I im sure my cham is really sick this time....

[Ocelot357]

I have been noticing that he keeps opening his mouth for about 10 seconds, neck inflates and breaths in and out.He also has quite a bit of gooey saliva, i think he ate a bit of dirt from the bottom of the plant.Sometimes when he opens his mouth it open up with a little pop.

I live in the los angeles area.....anybody know some good cham vets that dont charge too much?

 

[bridgofaith]

Not sure how close this is to you, but Dr. Stein is excellent! It sounds like a respiratory infection, so the sooner the better for a vet visit.
Dr. Shipp's Animal Hospital
Dr. Stein
351 Foothill Rd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310)550-0101

 

[Julirs]

Yes-do not wait long-I would get him to the Vet tomorrow. In the mean time you can up the heat a tad and clear out some of the gooey saliva from his mouth to help him breathe.

 

[Ocelot357]

Yes-do not wait long-I would get him to the Vet tomorrow. In the mean time you can up the heat a tad and clear out some of the gooey saliva from his mouth to help him breathe.

the goo is not at that level....he can clearly breathe and open his mouth, i just noticed a little bit of goo, i had some reptaid on deck so i made sure i gave him a proper dosage and I will get him to a vet tomorrow morning.

 

[bridgofaith]

I would add a warm mist humidifier to the cage and run it 24/7. It will help him to expectorate the mucus. I would also get him into the sun for a couple hours a day, if possible.

 

[bridgofaith]

he can clearly breathe and open his mouth

The reason he is opening his mouth and inflating every so often, is because he is having difficulty breathing. He is breathing and getting air, but not the way he should be.

 

[FroggtheCham]

Increase the humidity level as well. It will help to thin secretions in the lungs, making it easier to breath and will help mobilize secretions.
Next, check your husbandry. Temperatures, humidity, nutrition, possible drafts, mold/standing water in the cage/plants etc. Constant exposure to stress, mold and or inappropriate husbandry are examples of things that may suppress the immune system and allow an infection to set in. Yes do get to a vet ASAP. By the time you notice definite symptoms, the infection has already set in pretty well and it may not take more than a day or two longer to overwhelm your cham. Good luck!!

 

[Ocelot357]

I would add a warm mist humidifier to the cage and run it 24/7. It will help him to expectorate the mucus. I would also get him into the sun for a couple hours a day, if possible.

will do.......thanks.



What do you think cause this?......the dirt he ate?

 

[bridgofaith]

will do.......thanks.



What do you think cause this?......the dirt he ate?

No, I seriously doubt that. Unless a small piece got into the airway. There are any number of things that can cause this. Frogg has some good suggestions. I would fill out the help form so we can look at the husbandry, that could tell us something.

 

[laurie]

I don't know which is better for you but also check out Dr. Tom Greek. He has moved his office since I moved up here to Montana but he is a wonderful vet with chameleons.

 

[Ocelot357]

Panther Ambilobe 4 months- male
Handling - not much once a week just to switch to outside cage
Feeding - Crickets and backyard flies....crickets bought from lllreptile, gutloaded with cricket crack,carrots,water crystals and lettuce.
Supplements - dust 1 cricket a day w/repti calcium w/out d3 and dust 1 cricket every 15 days with d3
Watering - Mist king 5 times a day for 1 minute
Fecal Description - dark brown with white tip

Cage Info:30x24x24
Cage Type - all screen bottom is plexi
Lighting - 18 inch uvb repti sun and zoo med 75 watt basking bulb
Temperature - basking is around 85-90 cool areas are around 70-75
Humidity - Not really sure what mu humidity level is but i have a mist king that mist for 1 minute 5 times a day, all live plants and soil always wet.
Plants - all live ficus and pothos
Placement - Top of cage is at about 6feet 10 inches and placed on top of a shelf.And the the water from the cage drips down to dirt.
Location - los angeles

Current Problem - Opens his mouth and keeps breathing for about 10 sec. while bottom of neck inflates.And i noticed a little bit of goo in his mouth when he opens it.Little pop sound when he opens mouth

 

[bridgofaith]

Panther Ambilobe 4 months- male
Handling - not much once a week just to switch to outside cage
Feeding - Crickets and backyard flies....crickets bought from lllreptile, gutloaded with cricket crack,carrots,water crystals and lettuce.
Supplements - dust 1 cricket a day w/repti calcium w/out d3 and dust 1 cricket every 15 days with d3
Watering - Mist king 5 times a day for 1 minute
Fecal Description - dark brown with white tip

