veiled cham who is bad at thermoregulating I would strive to provide a warm spot (80 to 85 degrees) and keep temps in the room around 70 in the day and around 65 at night.
This should allow her to get warm enough to dry off after mistings and digest properly and also cool down in other areas of the enclosure and at night.
You can reduce the temp at the basking location by moving the light further away rather than changing it but if that is not a possibility, I would change the bulb wattage. You can use regular household bulbs as long as you have a seperate UVB bulb going.

-Brad
 
Right on! thanks for the information! What is your preference on red light, i've heard some say its unnatural, and others say chams cant see it. im using a 150w wide angle red heatlamp, the temps i've listed are due to this bulb. The other lights i have is an 8.0 repiglow strip and a 5.0 repiglow compact flourscent pointed at the basking area ( is this UV lighting overkill, or potentally harmful? Should i not leave it on all day? ) thats what im using and misting 3x-4x daily. i'l move the light away another 6 inches and i should get the desired temps.

thank you!

-Marc
 
I don't use a red light.
I think the basking light should mimic the sun and, therefore, should be more of a white or full spectrum bulb. Again, a household bulb of a wattage that provides the right temp is sufficient.
The uvb bulbs should be in a different location (not pointed at the basking spot). It is speculated that chameleons will go to the uvb light when they need it and that it should be in a seperate area of the enclosure with a suitable perch. Leave the uvb lighting on for 10 to 12 hours per day.

-Brad
 
well the compact flourscent is directional, i'll move it to point somewhere else though, and the strip light covers the whole tank, well the surface anyways, there are shady spots.

It sounds like what you're telling me is that i should take my red heat light back and replace it with a white full spectrum light. I purchased the red thihnking that i would have to keep temps up and leave it on overnight, but now that i know i dont have to, and that in fact its better not to heat or have lights on, i'll do that.

When i mist her i mist continously for about 5 mins, she blinks a lot, i think someone stated this is them cleaning their eyes and is important. is 5 mins 3x-4x a day a good ammount of misting, or should i 'squeeze the trigger' for a little longer :p. Like i said i plan on getting a commercial misting system by the end of next month. Tax Returns means the gov't gives me money!!! :D:D:D so that should really let me beef up her home! at what stage should i get a medium sized enclosure? I really wanna just splurge and get the 260 gallon 6 foot tall monster, but i suppose that can wait untill shes a lil older.
 
Good.
You're on the right track! No lights at all at night.
Be patient with moving her to a big enclosure. You can get it now
and start setting it up and perfecting things before she goes in, which is a really good idea.
Once you have her in her permanent home she's not going to want things to change, so tweaking it now is not a bad idea.
Don't move her there for at least a couple more months though. You want to be able to moniter her closely now.

-Brad
 
right on! Getting all this info correct is much more complex than fish!! and def bearded dragons!!!

Thank you for all your imput, it is really really greatly appreciated! i know it takes patence to troubleshoot and explain in depth something that seem sso ovbious to you :p. I'll assume, unless you say otherwise, that everything in my last post sounds good, primarially regarding the misting. Thank you again! I'll move her out of her tank in a few months. The reason i want to get the 260 gal is cause i found one a deal/steal for 75.00!!!!! this is the 6 footer! im sure she would be thrilled :D when she is able to grow into it. I want to give her more space. The 20/25 gal is just so small, but then again so is she!
 
Excellent.
Just keep posting your progress and questions.
It sounds like you're doing a good job so far and are genuinely
concerned about her wellfare. Everything will be fine and you will learn
as much from observing her as you do from reading what we post here.
These are amazingly sensitive and delicate animals that require you to abandon any previous reptile knowledge in order to learn the specific care required. The reward is an amazing sense of accomplishment when you are able to provide what they need in a captive environment.
Watch out...they will take all your time and money in addition to taking over your dreams and causing you to delve into intense insect husbandry as well.
It's a queer hobby...and most people don't understand but you'll have comrades here!

-Brad
 
ya, i totally agree! its a different type of pride that you have form keeping beardies. Beardies are hardy and dont require much care. in all honesty i just let them run all around my dorm room ( cleaning the poo on carpet all the time is a hastle ) but i think its way better than keeping them in an cage. I clean up after them using stain remover and ammonia, and they have a little corner, 2 towel widths wide, with their own heat rock, uvb, and heat lamp. Its a male and a female pair, and they 'love' eachother! they're kinda like little dogs.

The chameleon is totally different. Like a Baby! always needing care. Its like i said, totally different. Theres a different appeal to her as well! like we;re more connected. oh ya, and then theres my red hump geophaga fish tank! thay're breeding right now too! in a week or 2 i'll have their release of about 50 fry (2 brooding mothers).

All this in a little dorm room! ( the lizards arent really allowed =P ) so if they boot me out then so be it. I'd rather have the company!

thanks again for your patience and insight!

-Marc
 
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