loud breathing/slight hissing after eating?

[Lenny the veild]

Hello, we have had our chameleon for about 2 weeks, he is about 2 months old. We are very attentive to his care needs since we are new to chameleons.

We may have been giving him too large of insects to eat, we read that the rule of thumb is no wider than the space between his eyes. On occasion when he eats a larger cricket or horn worm, he opens his mouth and makes a slight hissing sound, it sounds like a whistle. He also tilts his head upwards which we know is a normal part of his digestion.

We were wondering if this whistling sound is an expected finding, or if this was indeed because of feeding him food too large for his size. A knowledgable response would be much appreciated!

 

[junglefries]

Wheezing or whistling? Side note: they can digest smaller prey more quickly. They can fit more smaller prey in their belly, than a couple large. This will help with more nutrition, and possibly help with whistling. If it is wheezing noise, then possible respiratory infection.

 

[christineacero]

Characteristics of respiratory infections are usually a whistling noise, head tilted upwards, wheezing or popping sounds, excessive swallowing and in the later stages, bubbles in their mouth. Does any of this sound familiar? If so, make an appointment with an experienced herp vet. He will need medication.

 

[nomannomad]

My male used to make hissing noises that were more noticeable while he was eating or drinking. Otherwise, he'd do it in his sleep, almost as though he was drinking. I suspected a respiratory infection, and sure enough they found a lot of rods. He was put on antibiotics for three weeks, and now he's a quiet eater and sleeper. I think the noise was more noticeable because when you think about it, it takes more effort to breathe when we're trying to eat or drink, and our breathing naturally gets deeper and heavier during sleep. Two days after I first noticed, I took him to the first vet, who said he was fine and that she'd give him one dose of antibiotics to be safe. A week later, it was back. Two weeks later, I went to the second vet, who gave me the 3-week dose. He was healthy, fat, active, and eating/drinking fine throughout.

 

[Lenny the veild]

Thank you everyone, we started using smaller crickets and he's fine!!