Open Mouth??? Why?

[Slobodan]

Ok...
I have already found topic with the same name...but i might think that problem is not the same...why?
My 3 years old female Veiled cham is gravid...she is asking for male in past two weeks. Since than she is while sitting opening her mouth and keeps it like that for 10 seconds.

I was reading some articles on internet about it...and everywhere is said that chams are regulating their temp like this...but temp in terrarium is always the same during day 27-28-29 C or something around 82-86 F...and at night a little lower. She wasn't doing that before.

Does anyone have an idea why do they do that?
Thanks.

 

[nosytrish]

What is her basking temp? Sometimes Zephyr (10 month male panther) will open his mouth when he is showing aggression, but it is not for that long, and he is usually puffing up (like a lion growl that continues into a popeye face with his lips and then he will do a vine shake). Is she puffing up? What kind of tank is she in? I'm not saying that she has this, but look up "mouth rot" just in case or for future reference. That is the only time I have heard about open mouths before this not related to temps. In any case, I suggest taking her to the vet for a check up if it continues. Good Luck!

Trish

 

[Slobodan]

NO man...It's not mouth rot...i was just finishing with reading one article with pics about mouth rot...and it's not it. Also, it is not ''I'm angry - open mouth".
Her tarrarium is 50Lx65Hx40w.
Yes, she is acting a bit srange, but that's coz she looks for a guy to mate...
She has blue dots all over her body, she always wants to get out...and stuff...

And you know...i would gladly take her to vet but in my country that's quite hard..There is only a few...and they live behinds God's legs... ))

Are there any other suggestions?

And thanks.

 

[Jerm]

When you say that you are keeping her in a terrarium, will you explain a little more about her setup? Glass or screen? Does it have a basking site that she can get away from if needed? Another thing is that if she is pacing the cage, she might be looking for a site to lay some eggs. If so you need to put a bucket or tub of soil and sand mixed in there for her to lay in. She might be contracting which is why she is opening her mouth now. It is stressful on them to pass eggs. Can you post pics of her?

 

[pssh]

Is 86 the ambient temp? That's even a little hot for a basking spot (for a female anyways.) try lowering the temp to around 70-75 and get the basking area around 80-83.

Do you hear any popping, cracking, or wheezing when she breathes? Are her nostrils clear?

 

[ItODDospeed]

I think she is thirsty or needs to be rained on. My Jacksons always open their mouths like that when they need a shower.
Then again she could be regulating temp. like you read. However, with her temps. I would consider that she is not too hot.

 

[Slobodan]

Her terrarium is made of glass...but she has ventilation (one big) and one small...she has place to move...to the cooler area...
I'll try to put video...
I hope...will see...

 

[Slobodan]

Oh yes...and i don't hear anything...she breads just fine..

 

[ItODDospeed]

The Terrarium should have an open top. Chameleons like breezes and fresh air. I don't think holes are going to work in the long run. Post pics...

 

[Slobodan]

The top is open..that is the big vent...and i keep the doors little opened...
I don't have camera right now...but i'll see to get one soon...

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."she is asking for male in past two weeks"...how is she asking? Do you put them so they can see each other? Can she see the male when she's gaping?

 

[chamili]

i have male veiled asking for female if ur interested

 

[Slobodan]

No...Her boyfriend is in near town... So sorry...but i'm from Serbia...
I think it would be kinda hard to get in contact with your male...

I know she's askin for male cuz her collours are more exposed than before...
She has blue dot's all over her body..she is constantly on the move, sometimes she has black dots also...

And now I finally found out why is she gapping all the time...
It's cuz she is asking for male...

I contacted one of older and more experienced breeder and she told me that every cham has it's own way of exprecing feelings and needs...

Her female is doing the same thing...

Thank you everyone....

 

[kinyonga]

If she has a dark background color then she is non-receptive/gravid and not asking for a male. If that is the case she will be producing eggs....and its important that you have an appropriate place/container of sand in her cage for her to dig in to lay eggs or she will likely become eggbound.

Look under "Breeding" at the picture there for gravid/non-receptive coloration...
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[Slobodan]

ok..i'm confused now...

Cuz i gave her dish for laying eggs and she wasn't doing anything...
Than, what's happening?

