Chameleon Tongue

R

rmobley

New Member
Hello everyone, excited to be a new member of the group. I have a question my son was hand feeding our male panther and now he has injured his tongue. I have moved him into an aquarium with his lighting and mister. Does anyone know if his tongue will heal and how long it will take. I saw where some have had to have there tongues amputated and others have had to be put to sleep. Would just like a time line. My son and I are devastated, he is by far our favorite. Called the vet and he gave me the above recommendations. Thank you everyone for your help.

Ronda :confused:
 
I think that is what happened. It basically stuck to my sons hand and the chameleon couldn't pull it back into his mouth. Very traumatic for both of them. I can try to get a picture, just trying to leave him alone right now. He is very stressed.
 
He keeps trying to get it to go back in and making this sqeaky noise, it is very difficult to watch, hope he is not suffering, he seems to be in good spirits when he is not trying to get it to go back in him mouth.:(
 
fast, put him into an aquarium or some kind of little terrarium with a branch to climb (just one) and put a towel (moist, not too wet), and let his tongue hang down on the towel to not get dry.
in about 24h it would retract by itself
edit : i just read the first post, so yea, good that he is in an aquarium, but put under his hanging tongue a moist towel.
 
It is very tough to see him like this, he keeps trying to pull it back in. I hope it will be resolved by the morning. He is such a healthy strong guy, everyone is upset.
 
rmobley said:
I think that is what happened. It basically stuck to my sons hand and the chameleon couldn't pull it back into his mouth. Very traumatic for both of them. I can try to get a picture, just trying to leave him alone right now. He is very stressed.
Click to expand...
Did your son react by pulling away? Severe tramautic hyperextension can be cause by that and *MAY* cause significant tissue damage.
 
He is 6 and probably, the tongue stuck to him and the chameleon tried to get it back in and he thought he was going to bite him. He hand feeds him daily and we have never had this problem. I hope he recovers he is beautiful and a huge part of our family. I have done all I can do right now I think.
 
Unfortunately, I had a suspicion of this. Depending on how hard and quickly he pulled back may dictate if, and how much damage may have been inflicted. The fact that he is still having difficulty withdrawing it leads me to believe there is some tissue damage of some degree. For now, I would just keep him comfortable and not stimulated and le him rest and recover.
 
Thank you everyone! We are waiting it out and hopefully optimistic. He is still trying to retract his tongue and we will be heading to the Vet tomorrow if he has not improved.
 
Let us know how it goes. Even if his tongue is removed he can still have a great like with you. Don't give up.
 
Thank you, this is very tough. I have been keeping it moist but he keeps stepping on it and it seems he is injuring it further, and not making any improvement. At times it is 2-4 inches out. I'm not sure how much they can amputate and him still have a quality of life. I have done a lot of research and it is a time thing, I don't want to get to aggressive to fast. I will try to get him some pain meds, he makes this sqeaky noise when he tries to get it back in his mouth or if he stretches it out further. This is horrible I would have never guested something he and my son enjoyed could have turned out this way. I appreciate everyone's input and will keep you posted.:(
 
Tongue

Try to keep his tongue moist. I am sorry. Not a good experience for your son. Try to comfort him, and tell him not to give up hope yet. Wishing you all well.
 
There have been a few posts about this issue in the past week alone. I didn't realize it was so common. Sorry to hear about your guy, best wishes for a fast recovery!
 
Just make sure he surrounded by good humidity (75%). Mist his tongue frequently with warm water. Leave him away from all activity. Keep in secure area, like you have. Hopefully, all will return to normal. I have a Nosy Be who injured his tongue during shipping. He never regained full use of it. He can only shoot it out about an inch or so. However, to look at him you would never know. Healthy as a horse. Good luck
 
Last edited:
Oh this sounds terrible! I couldn't say anything else but just keep it moist and take him to the vet.
I've read many stories about amputated tongues and all the chams lived happily after. If this will happen to yours, I'm sure he will learn how to live without a tongue!
My very best luck!! And please keep us updated!
 
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