Cage Info:30x24x24
Cage Type - all screen bottom is plexi
Lighting - 18 inch uvb repti sun and zoo med 75 watt basking bulb
Temperature - basking is around 85-90 cool areas are around 70-75
Humidity - Not really sure what mu humidity level is but i have a mist king that mist for 1 minute 5 times a day, all live plants and soil always wet.
Plants - all live ficus and pothos
Placement - Top of cage is at about 6feet 10 inches and placed on top of a shelf.And the the water from the cage drips down to dirt.
Location - los angeles

Current Problem - Opens his mouth and keeps breathing for about 10 sec. while bottom of neck inflates.And i noticed a little bit of goo in his mouth when he opens it.

The only thing that looks a little off is that you want the cage to dry out between mistings. That is a possible source for the resp infection.

EDIT: Also, do not mist to close to lights out. The cage needs to dry out before he settles in for the night.

 

[summoner12]

I am not sure using a humidifier is a good idea when having a respiratory issue...? Isn't this how they cham gets a RI (too much humidity)?

 

[FroggtheCham]

I am not sure using a humidifier is a good idea when having a respiratory issue...? Isn't this how they cham gets a RI (too much humidity)?

Too much humidity/standing water, when the cage doesn't dry out, yes. It creates a breeding ground for bacteria and mold which is inhaled. Humidity in itself is not bad and doesn't cause infection. In the wild they don't have issues with standing water, so it's not a problem. This is one problem we inadvertently created for them.

 

[bridgofaith]

^^ Ditto

I am not sure using a humidifier is a good idea when having a respiratory issue...? Isn't this how they cham gets a RI (too much humidity)?

I was told to use the warm mist humidifier by both Dr. Stein and Dr. Alfonso. It helps the cham to expectorate the mucus from their lungs.

 

[Ocelot357]

I was told to use the warm mist humidifier by both Dr. Stein and Dr. Alfonso. It helps the cham to expectorate the mucus from their lungs.

i just put a warm mist humidifier on him, gonna leave it on all night

 

[bridgofaith]

i just put a warm mist humidifier on him, gonna leave it on all night

Good. Increasing the temps also will help them fight the infection better. They are not able to produce a fever like we are, so they need the heat to raise the body temp. The sun is the best thing for that.

 

[summoner12]

don't mean to hijack!

I was told to use the warm mist humidifier by both Dr. Stein and Dr. Alfonso. It helps the cham to expectorate the mucus from their lungs.

Alright, so it helps them get the mucus out of the system... does baytril help them fight the infection? My veiled, Fred is spending the summer outside and has a RI... I don't really understand how he got it. His cage is setup as though it were inside (UVB, heat light misting nozzle)... but in the afternoon he gets direct sunlight.

 

[bridgofaith]

Alright, so it helps them get the mucus out of the system... does baytril help them fight the infection? My veiled, Fred is spending the summer outside and has a RI... I don't really understand how he got it. His cage is setup as though it were inside (UVB, heat light misting nozzle)... but in the afternoon he gets direct sunlight.

Baytril worked for me but that was after a Culture and Sensitivity test was performed and found the infection susceptible to that medication. We also tried the injectible Fortaz with no results.

 

[FroggtheCham]

Alright, so it helps them get the mucus out of the system... does baytril help them fight the infection? My veiled, Fred is spending the summer outside and has a RI... I don't really understand how he got it. His cage is setup as though it were inside (UVB, heat light misting nozzle)... but in the afternoon he gets direct sunlight.

For some reason, veileds seem more susceptible to respiratory infections. I don't know why. Sometimes there may be no apparent reason. Antibiotics will help fight the infection if it's bacterial in origin. It's a crap shoot as to which antibiotic will work without a culture and sensitivity, though baytril is a popular broadspectrum drug that is more effective on gram negative bacteria. So if the infection is gram positive in nature you mayl need to switch drugs, or add one that is also effective against gram positive bacteria.


P.S.
I forgot to include my disclaimer. I am not a Vet. You should seek appropriate/proper care from a qualified Vet. I am merely here to aid in the understanding of diseases, medications etc and my posts are not meant to replace proper Vet care. There are many possibilities that can be used, and there may be more than one correct solution. Thank you.