possible URI? maybe?

[SimonTheCham]

Zoe had her mouth open today, and i put her up to my ear and heard a bit of weezing, but not much. she did seem to have forced breathing, but doesnt seem to have mucus build up i dont think. were taking her to the vet tomorrow, but were very concerned on how expensive it will be and what to expect with antibiotics?

 

[Lovereps]

I have just noticed that Zoe is new to your care.
A chameleon can gape for reasons other than a respiratory infection.
Chams will gape to tell you to go away. Chams will gape if they are too hot.

Jackson's chameleons are kept a bit differently than the more commonly kept Veiled and Panther species, so you need to be sure that you follow care meant specifically for Jackson's .
You must keep Jackson's environment in a range of 60% to 80% humidity.
Their basking temp should be 75 to 80 degrees when young.
They can't handle as much supplement powder as the other types of chams--it will harm them.
Handling chameleons too often does stress them--and that stress often leads to illness.
Jackson's are truly sweet--they usually don't bite or hiss when stressed-- and often just close their eyes, which people mistake for the cham feeling relaxed, when it is actually overwhelmed by stress.

Please read all about good Jackson's care in this forum section:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/


If--- after making sure that Zoe is getting everything she needs to stay healthy, including a large cage, UVB and basking lights, plenty of misting, etc.---you still suspect she is getting sick, then a vet visit would be best.

The most important thing is for the vet to be knowledgeable in treating reptiles and, preferably chams. The average vet has had very little training in reptile medicine and even fewer know much about chameleons.

Here is a forum page devoted to cham health and vet treatment:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/healthx/

Prices for vet care do vary widely.
My area of the country has a very high cost of living/high cost of doing business, so if a vet in my area charged the same fees as a vet in an area with a low cost of living, he/she would go out of business very quickly.

Whenever a cham becomes ill, it is important to review all that you have been doing, especially because so very often people are given very bad care instructions by sellers and also be sure that her habitat is the right size and set up to be promoting good health, rather than causing illness.