Urgent!! Jackson's chameleon is Dark Brown, Gaping

[Mendez]

okay I'll try to see if he drinks, thanks, brb

 

[Mendez]

He didn't drink, but he lightened up.

 

[Mendez]

I don't think that everything is okay still, cause last time he lightened up, he darked up pretty fast

 

[Thehippie]

good that he lightened up, has he lost interest in food lately or lost interest in moving?

 

[Mendez]

No, he is still eating. After I notticed him super dark initially, i wanted to see if he would still eat a dubia, and he ate three of them

 

[Mendez]

After I just sprayed him, he is now up in his basking spot, flattened out to absorb the rays which is good, i think if he starts to bask normally, I think he should be fine but still worried

 

[Thehippie]

wow then maybe it really was a bad bsfl, if there is no lethargy and no appetite loss I see nothing wrong with your chameleon except emotions, maybe theres something in his cage??? at this point I'm just guessing, not even educated guessing just guessing lol

 

[Mendez]

Thanks, I also quickly trimmed his plant because it was growing in front of the uvb light. It is almost 4 and i havent had lunch yet, so I'm going to grab a bite and hopefully he's back to normal.

 

[JacksJill]

I try not to feed a lot of BSF larva at once. They are a good food but not always easily digestible if not chewed up enough. Don't be surprised if he passes some undigested. I wouldn't feed any more today and very little if anything tomorrow. Hydrate him and keep an eye out for excessive mucous in his mouth just to be sure it isn't the start of a respiratory infection. To be on the safe side you can always make a vet appointment and cancel it 24 hours before if he is ok.

 

[iMi]

I am going to throw this out there... We know reptiles need to warm up to digest food. I realize he's not directly under his basking light, but could he be trying to raise his temps to aid digestion given his large meal?

It's only a theory and I would certainly defer to someone with more experience, but thought I'd share.

 

[JoshD49]

He may have been cold which is why he went to dark colors and tried to absorb as much heat as possible. His mouth could be that the spot was getting too warm so he opened it to thermal regulate his guts while still allowing the rest of his body to warm. Is he making any sounds while breathing or holding his mouth open all the time? Jackson's do not need as much heat so if his spot is too hot he may gape like that. That said I do not own a Jackson so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. My panther and veild do this but my veild does it a lot.

@JacksJill is my go-to for Jacksons.