Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,
Charlie is doing great. I had to remove him from his cage in order to clean. He wasn't thrilled, but he did not seem to mind to much. I reached in and allowed him to crawl onto my hand. Before i could stop him he had crawled up my shoulder and perched himself in my pony tail, where he relaxed until i was ready to put him back in his cage. "Excuse me... is that a chameleon on your head?" "Why yes, thank you for asking"

I do have a question, do chameleons sneeze? Every once in a while while observing him i notice him puffing his chin out. He than opens his mouth for a second and than sneezes. Or is he hissing at me? He doesnt do it when i have my hand in the cage, and he only does it every once in a while while being observed, and i catch him doing this when i am not nearby also. which is why i do not think he is being defensive.

Also, i fed him his first few waxworms for the first time yesterday just as a snack and a break from his feeding routine. He ate one tentativly, and than crawled over to his feeding bowel , grabed the side and placed his face in to skip the middle man (there were only five in there for about 12 seconds). I guess he likes them.

jeff

Hey Jeff,

You really did get lucky with this guy, he sounds great - hey have we seen any pics lately?

First off - I have yet to meet a herp who doesn't like waxworms. Even the pickiest of eaters (my Luna, for one) would eat them. Too bad they can't be a staple, huh? Try some Phoenix worms, too.

As for the "sneezing" it sounds more like him just being a guy - and a cham. The puffing and hissing can sometimes look odd in that a head shake may be involved, too. Nothing major, but a sharp nod or lunge. Even though you are not always nearby, if he can still see you he may just be reminding you who's in charge
Can he see any other animals? His reflection? Just wondering if something is setting him off. He's a sub-adult, right? How old? If he is reaching sexual maturity it is probably just his hormones.

On the other hand, if it really does seem like "sneezing" just keep an eye out for wheezing sounds, mouth infection, stringy mucous when his mouth is open (gaping). If you want to get a good look in his mouth, show him a mirror. He will likley gape at that nasty male looking at him and you can take a look around.

lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she's back!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

He is getting to be breeding age, and i set up his cage so the closest thing to another animal he sees is a slight shadow of himself. I was sure to look into his mouth the last time he did sneeze just to make sure there wasnt mucus and it looks clear. I have had him lung at me a little bit, and i have fingured out when. He only does it if a hand moves to fast towards him. He is fine if it moves slowly, often just ignoring my hand (unless it has food). If i move too quickly, like if im doing something too close to him that reqires me playing with something, than he will lung a little bit. Its nothing more than a little nod in the direction of the hand, enough to remind me to move slower if i am going to be in his territory.

BY the way, my feeding regiment today calls for three to four superworms, should i devide them up morning and afternoon if i can, or just give them to him all at once? In other words, is it better to feed less more times a day, or just give him the food to eat when he wants?

What are Phoenix worms?

When i get my camera back i can snap some more photos. I have figured out his best coloring is when he is stressed or sleeping.

Jeff

The mirror thing is an excellent tip! I have been trying to get Valentino's mouth open to take Hydro-Lize drops and he is STUBBORN. I'm going to try the mirror thing. Thanks, Lele. Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago
Valentino, Veiled Chameleon
Chyam, Nosy Be Panther Chameleon