Respiratory Infection Thread

[cigdoll]

I'm sure respiratory infection is one common thing that can happen to your chameleon, maybe everyone can share their experience or knowledge of RI.

To start off, I have a few questions myself. After you witness a first sign of a URI/LRI symptom and if not treated, how fast does the infection progress? Also, does respiratory infection ever reverse to zero(as in heal itself) on it's own without a vet's treatment? One last question, do chameleons lose their appetite while they have a RI? Thanks everyone!

 

[Chupa]

My male veiled cham got a pretty bad RI when he was under 6 months. I first noticed him gaping a lot and wheezing. He was still eating at the time. There was also a "popping" noise that he would make even when he was sleeping. I was a cham novice at the time (I am still learning) and I took him to the vet after a few days of this and some searching online. The vet prescribed Baytril and told me to increase his temp in his enclosure and in the room itself. He also recommended that I place plastic wrap around the screen temporarily to increase temp and humidity--as I live in the Pac NW and have AC. He was on the Baytril for about 2 weeks or so and got progressively better. Took him off of it and it came back again.... Back to the vet--higher dose of Baytril, longer time. Took about a month or so to get him back on track and now he is thriving. **The onset was pretty rapid and the wheezing & popping got progressively worse. He also looked miserable--like a human with a bad cold. The vet said that sometimes an RI can "reverse", but that in younger chams or stressed chams it is pretty hard on them. Increasing the heat and maintaining proper humidity is major. He now has a mercury vapor lamp, which I think also helped him a lot. Sorry for the long response.

 

[jastate09]

Here's a good thread with links to info on RI's.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/any-threads-respitory-infections-88090/