Face injury still not eating

[emma_5774]

So my chameleon, Greg, still refuses to eat bugs. We have tried crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, phoenix worms, and hornworms. He is still on the formula that the vet gave me but I dont think he is meant to live off of it forever. Since his injury the part of his lips that were black have fallen off. Is it going to grow back? Is that normal? Should I be concerned? Will he ever recover? I owe the vet over $600 and I can't take him again unless one of you really think a professional should take a look. I am going to attach some photos of him.

 

[jannb]

What happy to injure his mouth? What meds are you using on his mouth? Has he been on an oral antibiotic? The mouth can heal but will always have that little chunk missing.

 

[Lindasjackson]

Hi and welcome to the forum. It’s hard for us to help if we don’t know the whole story. How did he get injured? Why is he sitting on tomato plants? Tomato plants are poisiness to chams if they nibble on them or eat horn worms that have eaten tomato plants.

 

[emma_5774]

Hi and welcome to the forum. It’s hard for us to help if we don’t know the whole story. How did he get injured? Why is he sitting on tomato plants? Tomato plants are poisiness to chams if they nibble on them or eat horn worms that have eaten tomato plants.

oh my! i had no idea! my dad sat him on the vines just for fun. he was not interested in the tomatoes thankfully! thank you for letting me know! I got Greg right after Christmas and he was very underweight and malnourished. we had a food bowl in his cage and he was sitting at the top of his cage his misting system came on and it scared him, he fell and hit his face on the food bowl. I took out the bowl and his face started to turn black. we took him to the vet and they said he would be fine. then the front part of his lips fell off. He was taken back to the vet and they gave him antibiotics for 2 weeks and pain meds for 1 week in case his face was infected. since he was so small they couldnt take blood or do many tests. they also put him on formula because he wasnt eating. he is now 4 months old and still will not eat any bugs and his mouth still looks the same.

What happy to injure his mouth? What meds are you using on his mouth? Has he been on an oral antibiotic? The mouth can heal but will always have that little chunk missing.

 

[emma_5774]

What happy to injure his mouth? What meds are you using on his mouth? Has he been on an oral antibiotic? The mouth can heal but will always have that little chunk missing.

I do not know the name of the antibiotics he was put on. He was on them for 2 weeks and pain medication for 1 week. other than that i do not do anything to his mouth. The vet put him on formula because he wont eat bugs at all since i got him in January.

 

[kinyonga]

It's the plants, not the tomatoes that are poison to the chameleon.

Does he have a tongue? Can he shoot it out?
If his mouth is still sore, he likely won't want to eat.

 

[emma_5774]

It's the plants, not the tomatoes that are poison to the chameleon.

Does he have a tongue? Can he shoot it out?
If his mouth is still sore, he likely won't want to eat.

wait so by putting him on it is he going to die is there something i should do. he seems fine and he was only there for like 5 minutes.

He does have a tongue, I have not seen him shoot it out ever but when feeding him formula he "licks" the formula off his mouth. I have no idea if he can shoot it out. Is there a way to find out if he can?

 

[bruce the cham]

wait so by putting him on it is he going to die is there something i should do. he seems fine and he was only there for like 5 minutes.

He does have a tongue, I have not seen him shoot it out ever but when feeding him formula he "licks" the formula off his mouth. I have no idea if he can shoot it out. Is there a way to find out if he can?

no he just has to eat it the leaves or plant

 

[MzLaurie11]

Poor baby! The black skin falling off is normal but i imagine its a bit raw. You must know that burns, abrasions etc on chams heal very slow. After that area molts once he should feel better and with each molt after that the healing will continue. We can not tell from pics if the tongue was injured. I suggest introducing live food to him that is easy to chew, swallow, and digest such as hornworms. You will need both hands for this so get everything ready first. Select a few smaller hornworms and have them ready near you. The easiest way i have found is to lie down with being semi propped up. Place him on your chest and if he needs to calm down cover him up for a few minutes while on your chest. Once he is relaxed try offering it to him first be patient if he turns his head to focus then he may take it on his own. If not, take you thumb and pointer finger and go from behind his head and pinch lightly on the back of the chevks where the mouth conects. He will try to shake you off that is natural. Keep trying and be ready cause when he opens up you want to have the worm ready to pop in in the other hand. Once he bites down on it, natural reaction should take over and he should eat it. if this seems painful for him, dont push it. Give him a break before giving him another one. Keep him on formula while you are introducing food. If his tongue was effected by the accident, you may have to hand feed him until it is better or for life. My boy has to be hand fed for life. Keep up the good work. Also remember your vet is a person who likes animals and your boy is a patient. So email questions to your vet even if you have a balance due! I say email cause many times you cant get the vet on the phone past the gatekeepers, but vets want to see emails when there is a medical question. So send those pics and explain what is going on and ask if you should be putting something on the area that the dead skin came off of. I bet you will get a reply. If you dont, send it again just in case the vet didnt get it. also sending in $50 a month on time each month should keep you in good standing. I hope what i have shared with you helps.

