What does a wide open mouth mean?

[RobandJess]

Hi,

we just bought our first chameleon a month ago and had some question about his behavior. We have a veiled chameleon (male, about 4 months old), he sometimes sits under his basking light with his mouth wide open. We figure he does that because he is thirtsy...we spray him regularily but he seems to hate it as he runs away, we also have a dripper which he doesnt seem to use either.

Could it be him being thirsty or does he do it for another reason?! What is the best way to provide him with the water he needs?!

Thank you for your help!

 

[Miss Lily]

He is too hot! What is his basking temp? Babies should be kept in the low 80 degrees as they are not able to thermoregulate like adults. He is 'gaping' as he's trying to cool down.

 

[jannb]

He is too hot! What is his basking tmp? Babies should be kept in the low 80 degrees as they are not able to thermoregulate like adults. He is 'gaping' as he's trying to cool down.

I agree with Tiff (Miss Lily) he is probably too hot.

 

[JCDenton]

He's too hot prolly. Change the bulb wattage, move his branch down, or put more space between the bulb and the top of the cage. It's a balancing act because if his branch is too cool, you're just gonna find him hanging upside down from the top of the cage under the bulb, possibly still gaping if moving closer got him too hot again.

If he's thirsty, the white part of his poop (urate) will start turning more orangeish and his eyes might look a bit less bulgy, or even start to sink in.

 

[RobandJess]

Thanks for your quick answers! Our cage is pretty large (23"X23"x48") with many branches, vines and plants...I figured he would move from the hotter spots when he is overheating, he usually moves to lower branches when he goes to sleep. I will definitely try to change the bulb if he continues to do that.

 

[PedroANDAshley]

You should deff. get a digital themometer if you dont already have one.
Chameleons tend to not know when theyre getting burned so they wont move, thats why it happens so often.
Its like us with sun burn... we think its just to hot and then later we get a huge flakey red sun burn
If hes gaping enough for you to be concerned its time to do something about the temp of the basking spot.

 

[JCDenton]

You could also get a temp gun. The thermometer is good for monitoring ambient temp in the room but it's slow, probes get wet and become inaccurate til they dry, etc. You probably want both since it's good to always be monitoring the temp, but I'm just saying for the limited purpose of perfecting a basking spot the temp gun will serve you very well and you can get cheap ones that still work great.

And I agree with Pedro et al, youngling chameleons are pretty stupid but it's part of their charm. They can't figure out if they're hot or cold and I've seen mine have issues figuring out how to get from point A to point B sometimes that have just left me shaking my head.

 

[Miss Lily]

You could also get a temp gun. The thermometer is good for monitoring ambient temp in the room but it's slow, probes get wet and become inaccurate til they dry, etc. You probably want both since it's good to always be monitoring the temp, but I'm just saying for the limited purpose of perfecting a basking spot the temp gun will serve you very well and you can get cheap ones that still work great.

And I agree with Pedro et al, youngling chameleons are pretty stupid but it's part of their charm. They can't figure out if they're hot or cold and I've seen mine have issues figuring out how to get from point A to point B sometimes that have just left me shaking my head.

The adults can be too! Lily, my first female, would sit and gape in the sun and she would not move! I actually had to physically move her and her cage into the shade so she could cool off! They don't seem to have an 'ok, it's too hot, let's get in the shade' sensor like we do!! But they are loveable all the same!

 

[RobandJess]

We are definitely having a blast with our cham...I moved the basking lamp it seems to be working. Thanks agian for all the advice.

 

[cham702]

He is too hot! What is his basking temp? Babies should be kept in the low 80 degrees as they are not able to thermoregulate like adults. He is 'gaping' as he's trying to cool down.

Me too I agree with miss lily..I use a 65watt blue bulb