Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, just checking to see if my chameleon is showing signs of normal behavior or not. When i watch him sometimes he opens his mouth pretty wide and keeps it open for a little while; not long but for about a minute or less. He doesn't do it all the time, only like once or twice a day (that i notice...and i watch him quite a bit.) Does anyone know what this could be related to? Stress-related? Hunger? Hydration? Shedding? I don't know what he's trying to tell me.
Any and all suggestions are welcome, thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Mike

Hi Mike,

If you do not see any stringy mucus or other sign of infection or breathing problem he is probably just gaping. This is similar to a dog panting - it is how they cool their bodies down. If he is doing it frequently you may want to check your temps.

If you go to the link below, you will find a section on setup questions. You can copy and paste them into a post and then reply to each. If this is your first cham (sounds like he is) it would be a good time to do this so if there are any problems you can adjust them now.

Congrats on your guy
lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

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
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0.1 Mad. Hissers and she is on the loose!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
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Mike,

I agree with Lele, it's probably nothing to worry about, but if you notice him under his heat lamp constantly gaping, you may want to purchase a lower wattage bulb.

The only other gaping related problem I can think of is some sort of respitory infection, in which the chameleon makes a sort of raspy noise as he attempts to breathes, and gapes often.
Good luck,

Michele