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My cham has had so many problems lately. At first he wasnt eating as well and now it seems that he is not swallowing. He has pooped today, and everyday. But lately after he eats he is not swallowing the food. He sits there with his mouth open. So I decided to look and theres food and heavy secretions in the back of his mouth. What causes this and can it be fixed????

Hi-

Does he gape allot during the day, or only when he eats or basking? If you see allot of mucous in his mouth it could be a sign of a possible URI. Other signs would be loss of apatite, basking more often, sleeping during the day, popping noises when breathing, and not active when the lights are on. If these symptoms are visible with your chameleon a vet visit will be needed for treatment. It would also be a good idea to check basking temps and make sure there is a gradient temp in the cage and proper humidity. Hope this helps!
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John W. Lucas

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He only gaps when he has the food still in his mouth. And the heavy salivation only seems to be there when the food is still stuck there. Is he just holding it there for later or is he having problems swallowing it??

How long does he hold the food? Does he ever swallow or does he just spit it out? Is he drinking and behaving normally otherwise? Sorry I don't remember what "other problems" he's had in the past. It does sound like some type of infection possibly abscesses or mouth rot type problems further back in his throat. There should not be much mucous in his mouth, especially if it is discolored. Try offering smaller softer food in case he's irritated his throat with something.

He holds the food for several hours. He eventually swallows it. It seems like he always swallows it after I have looked for several min. When food is not in his mouth, it does not appear to be black or anything. I called the vet and he told me just to keep giving him fluids. We have ruled out parasites. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Maybe it is an internal problem.

By the way... what types of foods can I give him.

Softer things are superworms, moths, houseflies, silkworms, and smaller (less mature) crickets. Waxworms are nice as a treat. Mouthrot or some other type of infection would look blotchy red with clumps of yellow/white crusts. Not black.

I think it's time to find another vet. If you call a vet with a problem like this and they just say to give him fluids then apparently he's not familiar with reptiles. Call your local herp society and see what reptile vet they use. Once you get to the vet the best thing to do is have a culture done so they can treat it with the correct anitbiotic the first time around. That way you dont try several antibiotics to find one that works.Good luck!

Thick mucous (clear or tinted yellowish) in the back of the throat will prevent food items from being swallowed. It also sets up a chain reaction - the food item starts to deteriorate and this causes further bacterial problems.

We have seen similiar happenings - you need to clean out the mouth (and throat) if there is food there - get it removed. If you can't manage this, take your cham to a vet.

The likely scenario is a URI that is forming mucous strings, and this prevents the food from going down properly. It also makes it very difficult for the cham to breath through the glottis. This proves dangerous for the cham, so it needs to be tended to post haste. Most likely, the vet will prescribe antibiotics if there is evidence of URI - but you may elect to have a culture done - to see if there is another form of bacteria causing the mucous. We have seen several kinds, and not all respond to Baytril (the common antibiotic)

Keep us posted...
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