did something happen to his tounge?

[RescueMom]

OK so if the vet said no RI why meds? They should start working within 48 hours. I am not seeing a tongue issue as far as injury goes. I have dealt with tongue injuries so this is not anything. So why the problems. My guess is too much vit A or Too much D3. This is just my guess. You said throat looks swollen, can't shoot tongue these are signs of too much vitamin, or to little, somewhere. The gaping may be due to his throat being swollen.
Defiantly see the specialist, but that is where I would have them look.

Supplements - Zoomed Calcium without D3 6 days a week, Zoomed calcium with D3 2x month, Reptivite without D3 2x month, Sticky Tounge miner-all outdoor formula (without D3) 2-3x week.

This is way too much in my opinion D3 twice a month, Multi twice a month, unless lo dose ? which has caused issues with some.

Saturday I took him to emergency vet, but the exotic specialist wasn't there. That vet said she didn't see it hear signs of RI but prescribed antibiotics anyway.

Went to a local vet yesterday because he had gotten worse. That vet said clearly no RI and didn't need antibiotics. He only had one dose Saturday.

Supplement schedule are as instructed from breeder, one of the sponsors here. He had amazing use of his tongue up until Saturday.

 

[RescueMom]

Yeah I do not think it has anything to do with your misting schedule. Like I said your husbandry is very much on point. I agree this would be hornworm related. I have started feeding them much smaller. Had a bite happen with Beman due to the way he grabbed it. It got a hold of him on the outside of his face though rather than inside.

The tongue should reduce and heal and work normally. Did the vet talk to you about possible infection from the bite?

Maybe switch to silkworms instead of horns for a soft bodied feeder. This is what I have been doing more and more. And the boys seem to like them better.

I would love to feed silks, but I have a terrible time getting them. He wants crickets, the bigger the better
I wanted him to have Hornworms for extra hydration and some variety as well.

I hope he gets use of his tongue back like yours did. This is killing me

 

[RescueMom]

Sorry that I didn’t see this...I work weekends. Although I probably wouldn’t have been able to be of much help regardless. Hope your sweet guy heals up.

Thanks!
Just a question for you since you're in Florida. Do you feed silks? If so, where do you get them normally?

 

[nightanole]

The last one he ate, he did the whole "fling his head to the side" like he was trying to slam his prey into the branch to kill it.

Something happened to the base of his tongue, that's for sure. Whether he got the little monster in his mouth and before he could get it to stop fighting it bit back, who knows. But for a fact he could shoot his tongue out twice the length of his body the day before. Now it goes out an inch and his throat has a visible bulge. Not to mention the vet could see the damage.

So maybe this is the first time

Welp brace for it not working ever again. Ive delt with it many times. You will need to learn to tong feed and cup train. You just have to feed him like a bearded dragon. He should learn very quickly.

I use these, and even drilled a channel in them for supers/meal worms.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H1MV5A

 

[nightanole]

Thanks!
Just a question for you since you're in Florida. Do you feed silks? If so, where do you get them normally?

Im in ohio with a mulberry tree next to the shop. I just order eggs and hatch them all at once at room temp. Just put a layer of leaves every day. When they get to good eatin size, you can starve them and feed them every 3 days. But they will not live more than about 6 weeks, so you can extend their lives by maybe 2 weeks.

 

[CasqueAbove]

Saturday I took him to emergency vet, but the exotic specialist wasn't there. That vet said she didn't see it hear signs of RI but prescribed antibiotics anyway.

Went to a local vet yesterday because he had gotten worse. That vet said clearly no RI and didn't need antibiotics. He only had one dose Saturday.

Supplement schedule are as instructed from breeder, one of the sponsors here. He had amazing use of his tongue up until Saturday.

Ok so it is probably a lo dose. You could cut them out for a week and see if it helps. Though the chance of s feeder bite is low, it is not 0. The gaping with no RI and an antibiotic just in case suggests that the air way is restricted. Can you get a look at his air way when he breathes, you can see it open. Does it look swollen or discolored ? It may be that there is a small injury, or he accidently got some bug juice's down his pipe. His tongue does not look particularly swollen. The fact that it is coupled with the gaping is what is odd.

 

[RescueMom]

Welp brace for it not working ever again. Ive delt with it many times. You will need to learn to tong feed and cup train. You just have to feed him like a bearded dragon. He should learn very quickly.

I use these, and even drilled a channel in them for supers/meal worms.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H1MV5A

I'll take a look. Thanks

I've been tonge feeding him, but he's afraid the cup is a monster or something. He'll also eat from my hand, but that's gonna be hard with black soldier flies, which he LOVES to catch

 

[nightanole]

I'll take a look. Thanks

I've been tonge feeding him, but he's afraid the cup is a monster or something. He'll also eat from my hand, but that's gonna be hard with black soldier flies, which he LOVES to catch

could clip a wing and let them run around in the cage. They will still flutter the other one for "attract mode"

With my "no tonguers" i would place silkies around the cage in the morning for a scavenger hunt.

