Help, my yemen chameleon keeps hissing at night

[denvour]

Hello, my yemen chameleon (3 years old) keeps hissing at random points in the night and has been doing so for the last 3 night and I dont know why. I haven't seen or heard him hissing or doing any other unusual actions during the day.

Information about him:

He eats well and often

He is sprayed 2 times per day

He is fine with people near the cage but will not let anyone handle him ever (he is a rescue i got him when he was about a year old and i assume his old owner never trained him)

He has a large cage with plenty of stuff to climb on and has had this cage for about a year-1.5 years.

If there's any other information you think would be helpful please ask.

 

[GrannyK]

Hey there, welcome to the forum! Are his eyes closed during the day? Does he hold his head up in the air at all? He should really be sleeping at night, all night which I’m sure you know. Is there lights on anywhere in the room while he is sleeping? Do you have a pic of his lights, him and the enclosure to share, and what supplements do you use, how often?
Sorry he’s going through something right now, hopefully we can get to the bottom of it.

 

[denvour]

Hey there, welcome to the forum! Are his eyes closed during the day? Does he hold his head up in the air at all? He should really be sleeping at night, all night which I’m sure you know. Is there lights on anywhere in the room while he is sleeping? Do you have a pic of his lights, him and the enclosure to share, and what supplements do you use, how often?
Sorry he’s going through something right now, hopefully we can get to the bottom of it.

During the day his eyes are fine, they are always open and they don't seem sunken in at all. Sometimes he does rest his head on objects in the cage when he isn't walking around, but he doesn't just lift it randomly during the day. The hissing tends to be for a few hours at the start of the night but he could be doing it later into the night, im going to stay up later tonight to make sure that it definitely isnt an all night thing. When his lights go iff there is a small anout of light coming from the curtains in the room but its still pretty dark in the room. The supplements he has are a multivitamin one with d3 that is given to him 2 times per month and calcium without d3 every other day. I'll attach a photo of him and his lights below

 

[GrannyK]

Hey there is he still doing this, how is he doing?

 

[denvour]

Hey there is he still doing this, how is he doing?

Hello, he is still doing it but last night it was a lot less, I still have no clue why or what has caused it

 

[Steve A]

Is there any way you could record this? I can hear Spike hissing at me at times if I interact with him but I have to be paying attention. If he's hissing loud enough at night with all the lights off loudly enough for you to hear him all the time, I am curious.

If he isn't going to sleep...there has to be a reason. Either he's in fear of something nearby, or he's getting light into his cage.

I have to ask JUST to make sure; You ARE turning his lights off at night, correct? He should have total darkness. If you have lights in the room he is in that must be on at night, you should probably cover his enclosure. At least to see if it stops this behavior.

 

[denvour]

Is there any way you could record this? I can hear Spike hissing at me at times if I interact with him but I have to be paying attention. If he's hissing loud enough at night with all the lights off loudly enough for you to hear him all the time, I am curious.

If he isn't going to sleep...there has to be a reason. Either he's in fear of something nearby, or he's getting light into his cage.

I have to ask JUST to make sure; You ARE turning his lights off at night, correct? He should have total darkness. If you have lights in the room he is in that must be on at night, you should probably cover his enclosure. At least to see if it stops this behavior.

I'll try to record it tonight but it will be difficult because it happens at random times and theres anywhere between 30mins- 1 hour between them. His lights go of at 7:30pm there is a very small amout of light that comes through the curtains but by 8pm it's dark outside so there is no light what so ever. The hissing tends to start at about 8:30pm and the latest I have heard him hiss was about 11pm. Ive cleared out his whole cage to make sure there was no bugs that i didn't take out that were annoying him, there was nothing, im really running out of things it could be.

 

[Steve A]

I'll try to record it tonight but it will be difficult because it happens at random times and theres anywhere between 30mins- 1 hour between them. His lights go of at 7:30pm there is a very small amout of light that comes through the curtains but by 8pm it's dark outside so there is no light what so ever. The hissing tends to start at about 8:30pm and the latest I have heard him hiss was about 11pm. Ive cleared out his whole cage to make sure there was no bugs that i didn't take out that were annoying him, there was nothing, im really running out of things it could be.

OK unless there's light shining on him throughout the night, I'd say we can rule that out.

If you can take any pics of him while he's "sleeping" that might be very helpful. If he's sick, he may be in a position that will give this away. A quick search on here took me to past instances where chameleons hissing at night was unfortunately a sign of illness. But that does not mean that's definitely the case here. Hopefully someone more experienced than me will be available soon.

 

[denvour]

OK unless there's light shining on him throughout the night, I'd say we can rule that out.

If you can take any pics of him while he's "sleeping" that might be very helpful. If he's sick, he may be in a position that will give this away. A quick search on here took me to past instances where chameleons hissing at night was unfortunately a sign of illness. But that does not mean that's definitely the case here. Hopefully someone more experienced than me will be available soon.

