i have a pair of veiled chamys both about 3 mths old, purchased 3 wks ago. they are both eating and drinking on a regular basis and seem healthy and happy.
my female will ocasionally sit on a branch with her mouth open. the male is nowhere near her to be annoying and she sits far enough away from the heat lamp so she can't be overheated (she has plenty of room for temp gradiance)
is this normal for chamy's? also, is it typical of chamy's for the male to be anti-social and the females to be social?
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open mouth
brwniz213
Nov 25, 2003 07:14 AM
Replies (2)
chimbakka
Nov 25, 2003 10:54 AM
If they are in the same cage there will be stress on both of them. Unless they are in a cage that is HUGE then one will likely be stressed constantly, and end up being more prone to getting sick (stress lowers imune system).
If she is opening her mouth a lot (a few times or more every day) then she may be coming down with a cold or uri. Watch her and see if she gets to bask when she needs to. Usually chams will bask right when they wake up and after they eat, and a few times in between. If she is staying away from the basking spot b/c of the male then she may not be warm enough.
It could also be something else, but I would check that out first, then go from there 
What is the cage size (i realize they are only 3 months so they won't need as much space as when they are juvies and full grown), what is the lighting situation, and what are you feeding, how often, and what is your dusting schedule? knowing these things will help everyone help you!
~Lindsay
Carlton
Nov 25, 2003 11:31 AM
Watch when she does this. If she's been basking for a while and opens her mouth she's getting a bit too warm and should decide to move out of the heat shortly. Gaping is a way for her to get rid of heat. Most chams do this towards the end of a basking session. It doesn't mean the basking spot is too hot necessarily. Look at her color. If she is a pale color she's getting too hot. The key is whether she can move into a cooler spot easily. If these 2 chams are in the same cage or can even see each other they will stress (and 3 months is past the time they can be housed together safely). They may not actively fight, but the stress is still there.
