Respiration question

[rickd5]

About 3 weeks ago I thought my panther chameleon Ned had an RI

Here's the symptoms he had at the time and still has:
-really stringy saliva and bubbles (not all the time)
-strong forced exhales (seen him do it a couple times- louder than a hiss by far)
-Gaping (maybe that's because I'm his new owner)

I took him to the vet and he ASSURED me everything was okay with him and told me he has seen the stringy saliva before and sometimes its just normal (It wasn't stringy during the time of the visit, ofcourse...) He said the gaping is probably from stress or the worms i'm feeding him


Anyways as I handle my chameleon more now that he lets out little huffs and puffs like his breathing is heavy when he is climbing on my arms and body etc..(like when hes using energy) And I havent seen him do it since yesterday but the forced exhalations from time to time worry me. The gaping has gone down a lot so it leads me to believe that maybe he did it because of stress.

I can't find anywhere on this forum that hearing your chameleon breathing or huffing is normal so I'm scared I should take another vet trip...

Some insight on this would be really appreciated as I don't know if I should make another vet trip at this point.

-sleeps fine, no popping/cracking noises.

-Everything else is normal with him except his superworm addiction which I posted about in the chameleon food forum.

Here is him this morning(closeup included)

 

[camimom]

If you feel he has an RI, then find another vet

Stringy saliva, heaving, hard breathing, is not normal.

 

[rickd5]

That's what I wanted to do. But Dr. Greek is seriously the best vet for a chemeleon I can find in this area.. He's all over this forum as well. For southern California at least.

I don't want to question his knowledge but i'm just terribly worried.

 

[camimom]

does the saliva occur after drinking?

is the gaping only when you are near by? or when basking?

is he huffing out his nose or from his mouth?

 

[rickd5]

I see the saliva sometimes in the morning. Not usually anytime after that. He gapes when I come by really wide but I was talking about him just leaving his mouth open enough to breathe, and ever since I lowered my temps a few degrees he does it a lot less it feels like.

Huffing is from his mouth definitely. He doesn't gape ALL THE TIME. and he sleeps with his mouth shut.

 

[camimom]

Is he huffing when he sees you?

he could just be pissed at you being near his cage, and is being aggressive.

as for the gaping, that could be from temps being too hot for him.

 

[rickd5]

Yes that could be. But the saliva is what has me worried as well as the hard breathing when he's being handled. I guess I'll see if anything gets noticeably worse

 

[Thegreatfonz]

It sounds like he was just keeping his mouth open because it was too hot in his cage if you've noticed that he does it less now after lowering the temps. How long have you had him? I've had my chameleon for 5 months now and he's always huffed at me from day 1. I too sometimes start thinking that it could be a RI but he only seems to do it when I handle him but I've heard him do it in his cage lately.I just thought of it as him telling me he's displeased even though he'd want to leave his cage and climb onto me and then give me a little huff. Also from what I've read RI infections produce sounds like crackling and popping, not huffing which is why I have yet to go to the vet. How bad does the saliva look? does he just have a couple strands of it or is it all around his mouth?

Also is it just once that he huffs while breathing? Or do you pick him up and he'll huff a couple times?

 

[rickd5]

When I handle him he constantly wants to climb. At the same time I can hear him breathing heavily like if we were sprinting or something.. Just the sound of him breathing literally. But that's the only time I hear it. His saliva is more than a few strands.. But sometimes its not there at all. Its compareable to the pictures I've seen of what an ri looks like.

He's been in my care about a month I adopted him from previous Owner that thot he had had an ri so I took him in to Dr. Greek and he told Me he didn't so I took him home. He's 10 months old btw

 

[werecat]

My chameleon makes little huffing noises when he's upset, usually when I handle him. When he does, it does not sound like strained breathing but rather a quick snort through his nose. If quick little huffs are what you're hearing then it's probably just that your chameleon is upset when you handle him. If it really is strained breathing and is happening through the mouth I would be a bit more concerned. Try to get some good photos of the stringy saliva when it happens. That can be really helpful to the forum members with more knowledge and also to the vet.

Dr. Greek really is good and has a great reputation with chameleons. That's where we take Egon. However, if you are still concerned you could try a second opinion. I just don't know of any other vets in Southern California that have experience with chameleons. I have heard there is one other, I just don't know the name.

Just keep an eye on the symptoms and maybe even track of them on a calendar so you know how often they are happening. Then if you need to go back to the doctor you will have a little more information.

 

[rickd5]

I will definitely do that and keep it posted on the forums. I have been trying to get a pic of the saliva believe me but every time I go to take the picture he shuts it.. haha its frustrating

You guys have been helpful so thanks. I will update with more if symptoms get worse. Don't worry I won't hesitate for a vet trip if need be, but I don't know if that is the case at all at this point.

 

[little cricket]

is his urate orange? perhaps with the temperature being too high he was getting dehydrated, which was causing his saliva to thicken up. if you think he's dehydrated, double check his humidity and maybe give him a shower.

We've had trouble keeping an optimal humidity for one of my chams so he got dehydrated and had stringy saliva in the morning like your cham. Showering helped a lot. (we took our guy to a vet, too, who also ruled out an RI. he's fine now)

 

[rickd5]

Maybe Its the humidity but its usually 50-70 percent. I have a aquazamp in the mail as well. His urates are perfect with lots of white. He drinks like a champ too.

I really hope I can rule out the RI I'll see if things change when he gets his automated misting system

That could explain the stringy saliva maybe.. But not the random forced exhales where he is like clearing his throat

 

[rickd5]

So he just did what sounded to be a cough or a sneeze while he was sleeping.. I checked on him right after and he was still asleep but propped up.. Then he lowered himself back down to sleeping posture. All with his eyes closed. His mouth was closed too.