I'll try to get some photos of him tonight and will update you once i take them

 

[denvour]

OK unless there's light shining on him throughout the night, I'd say we can rule that out.

If you can take any pics of him while he's "sleeping" that might be very helpful. If he's sick, he may be in a position that will give this away. A quick search on here took me to past instances where chameleons hissing at night was unfortunately a sign of illness. But that does not mean that's definitely the case here. Hopefully someone more experienced than me will be available soon.

I cannot get the hisses on video but tonight they are different, before they were the same as when he is pissed off but tonight they are diffrent, they are like squeaking sounds. At first when I heard them I didn't even think it was him because I've never heard im make the sound before. The first few he made sounded a bit like breathing through a straw but the one he made not long ago sounded like a quiet ambulance?? Anyway here is a photo of him sleeping, I used night mode to take it, the room is completely dark, no light at all

 

[Steve A]

I cannot get the hisses on video but tonight they are different, before they were the same as when he is pissed off but tonight they are diffrent, they are like squeaking sounds. At first when I heard them I didn't even think it was him because I've never heard im make the sound before. The first few he made sounded a bit like breathing through a straw but the one he made not long ago sounded like a quiet ambulance?? Anyway here is a photo of him sleeping, I used night mode to take it, the room is completely dark, no light at all

Can't tell much from that photo. It IS okay to use a flash to take a photo if you need to but let's see what others say with the information you've provided first.

The sounds he's making, is it like a "wheezing" sound? Does it basically sound like he is sick?

I'm going to take a back seat on this and let someone else more experienced help you out. IMO, I feel like he may be sick But, I really don't know anything for sure. Give it some time, there are great, well-educated people on this forum that can help you much better than me.

 

[denvour]

Can't tell much from that photo. It IS okay to use a flash to take a photo if you need to but let's see what others say with the information you've provided first.

The sounds he's making, is it like a "wheezing" sound? Does it basically sound like he is sick?

I'm going to take a back seat on this and let someone else more experienced help you out. IMO, I feel like he may be sick But, I really don't know anything for sure. Give it some time, there are great, well-educated people on this forum that can help you much better than me.

It did sound a bit more like a wheezing sound than it has on other nights when he has been doing it but it has now gone back to the same hissing sounds he makes when he is annoyed. Here is a photo with flash for you and others to look at, thank you for your time

 

[Steve A]

It did sound a bit more like a wheezing sound than it has on other nights when he has been doing it but it has now gone back to the same hissing sounds he makes when he is annoyed. Here is a photo with flash for you and others to look at, thank you for your time

No problem! Hmm he looks normal as far as his positioning is (as far as I know). But the wheezing/hissing has me worried. Try to be patient and take care of him as normal for now and hopefully someone more experienced will come along soon!

 

[GrannyK]

I’m going to try and wrangle up @MissSkittles , @kinyonga or @jannb to take a peek at this. I now suspect RI which means a vet visit but hopefully one of these experienced keepers can give a bit of good advice or see something missed if they are available soon.

 

[denvour]

I’m going to try and wrangle up @MissSkittles , @kinyonga or @jannb to take a peek at this. I now suspect RI which means a vet visit but hopefully one of these experienced keepers can give a bit of good advice or see something missed if they are available soon.

If it is an RI is there any way to help it without going to the vets? I'm 17 and I work a seasonal job so I am currently living off nothing, i have £30 to my name and that was for mine and his food for the rest of the month so I really cannot afford for him to be seriously ill

 

[GrannyK]

If it is an RI is there any way to help it without going to the vets? I'm 17 and I work a seasonal job so I am currently living off nothing, i have £30 to my name and that was for mine and his food for the rest of the month so I really cannot afford for him to be seriously ill

I’m not too sure if the medication to treat them is available without a dr there. Here in the US we cannot get it without.
I’m still keeping my fingers crossed it’s nothing serious, he looks overall healthy. You’re doing a good job with him.

 

[GrannyK]

Maybe if you want to fill out this form (copy and paste with your answers) we can try to figure or rule things out by the responses. They are heardy but delicate little creatures as you know so husbandry needs to be almost perfect.

 

[denvour]

Maybe if you want to fill out this form (copy and paste with your answers) we can try to figure or rule things out by the responses. They are heardy but delicate little creatures as you know so husbandry needs to be almost perfect.

Please send me the form and I will fill it out the best that I can, thank you for trying to help

 

[GrannyK]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

I am so sorry I forgot to attach it. :/

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

Regarding the hissing…is his nose up in the air when he’s doing it? How many times does he do it before he stops? What’s the basking temperature in the cage? Is the cage near a window? What’s the nighttime temperature? Do you use a fogged or mister at night?