 

[RescueMom]

Ok so it is probably a lo dose. You could cut them out for a week and see if it helps. Though the chance of s feeder bite is low, it is not 0. The gaping with no RI and an antibiotic just in case suggests that the air way is restricted. Can you get a look at his air way when he breathes, you can see it open. Does it look swollen or discolored ? It may be that there is a small injury, or he accidently got some bug juice's down his pipe. His tongue does not look particularly swollen. The fact that it is coupled with the gaping is what is odd.

Vet yesterday listened to his breathing and got a really good look at everything. Definitely swelling of his tongue, but airway was fine. She's fairly certain that he's just opening his mouth to get more air due to the swelling which makes sense.

 

[RescueMom]

could clip a wing and let them run around in the cage. They will still flutter the other one for "attract mode"

With my "no tonguers" i would place silkies around the cage in the morning for a scavenger hunt.

Good idea! I just feel so bad. I had a cham with mbd that affected his tongue. It's almost humiliating it seems

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks!
Just a question for you since you're in Florida. Do you feed silks? If so, where do you get them normally?

Yes and yes. Last year I was breeding my own but something happened to my eggs...think it got too cold in the fridge. I’m starting over, this time with a wine fridge for the eggs. I get my silks off of eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silkworms-...var=592526892980&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
The worms arrive fine, but the chow needs to be replaced as soon as they arrive...nasty crumbling mess.

 

[MissSkittles]

I forgot to add, http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/ usually has silks too at a good price and I believe she’s on the panhandle or somewhere on the west coast of Fl.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

No it wasn't. His tongue is swollen from an apparent Hornworm bite. He can't even shoot it out anymore. This happened so fast, and I took him to "the best" after hours clinic, over an hour away, on a Saturday, in the rain, spent over $200, and they missed it!

No one on here had any feedback. I took him to a different country vet yesterday who found the problem.

No antibiotics needed. He's in pain. I don't even know if he'll get the use of tongue back or not which absolutely breaks my heart

Did the vet not give you a prognosis? If not, it's not unreasonable to call or email and ask for one.

 

[RescueMom]

Did the vet not give you a prognosis? If not, it's not unreasonable to call or email and ask for one.

The vet Saturday was wrong. No RI, even though they prescribed antibiotics. That trip was costly and more than likely just added undue stress to my little guy

The next day (Sunday) he couldn't shoot out his tongue. I called them and they said bring him back, for another ER fee, over an hour away, still no exotic specialist in. I told them what I thought about that idea and took him somewhere local yesterday.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The vet Saturday was wrong. No RI, even though they prescribed antibiotics. That trip was costly and more than likely just added undue stress to my little guy

The next day (Sunday) he couldn't shoot out his tongue. I called them and they said bring him back, for another ER fee, over an hour away, still no exotic specialist in. I told them what I thought about that idea and took him somewhere local yesterday.

It's the vet who found the bite that I was asking about.

 

[RescueMom]

Did the vet not give you a prognosis? If not, it's not unreasonable to call or email and ask for one.

I think I misunderstood your question, plus I'm really tired!

She couldn't say for sure if damage /injury was permanent, just that he has no infection and hopes that after swelling goes down he'll be able to use his tongue.

She said he seemed in great health in every way possible. He even delivered a fresh fecal sample in the box with him so she could check for parasites

 

[MissSkittles]

I really hope your guy’s tongue heals quickly and fully. On the plus side of the vet visit, you did get a fecal done and the antibiotics may have been good to prevent any infection that otherwise may have been present from the bite.

 

[kinyonga]

I posted this in your other thread (about disappointing) but I'll put it here too...
Concerning your chameleon's tongue...if it is a bite, I hope the swelling will go down. If it is a bite, it likely wouldn't be a bad idea to continue with the meds the vet gave you, to make sure it doesn't get infected. Keep him hydrated while he's on the meds. I'd keep an eye on it and take the chameleon back to the vet if things don't improve. I'd also be careful feeding him for a while...you don't want him to swallow his tongue. If the tongue starts to hang out and not be retracted completely back into the mouth, you will need to take him to a good chameleon vet. I'm not a vet...these are just my best guesses.

BTW...if a tongue won't retract, it can't be left hanging out (for obvious reasons) so it will have to be amputated at the tip of the hyoid spike. Chameleons can cope with this quite easily.

 

[jannb]

I would not offer him any food at all for a few days and just let him rest his tongue. When you do start to feed again don’t let him shoot his tongue. Put the feeder right up to his mouth so his tongue can continue to rest. After a week or so slowly allow him to start using his tongue again.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Did any of the vets mention the possibility of hypocalcemia? The early symptoms are paralysis of the tongue .
Do you lightly dust all /some feeders with your 4 part supplement schedule or quite heavily coat them
If it is a tongue bacterial infection maybe in sheathing hopefully the broad-spectrum antibiotics are effective on it.
But you might need blood work done to check calcium levels if tongue doesn't heal up after the course of antibiotics &maybe insist the exotic specialist examine your chameleon just to be sure the general vet missed something