Chameleon tongue use

[LinoZ]

Hello,
My chameleon stopped using his tongue on long ranges 2 months ago, I thought it was connected to the lightning but with his UVB and plenty of light he still didn't use his tongue... He just tends to come close(and often misses on 10 centimeters), he keeps getting closer and using less and less of his tongue..
Could anyone connect this to any health issues? And how do i resolve it?
Thanks

 

[LindsayG]

Hello,
My chameleon stopped using his tongue on long ranges 2 months ago, I thought it was connected to the lightning but with his UVB and plenty of light he still didn't use his tongue... He just tends to come close(and often misses on 10 centimeters), he keeps getting closer and using less and less of his tongue..
Could anyone connect this to any health issues? And how do i resolve it?
Thanks

Would you please fill out the How to Ask For Help form in the health section and post it here. We will have a much better idea of what is going on with more info.

 

[LinoZ]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Chameleo Calyptratus
• Handling - Once a week lately...
• Feeding - Mostly Zophobas morio in the last 5 months...
• Supplements - Havent used any any in the last 6 months but im planning on buying it tomorrow
• Watering - I mist and water plants once a day, and give him water by slowly dripping it in front of him every few days when he is thirsty
• Fecal Description - Once a day, black and yellow. No tests for parasites.
• History - I think he has black teeth which could be affected by no suplements but i plan on buying it asap as i said..

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Glass and wood 60cmx100cmx120cm approximately; has air flow.
• Lighting - He has a night lamp, because it can get cold ; spot lamp whole day; and a UVB lamp... also a neon as more light but i dont use it often.
• Temperature - Temperatures don't go lower than 20 degrees at night and 25 degrees day time... his basking spot is warmer. He has a spot for cooling(shadow).
• Humidity -50-60% moisturise and water plants once a day
• Plants - I don't remember which plants but Ficus Benjamin and 2 more which i already asked if they can be used..( Watched a forum on which plants to put in a chameleon terrarium)
• Placement -height is about 100cm; Cage is in the middle of the hallway but it's glass so it doesn't affect him. He isn't scared of us walking by.
• Location - Croatia

 

[LindsayG]

Not giving him any calcium or vitamins for 6 months will definitely affect his health. This is likely causing the tongue issue. Youre going to need to get calcium withOUT d3 (used daily), calcium WITH d3 (used twice monthly) and a multivitamin (also used twice monthly). You want to mist him a lot more than just once a day. That's why his urates are yellow. They should be white. He sounds dehydrated. Also, he needs complete darkness at night so if you need heat at night it needs to be a heat emitter with no light. They benefit from a drop in heat at night anyways so he probably doesn't need anything. What kind of neon light do you have on him? Could you post a picture of him and of your enclosure so we can get a better idea of his setup? Seeing a picture of him can also tell us if he has other possible health issues going on.

 

[LinoZ]

I think he realised that hiding behind leaves will let him sleep in the dark and that the red doesn't interfere with his sleep.
You can also see the lights setup and him...
and Thank You again for helping me!

 

[carol5208]

First off, how old is your chameleon and how long have you had him? Why did you stop supplements altogether? Really the red light serves no purpose to him at night. Are there red lights shining in the wild at night? What is the coil light and what is the light on the back wall. Those lights inside make me nervous if hewas to reach up and grab them. Also the light in the middle which I assume is your basking light? It doesn't look as if he has anything very supportive for his weight to bask. underneath it.

 

[LinoZ]

My Chameleon is 3 years old and i've had him for 3 years. I stopped supplements when the last one got an expiration date and was too afraid to use them again... In my city we don't have a zoo shop for exotic pets and the nearest is 100km. The night lamps do serve him since winters in Croatia are cold to about 10 degrees inside and we don't heat the hallway room so it would be too cold for him.
His basking spot is right underneath the picture just so you can't see it sorry...

 

[Theveiled]

Does he look skinny to anyone else? How much do you feed him? If your just feeding super worms they are not very nutritious. Is there any other feeders you can feed him?

 

[Haven27]

Does he look skinny to anyone else? How much do you feed him? If your just feeding super worms they are not very nutritious. Is there any other feeders you can feed him?

Beautiful cham! I was thinking he looked a bit thin... But his legs look rather plump, so I wasn't sure... But then I looked at his casque and I'm just not positive of it. Do you have a gram scale? Perhaps measure his weight.

 

[LindsayG]

Can you take another picture of him possibly with flash or something so we can get a better view of him?

 

[Haven27]

Also, if his poop is yellow and black, you need to hydrate him more often. Yellow is the urate and it's supposed to be white to mostly white.