Gaping

[tcruz]

Hey guys, I've been wondering... sometimes Reggie is basking and I notice that her mouth is gaping. When I see this, I check her temp and if it is a bit high, which on occasion it's been up to 113-116 (that's mostly when I've seen her do it) I move her heat lamp over a bit from her basking area until she cools down. Should I mist her at that time as well. What does that mean , and is that harmful? The temps in the tank are usually 101-110, but sometimes they climb that high. I'm not sure why. Does anyone know?

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

They open their mouths like that to cool down. It's nothing to worry about.

 

[tcruz]

Ok, thank you.. I was kind of concerned. I don't want her to get to hot and not be able to tell me..(;

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

She will move if she is to hot

 

[tcruz]

But I've also read that it could be indicative of respiratory distress.

 

[tcruz]

And today her mouth seemed to be open wider than before. Sorry to be a pest, but can I just get a little more feed back? Here's a pic of her today. Her tongue was protruding also, does that matter any?

 

[PatsyB]

And today her mouth seemed to be open wider than before. Sorry to be a pest, but can I just get a little more feed back? Here's a pic of her today. Her tongue was protruding also, does that matter any?

Gaping mouth is mostly a sign that she is regulating her body heat. I've also read that they can gape their mouth if they have an URI. If she doesn't have excess mucous in her mouth (doesn't look like that from the picture), or have mucous coming out of her nose or breathing difficulties, then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[tcruz]

Thanks Patsy, I really appreciate the input. She seems fine otherwise. Temps are good now. And she's not lethargic or not pooping normally.

 

[PatsyB]

Then I would say she is just thermoregulating. They have strange poses when they do it. Mine seem to get embarrassed when I catch them and they close their mouths right away LOL!

 

[jarich]

Can I ask what light you are using in the basking area?

 

[tcruz]

It's a SUN GLO 120V 60 Hz 75W

 

[tcruz]

It's a SUN GLO 120V 60Hz 75W

 

[jarich]

Is that the Tight Spot light or the Neodymium one? The reason I ask is neodymium lights are not great to have. Its a really weird type of light that gets produced, and especially at the height you have it, its not great. The other reason I ask is that if its the tight spot, that may be why its gaping so much. They gape when the head has reached its peak temperature but the body has not yet gotten as warm. So the gaping cools the brain, while the body continues to get to the right temperature. So you want a nice wide beam of heat/light on that basking area so that the entire body is covered in that same high temperature. Otherwise what you end up with is a tight little hot spot that hits them in the head, and the body gets a much much lower temperature that takes a long time to heat up. So they will leave the basking area in order to keep their brain from overheating, and yet their body may not be quite up to the temperature they really desire yet.

Save yourself the money and go get a PAR 38 outdoor halogen flood light from your hardware store. They only cost around $5-$7 usually, so only about half as much as the reptile version. Since you have the 75 watt there, Id say buy the 75 watt and see if that gets you to the right temperature. It will give you a larger area for your reptile to bask at a consistent temperature and should allow for a more even body heating. Of course there will always likely be some gaping, but the regularity of what you are talking about makes me think it needs to be larger.

 

[tcruz]

So I should ditch the Zoo Med double light fixture I have right now and go get a PAR 38 outdoor single flood light. And what type of 75watt bulb would I get then?

 

[jarich]

No the fixture is fine, just replace the bulb you have with a PAR 38 outdoor flood light. That is the type of 75 watt bulb you should get, and it will screw right into the fixture you have already. There will be many different brands of PAR 38 outdoor flood light bulbs, and some will be energy saver versions, which are fine too. (they usually say something like "60 watt equivalent to 75 watt" ). Just make sure they are flood lights and not spot lights. Here is a link to what Im talking about, but there are many brands that make a similar light:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/93512/PAR-3511F.html