Respiratory

[cHaMeLeOn1987]

hey cham lovers,

Looking for someone with vast knowledge in chameleon respiratory issues.
I have been told a few different things from people. Such as..
And I'm Not necessarily speaking respiratory infection..

but if a chameleon is showing early signs of mild respiratory issues such as, on occasion gaping mouth (not when basking), slight increase in stringy saliva (not bubbling), occasional and slight expansion of the gular..
that if these symptoms are caught early enough, you can prevent these from worsening and turning into respiratory infection??

For example, by increasing basking temps slightly, ambient room temp (especially at night), and slightly decreasing the humidity to help "dry and burn out" the possible "bugs" that the chameleon could be vulnerable to at this time?..

Someone told me if you can catch a mild resp. issue early you can help your cham prevent it from turning into an infection, but ive also read a few posts on the forums saying any symptom even if its mild that its too late and you need antibiotics.

Sorry if this makes no sense.. im just trying to figure out from an expert cham owner how to deal with cham respiratory issues, when/if they arise, considering its the most common health complication of chams!
Thanks so much!

 

[Carlton]

hey cham lovers,

Looking for someone with vast knowledge in chameleon respiratory issues.
I have been told a few different things from people. Such as..
And I'm Not necessarily speaking respiratory infection..

but if a chameleon is showing early signs of mild respiratory issues such as, on occasion gaping mouth (not when basking), slight increase in stringy saliva (not bubbling), occasional and slight expansion of the gular..
that if these symptoms are caught early enough, you can prevent these from worsening and turning into respiratory infection??

For example, by increasing basking temps slightly, ambient room temp (especially at night), and slightly decreasing the humidity to help "dry and burn out" the possible "bugs" that the chameleon could be vulnerable to at this time?..

Someone told me if you can catch a mild resp. issue early you can help your cham prevent it from turning into an infection, but ive also read a few posts on the forums saying any symptom even if its mild that its too late and you need antibiotics.

Sorry if this makes no sense.. im just trying to figure out from an expert cham owner how to deal with cham respiratory issues, when/if they arise, considering its the most common health complication of chams!
Thanks so much!

IMHO, it won't hurt to try catching one early at all. I think your ideas are fine to try, though you didn't give specifics on the temps or humidity levels you were going to try (versus what his normal viv settings are now). So that's a little hard to guess at.

The first thing I'd do is review your current husbandry to figure out why your cham seems to be developing the URI. Something needs to be fixed. If you could give us the particulars by filling out the questions in the sticky message How to Ask for Help we can help with that. I think I would thoroughly clean everything in the cage to get rid of possible bacteria or molds that might be triggering problems.

I would find an experienced herp vet NOW just in case you do need one. It might even be a good idea to take your cham to them to establish a relationship before its necessary, and to get some baseline info to compare with in future. You'll save valuable time that way.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. Carlton had provided you with some excelllent information above. I'm linking the Ask For Help Form that she mentioned and a few other links about RI's.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/theres-no-such-thing-uri-14277/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/concerns-my-female-panther-47322/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/back-vet-medication-questions-39302/

 

[cHaMeLeOn1987]

male panther ambilobe blue barred approx 8 months

lighting: Reptisun 5.0 x2 24inch bulbs (changed every 6 months)
Basking bulb 60watt 6 inches from roof (also has dimmer on it to adjust temps as necessary with outer environment.
Lights on 8am-8pm

Temps: Basking- 85-95F
Ambient- 75-80F I have 3 digital temp guages plus one
Night- 65-75F hygrometer


Husbandry: 2x2x4 foot screen cages- located in bright living room
Tons of foliage such as vines, bamboo sticks, large ficus tree..
cage cleaned daily for stool, fallen leaves, excess water build up on
bottom of the cage before bed
Deep cleaned 1-2x month with hot water + vinegar

Water: Mist King- water is warmed using a heater normally used in fish tanks
(works great!) Mister schedule is:
0830 x 3min (always drinks at this one)
1030 x 1.5min
1230 x 1.5min
1430 x 3min
1630 x 1.5min

Feeding: Totally ranges.. sometimes he'll eat 12 crickets one day and only 8 the next (he eats everyday though).. crickets and pheonix worms are the biggest part of his diet. He also eats superworms, horn worms, silk worms.

crickets are dusted with Calcium w/out D3 at almost every feeding
Multivitamin with D3 he gets 2-3x month

He stools about 1-3x/week. Stools are formed with white/slight tinge of orange (depending on when his last stool was)

Comes out for free range on his own terms (i set up bamboo sticks from his cage door leading out to his free range. He loves coming out and observing the room. He also doesnt mind being handled and I rarely ever have to encourage him to come onto my hand.

 

[cHaMeLeOn1987]

sorry i tried to edit, but didnt work..

I have a humidifer going, but not pointed at the cage.. Humidity in the cage runs from 50-75% (depending on time of day etc.. gets more dry at night)
I live in a dry climate..

The only traffic in his view is myself being lazy on the couch and the odd other person over for a visit..

 

[cHaMeLeOn1987]

Oh, and the reason why i didnt say what to increase the temps or change the humidity to in case of resp issues is because I dont know, and I am trying to clarify this with cham experts.

Is it true you can burn out minor respiratory issues with increasing temps and slight decrease in humidity? If so, what would you change these settings to?

Sorry, i should have been more clear on my question.. I had a feeling my first post didnt make any sense :S

 

[Carlton]

Oh, and the reason why i didnt say what to increase the temps or change the humidity to in case of resp issues is because I dont know, and I am trying to clarify this with cham experts.

Is it true you can burn out minor respiratory issues with increasing temps and slight decrease in humidity? If so, what would you change these settings to?

Sorry, i should have been more clear on my question.. I had a feeling my first post didnt make any sense :S

Based on your info I think I would not increase the temp (they are fairly warm now especially the night temp), but you could drop the ambient humidity 5-10% or make sure the cage gets a little longer dry out period. Increase air circulation around the cage...not necessarily straight into it.

I think I would check for fungus or molds in your plant potting soil and exchange it for fresh soil. Do a deep clean of everything maybe with a properly diluted herp safe veterinary sanitizer in stead of vinegar. It could be that something isn't getting controlled enough with the vinegar over time.

You may be overdosing the D3 and multivitamin. Chams should get these 2 times a month max.

 

[cHaMeLeOn1987]

Great Thanks on the info!

Also, just wondering with the vit with D3.. is the 2xmonth max for adults or all age groups?

Just wondering because I got my chameleon from a reputable breeder and she was telling me to give it once per week.. maybe thats just for babies?
As he's a juvi now I had moved it to 2-3x month rather than 4. So I should def only do a max of 2 for juvi?

Thanks so much for the advice! Greatly appreciated!!