And are her mouth open?

Thanks for input.

 

[kinyonga]

Does she have a dark background color at times or all the time?

How big was the dish you gave her and what did you put in it?

 

[Dez and Delilah]

ok..i'm confused now...

Cuz i gave her dish for laying eggs and she wasn't doing anything...
Than, what's happening?

And are her mouth open?

Thanks for input.

Females can produce eggs without males, she may need to lay eggs. Try putting a container that's about 10" deep with damp soil/sand mixture.. damp enough your hand can make a tunnel without it caving in. If she starts digging, leave her alone and don't watch her. She's laying eggs.

If she's holding her mouth open she may be too hot. Check your temps.. maybe try to lower them by a couple degrees and see if she still holds her mouth open.

 

[Dez and Delilah]

Females can produce eggs without males, she may need to lay eggs. Try putting a container that's about 10" deep with damp soil/sand mixture.. damp enough your hand can make a tunnel without it caving in. If she starts digging, leave her alone and don't watch her. She's laying eggs.

If she's holding her mouth open she may be too hot. Check your temps.. maybe try to lower them by a couple degrees and see if she still holds her mouth open.

I know this information has been provided in various posts, I was offering a summation of the possible issues.

 

[Slobodan]

Ok...I don't want to go beack at the beginning of the theme...
It's not becouse the hotness and she don't have any mouth issue cuz i lowered her temp. two days ago on 25C = 78F and she is still doing that...temp...was sometimes even lower. And also i checked her mouth.

The dish was 20cm = around 6-7inches.

Ok..I knew that females can produce eggs without male...but how often do they do that?
I got my Veiled 7-8 months ago...and the previouce owner told me after my question that she have never lay eggs in her life...

 

[kinyonga]

Perhaps its easier to explain what should happen with a male and femalem reproduction, etc.

When a female veiled is reaching sexual maturity she will develop mustard/yellow splotches...and when she is receptive the bright bluish dots. Non-receptive/gravid coloration includes a dark background....but the female doesn't always display this dark background. She will do it when a male is within her sight and often with the keeper or another veiled female.

When you show a receptive female to a male, she should remain her calm green colors with the dots and splotches. Her body will not be inflated and she should move slowly away from the male.

If he recognizes that she is a receptive female, he should brighten his colors and pursue her but not show his aggressive colors and attitude (gaping, hand held up close to the body, hissing, etc.).

If the female is non-receptive/gravid she will hiss, gape, sway back and forth, darken her background colors and even lunge at the male if he is close enough.

They should not be put together unless they are both receptive to each other. About 30 days after the mating the female should lay eggs....but it depends on where she is in her cycle when they are mated. Sometimes it will be sooner. The should be separated once the female starts to reject the male (dark colors in the background and behavior).

If the female veiled is not mated and does not see a male, then she may lay eggs every 120 days or so...but its also possible that she won't lay any eggs. It depends to some extent on the husbandry. If she is overfed she will produce large clutches and there is IMHO more risk of eggbinding.

You need an opaque container at least 12" deep and 12" long and 8 inches wide in the cage for the chameleon to dig in to show you that she is ready to lay eggs. Some of the chameleons will actually lay the eggs in this container, but some of them do better with a larger container. Having the smaller container in the cage though, will allow her to show you that she is ready to lay.

When she is digging its important not to let her see you watching her or she will abandon the hole thinking that its not a safe place to lay the eggs. If this happens often enough, she can become eggbound and die.

The female may dig several test holes but should finally decide on one and dig it until she is content with it. This can take a few days....but when she is finally happy with the hole, she will turn around bum down and lay the eggs. This often happens in the evening with veileds. She may even stay in the hole overnight.

When she's done laying the eggs she will fill in the hole and pack it down...and return to the branches.

If the female is unable to lay her eggs she will eventually become eggbound...and at this time may keep her mouth open a lot, sit low in the cage, become lethargic, etc.

Much of the time, if the husbandry is right the female should be able to get through all of this process including laying the eggs with no problems...unless there is a physical reason for her not to be able to lay them (reproductive system issues/deformities, deformed or fused eggs, eggs that are too large to lay, etc.)

I hope this will help you figure out what's going on with your chameleon.