Opening their mouths to regulate heat

[sweetmisery]

just like a Bearded Dragon would... is this normal for them? Or once they open their mouths, it means they are reaching dangerous level of heat? Cuz for the bearded/frilled dragons, its normal.

I saw my veiled opening its mouth while under the sun(the cage got lots of shade but it didnt hide much). I tried misting it, but it doesnt like it and ran away.

 

[AFH]

With chams, gaping can be a sign of overheating. If he's doing it right under his basking light, he'll probably get his sense and move away after a while. What you need to be sure of is that he has a cooler place to go. If it's 85-90 everywhere in the cage, he's going to overheat.

My veileds do the same thing. I usually walk over to them and tell them to get out of the heat if it's too hot. As usual, they ignore me and do what they want.

 

[chamlover]

What are your basking temps? What is your lowest gradient temps? My male veiled does it alot as well but still doesn't move away and he has a 3 x 3 x 6 cage. Some guys just like it hot! lol.

Debby

 

[mika]

Isn't it like in the 90F there in Cebu City Philippines?

I checked and it's like 84F there at 10 am. I would assume it's hotter during the afternoon & that's rainy season.

I would think if your ambient temps are that high and you use a basking bulb, then you're temps are too high for a 2.5 month old veiled.

 

[JoshCrane1]

both of mine do it as well, my little 3.5 month loves the heat, he usually does a big yawn and walks away.(see avatar)

 

[mika]

Sorry I didn't see the part where you said he was "under the sun".

I only read chamlover's response asking about the temps at the basking spot.

As long as you provide him with shade in the enclosure he should be fine.

Mine under a basking spot would sometimes have their mouths open ( I only notice this when it's really hot outside ) for a little while & then move to the shade.

If my veiled had their mouths open for a whole hour under the heat then I would be worried.

 

[Huey08]

just like a Bearded Dragon would... is this normal for them? Or once they open their mouths, it means they are reaching dangerous level of heat? Cuz for the bearded/frilled dragons, its normal.

I saw my veiled opening its mouth while under the sun(the cage got lots of shade but it didnt hide much). I tried misting it, but it doesnt like it and ran away.

are you using hot water? mine always ran away too, cuz im an idiot try loading your mister up with HOT water (it will spray out warm) and now he absolutely loves it, he sees the bottle in my hand and makes his way towards the cage now

 

[Kat77]

I was wondering about this too. I just went over to check on my baby panther and he is sitting under his basking lamp with his little mouth open! It scared me at first because I NEVER saw my veiled do this. I was about to post a thread about it when I saw this one.

So he is ok then? He is 3.5 months old, basking temp around 92 and ambient temp gradiating from 85 closer to his lamp to 74.

Sorry, not trying to hijack!

 

[dodolah]

I was wondering about this too. I just went over to check on my baby panther and he is sitting under his basking lamp with his little mouth open! It scared me at first because I NEVER saw my veiled do this. I was about to post a thread about it when I saw this one.

So he is ok then? He is 3.5 months old, basking temp around 92 and ambient temp gradiating from 85 closer to his lamp to 74.

Sorry, not trying to hijack!

Actually for a 3 mo, that 92 F basking is a bit on the hot side.
So, I think it's normal for him to gape open his mouth.
If you have a temp gun, you'll be amazed on how well this creature can absorb heat.

I usually check my chameleon body temp, he gapes open his mouth when his body temp reach 92 or higher.
But, since he's lazy, instead of walking away, he just open his mouth.

One time, his body temp reach 102 even when the basking spot is 87 to 90

 

[Kat77]

This is the only time I've seen him do it though, and he seemed too cool when I had his basking branch further from his lamp....What temp do you think I should have the basking area at? I'm not used to having such a little chameleon!

 

[chamlover]

Sorry. I didn't see that he was under the sun. As long as he has lots of shade that he can go to and chooses not i wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure to keep him well hydrated. I second the hot to warm water mist. If i wait to long and let it cool off; boy do they get pi....off. I'm assuming you are misting several times a day and have a dripper going right? I have only 1 that refuses to be misted. She is my porky pig veiled and she actually flings herself violently around her cage if i dare mist her too long. The others usually tolerate it unless they are particularly thirsty. Then i can plan to have a seat and spray my little finger off for the next 20 mins or so. You think they would get the hint of the dripper and take just a little pity on my poor finger. lol

Debby

 

[JoshCrane1]

my little male veiled 3.5months loves the heat, if the basking spot is under 90 degrees he turns dark grey like all day until i increase the temp;then he chills and opens his mouth. i guess some like it hotter than others.

 

[dodolah]

This is the only time I've seen him do it though, and he seemed too cool when I had his basking branch further from his lamp....What temp do you think I should have the basking area at? I'm not used to having such a little chameleon!

for baby i often give 87 F. 90 - 92 is a bit hot. but, not exactly dangerously hot.
So, no worries. You're doing fine, imho.

 

[sweetmisery]

Sorry for the late reply, been busy.

Anyway, he is under the sun, and his cage got a potted plant with lots of shades. For the past few days, I observed him a lot... he opens his mouth while being on the upper part of the cage, but after a while, he moves to the middle part.

I also tried putting the cage in between under the sun and a totally shaded area just to see what he does. He tends to find a way under the sun.

And yes, I mist him with warm water, not hot as in coffee hot. lol. But at times when he is basking under the sun, I tend to mist him with a bit of cold water just to be sure... in case he is incapable of moving cuz of being barbecued alive!

And no, I dont have a mister, I do heavy misting on his plant 3x a day. Spray him heavily twice a day too. So far, he is fat and quick. But again, I never have seen him drink a single drop!

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

Yes,
I've had one of my first chams teach me about this years ago
They'll open their mouths to evaporate water in and attempt to cool off.
I tried a little experiment one sunny day when my veiled let me know
it was time to get some shade.

He open his mouth
I moved my arm (with him on it) into a shaded area
He promptly closed his mouth
waited 15 seconds
moved back into the sunlight
He open his mouth
repeat.

They'll also do this if they're over hydrated
via eating something juicy like hornworms

this is completely different than a defensive posturing.

 

[Franquixote]

I'm confused- my cham just did eat a giant hornworm and is gaping so how do we know if he is too hot or "over hydrated"?
I never heard of being over-hydrated before I thought they would just evacuate their bladder/bowels. No?
I did see some very watery poo, almost like slime and his regular poo is very moist though it is formed and not liquid or diarrhea.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I'm confused- my cham just did eat a giant hornworm and is gaping so how do we know if he is too hot or "over hydrated"?
I never heard of being over-hydrated before I thought they would just evacuate their bladder/bowels. No?
I did see some very watery poo, almost like slime and his regular poo is very moist though it is formed and not liquid or diarrhea.

I'm not sure about reptiles, but humans and some animals can get ove hydrated, which flushes all of the nutrients out of the body and more. Again, I don't know how that works for reptiles.

 

[kinyonga]

@Franquixote said ...."I'm confused- my cham just did eat a giant hornworm and is gaping"...that gaping is more than likely your chameleon trying to cope with a hornworm meal.

 

[JacksJill]

Sometimes after they eat something large they will gape for a bit until they finish getting it all the way down. I would take that as a sign that you should back off a size on your feeders.

 

[Franquixote]

Thanks- I def. am pushing it on the size, but they grow fast and the alternative is a trip to the freezer for the hornworm- haven't had to do that yet. They are being kept at relatively cool temps but this batch got huge fast.