URI Change Temps?

[Pluto_the_Panther]

Thought I'd make a new post on this since I couldn't find a good result when searching. This is a continuation from https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/gout.192120/
My chameleon has a suspected URI. Treating him with Fortaz. I read somewhere that you should increase basking temps when they have a URI. Is this something I should do? I was actually lowering his basking temps to see if that was what caused the gaping but it didn't help obviously because he has a URI. I think his temps are 80-85 should I bump it to like 90 or just leave it?

Here's the thread where I read this.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/need-help-asap-upper-respiratory-infection.127841/

"The first thing you need to do when any chameleon has respiratory issues is raise the temperature to the maximum acceptable levels for that particular species. For panther chameleons it is a good idea to elevate the top of the enclosure to around 900-950F. Also try and keep the night time temperature around 700-750F."

 

[Lindasjackson]

@MissSkittles @Beman what do you two think about this? I don’t know because I have a jacksons

 

[Beman]

So the thread your pulling from was 2014... I have never heard of elevating temps to such extremes... I personally would not do this without speaking to someone that really knows current info. Hopefully others with experience can chime in.
@JacksJill might be able to provide feedback.

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

So the thread your pulling from was 2014... I have never heard of elevating temps to such extremes... I personally would not do this without speaking to someone that really knows current info. Hopefully others with experience can chime in.
@JacksJill might be able to provide feedback.

Yeah that's why I was skeptical. I wouldn't make it extremely high but I was curious if going to like higher 80s instead of low 80s might be beneficial.

 

[Beman]

Yeah that's why I was skeptical. I wouldn't make it extremely high but I was curious if going to like higher 80s instead of low 80s might be beneficial.

I honestly don't know if it is helpful or harmful. So I would not feel comfortable giving feedback on this. I do not want to make something worse ya know.

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

I honestly don't know if it is helpful or harmful. So I would not feel comfortable giving feedback on this. I do not want to make something worse ya know.

Alr. I think I might start leaving his heat lamp on all day though. Trying to brush up on husbandry and read this at chameleonacademy.com, "If your chameleon is still underneath the light when it goes off then the basking time needs to be extended. Just keeping the light on all the daylight hours is an option if the ambient temperature is not getting beyond the comfortable level temperature for your chameleon." If you watch the timelapse he doesn't ever really leave the upper area of the cage until the light goes off.

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/uri-or-paranoid-again.191022/#post-1777840
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/need-some-feedback.192461/

This seems similar to what I'm experiencing. Hopefully, I'm not treating a nonexistent URI.

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

Wow, extending his heat lamp made a big difference. He's like super active and I think I saw him drink normally. He usually gets all lethargic in the evening and acts like he doesn't know how to drink.

 

[kinyonga]

My vet years ago told me to do this and the reason why is because chameleons do not get fevers…so this works like a fever…
“it revealed that ectothermic vertebrates are better able to fight infection by increasing their body temperature as a consequence of behavioral fever expression.”…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145305X16302178

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

My vet years ago told me to do this and the reason why is because chameleons do not get fevers…so this works like a fever…
“it revealed that ectothermic vertebrates are better able to fight infection by increasing their body temperature as a consequence of behavioral fever expression.”…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145305X16302178

What was the context for your vet recommending it?

 

[kinyonga]

I wish I could be sure which chameleon he said it for. I can’t be sure it was a respiratory infection.

 

[JacksJill]

I don't know if the current thinking is to elevate the temperature to treat URI. If I was going to do so it would only be by a couple of degrees otherwise dehydration will be the real problem. I personally would just recheck that all my temperatures were in the proper range and let the antibiotics do their job.
If you don't get some response to the antibiotics let your vet know so they can prescribe something else. Not every antibiotic works on every infection.

 

[jannb]

Years ago my vet had me increase the temperature when one of my panthers had an RI.

 

[kinyonga]

@JacksJill said…”If I was going to do so it would only be by a couple of degrees otherwise dehydration will be the real problem”…that’s all I used to increase it but it was in F temperature.

One more site…
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-...nable to produce,an increased rate of feeding.