 

[MzLaurie11]

wait so by putting him on it is he going to die is there something i should do. he seems fine and he was only there for like 5 minutes.

He does have a tongue, I have not seen him shoot it out ever but when feeding him formula he "licks" the formula off his mouth. I have no idea if he can shoot it out. Is there a way to find out if he can?

He ok from 5 minutes on the plant. Tomatoed plants are of the night shade family of plants and have toxins in the leaves and branches that are danggerous to chams

 

[MzLaurie11]

No way to find out if they can shoot the tongue out or not. Have tqo wait on him. Also your vet should have checked the tongue for injury and would have informed you if there was something serious.

 

[MzLaurie11]

What kind of cham is he? In a couple pics he almost looked like a sailfin. Also if he is licking at formula, great sign. Everyone is going svream when i recommend this but wax worms are easy to eat, handle and digest and are high in lipids, fat, and may help put weight on him. I say everyone gonna scream beacuse they really have no nutritional value other than lipids and should be used to replace other food. But while you are on this recovery road, i would give them a try.

 

[MzLaurie11]

I meant should not be used to replace

 

[Lindasjackson]

I would give him any bug he wants to eat be it wax worms or any other bug! He just needs to eat!

 

[emma_5774]

Poor baby! The black skin falling off is normal but i imagine its a bit raw. You must know that burns, abrasions etc on chams heal very slow. After that area molts once he should feel better and with each molt after that the healing will continue. We can not tell from pics if the tongue was injured. I suggest introducing live food to him that is easy to chew, swallow, and digest such as hornworms. You will need both hands for this so get everything ready first. Select a few smaller hornworms and have them ready near you. The easiest way i have found is to lie down with being semi propped up. Place him on your chest and if he needs to calm down cover him up for a few minutes while on your chest. Once he is relaxed try offering it to him first be patient if he turns his head to focus then he may take it on his own. If not, take you thumb and pointer finger and go from behind his head and pinch lightly on the back of the chevks where the mouth conects. He will try to shake you off that is natural. Keep trying and be ready cause when he opens up you want to have the worm ready to pop in in the other hand. Once he bites down on it, natural reaction should take over and he should eat it. if this seems painful for him, dont push it. Give him a break before giving him another one. Keep him on formula while you are introducing food. If his tongue was effected by the accident, you may have to hand feed him until it is better or for life. My boy has to be hand fed for life. Keep up the good work. Also remember your vet is a person who likes animals and your boy is a patient. So email questions to your vet even if you have a balance due! I say email cause many times you cant get the vet on the phone past the gatekeepers, but vets want to see emails when there is a medical question. So send those pics and explain what is going on and ask if you should be putting something on the area that the dead skin came off of. I bet you will get a reply. If you dont, send it again just in case the vet didnt get it. also sending in $50 a month on time each month should keep you in good standing. I hope what i have shared with you helps.

so i should force feed him? my vet told me to wait until you know he is fully healed because messing with his mouth could make the injury worse. his lip did "scab" and then fell off again. he sticks his tongue out when drinking water and his tongue thankfully was not injured. also i am a visual learner so if you have a link to a video of someone doing the feeding like you are describing id really appreciate it. he is my first cham. i do not want to do it wrong and risk hurting him more. thank you for all of your help. i will try to find the vets email

 

[emma_5774]

I would give him any bug he wants to eat be it wax worms or any other bug! He just needs to eat!

I am going to try and get different bugs to try for him and if he doesnt eat them i just give them to my beardie!

 

[emma_5774]

What kind of cham is he? In a couple pics he almost looked like a sailfin. Also if he is licking at formula, great sign. Everyone is going svream when i recommend this but wax worms are easy to eat, handle and digest and are high in lipids, fat, and may help put weight on him. I say everyone gonna scream beacuse they really have no nutritional value other than lipids and should be used to replace other food. But while you are on this recovery road, i would give them a try.

I was told he is an Ambilobe Panther. I will try to get wax worms!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Poor little guy! Yes the vet is right, if you start messing with trying to force feed him you could either make the injury worse or cause a new one. I would try bsfl if I were you because wax worms aren’t very good for him and they can be kinda big for his little mouth.

 

[redhorse]

Can you share an updated picture.
Reptiles heal quick, so if he is healing it will be noticed within a few days.
Also, update on when he last ate and the amount. Thank you.

 

[emma_5774]

Can you share an updated picture.
Reptiles heal quick, so if he is healing it will be noticed within a few days.
Also, update on when he last ate and the amount. Thank you.

this is him 2 days ago. He started shedding again so I have been giving hin warm baths to help the shed come off. I don't think he has anymore shed on him now. If you need a more recent photo I can try and get one after my doctors appointment!