Seems dehydrated..

[Rambo]

hey all

so occasionally his mouth has been just hanging open. Im pretty sure this means hes dehydrated right?
I been spraying down him whenever i can even though he hates it. Also, there is a drip cup on top of the enclosure that is dripping most of the day. I rarely see him drink.

Not sure what to do?? i heard of ppl taking them in the shower. Ive been feeding him juicy fruit in the attempt to get more fluids in him. What else can i do??

 

[leid]

Actually, a sign of the chams mouth being open could be more than one thing.

1) dehydration. If you feel like your chameleon is dehydrated, get a syringe and administer water manually to see if that makes a difference.

2) Respiratory Infection. A chameleon with an open mouth may mean a chameleon who is trying to get more breath. a URI causes mucus buildup in the bronchial areas and prohibits efficient and normal breathing.

Also, what are your temperatures in your viv? It may be that he is too hot.

 

[jmdavis]

Edit... Leid got to it first

 

[ChamNovice]

I'm no expert, but from reading here on the forum, sometimes they will gape if too hot. It's their way of cooling down.

 

[beeze]

What kind of chameleon do you have? How old? What's the temps? Could be too warm.

 

[Rambo]

wow fast responses thanks guys..

and you know what, he does gape when he is under the heat lamp. but he never has before which led me to believe it was dehydration and not heat..

its a 3 yrs old veiled cham. its more of an occasional gaping not all the time or anything.
its probly 75 in the enclosure and 80-85 under the lamp. its a guesstimate cuz i dont have a temp guage yet.

 

[leid]

That sounds like good temps. It might be nothing. My chameleon opens his mouth sometimes when he's hungry. He'll gape for a while, and then go over and start eating. He'll gape when he's thirsty too. One time I was a little late with my morning misting and he was sitting there by his plant where I mist gaping at me. lol.

If his condition seems to worsen though, I'd take him to a vet. But if he's been doing this for a while and intermittently then just keep an eye on it.

 

[panthercham]

What are his poops like? Are they brown with the white urate or does the white part look yellow or orange?

You need a temp guage.....you just cant guess to what his temps are as you could be off.

 

[Murrdox]

its a guesstimate cuz i dont have a temp guage yet.

Never guestimate. 100 degrees or higher under a light can feel simply nice and toasty warm if you put your hand under it.

Speaking from experience because I burned my cham when I changed his bulb without taking a temperature reading, and it "felt" fine.

 

[Rambo]

poop is brown, the white stuff is maybe a little yellow. ill get a guage though
doesnt feel to hot but i guess u never know unless you check it