Gravid Female? Tongue Out? Is This Normal?

totiedye4

New Member
Afternoon everyone. Our female veiled has been a bit lethargic the past few days and just laying on the bottom of our enclosure. She's about 2 years old and IS enclosed with her brother of the same age. They've been together since day one. I suck at taking care of chameleons...I just been taking this all day by day and have been lucky to keep both of them very happy and healthy...ok well I know they were at least happy. Anyway like I said she was laying on the bottom and was just scaring the crap out of us. So we called That Fish Place and they said they'd check her out and we could surrender her if we had to. I hate to even admit this but right now we have no money, we have $30 in the bank until next paycheck...next week! So we thought this way she would at least get the proper care. I took her in there and they were checking her out and said she looks perfectly healthy she's just gravid! I almost cried tears of joy knowing she was ok! So we took her home and gave her a moist 50/50 mix in a basin about 4-5" deep. She has NOT left this basin in fact last night we thought it looked like she was trying to lay eggs but we didn't see anything happen. I have cardboard up around some of the cage b/c we have cats and i don't want them stressing her out since she's at the bottom...so its hard to keep an eye on her.
this morning when i was misting i noticed when the water ran off the vine into Zillas mouth she would drink so I thought ok Ill take advantage of this. We hardly ever see her drink, but Thunderclese likes to have the water sprayed right into his mouth!! I didn't want to give her very much since I honestly don't know how much she normally drinks. About 2-3 mins after this she started spitting her entire tongue out and the saliva was bubbling. I thought maybe she was choking?! I picked her up and tried to turn her upside down a bit and get the extra mass of saliva out. It was just a small amount and within a min or so she had her tongue back in and laying back down in the sand. since yesterday she has had her mouth gaped open just a bit and the tip of her tongue sticking out. if you touch it she'll pull it back in but then stick it back out. is this normal?? i'm so worried about her, this is terrible. our carecredit is maxed out b/c of trusting the wrong person with it, we have no other credit cards and i guess just don't know the right people. i am open to any advice and will answer any questions you need to ask. im sorry this post is so long im just worried about our girl. she's such a little beauty we don't want anything to happen to her :(

some facts

about 2 years old
brother and sister caged together in 24x24x48 screen closure
drip system
mist at least 2 times/daily...normally more
fogger
uvb and 2 basking lights 100 and 150 watts...(its a bit cooler in our home and these seem to keep them both comfy)
night light in top back corner in case they get cold
was told shes gravid
staying to bottom of cage in 50/50 mix
no interest in food
did see her drink but then she seemed to choke
diet-crickets - super worms. they have never shown much interest in fruits or veggies. i can get them to eat pureed fruit from time to time though!

i do have cats but do not bother the chameleons, they sit and watch once in awhile but they know if they go past the sofa arms they're getting sprayed. i just know i wouldn't want to be watched if i was laying eggs :)

I think i have everything covered...and like I said ANY help would be appreciated.

Thank you.
 
I hate to tell you but I think she is on the way out and the only chance she has IMHO is to go to a vet right away. Housing the brother and sister together means that they will have mated and if you didn't provide her with a suitable place to lay the eggs she is likely eggbound. Also, I would never give a chameleon water sprayed in its mouth especially when its already having difficulties...she likely aspirated it into her lungs. The tongue falling out of the mouth and the gaping are not good signs. Get her to a vet right away if you hope to have any chance of saving her. BTW they should also be separated right away...you are likely putting a lot of stress on the female having the male in the same cage.
 
here's pictures of Zilla...

cats 110.JPG

cats 109.JPG
 
the male doesn't bother her at all and hes way at the top 3 feet away from her. 3 people just checked her out last night...you think shes dying that quick? also i did not spray her in the mouth...if you read the post only thunder does that...not zilla
 
Yeah, she needs a vet ASAP! Kinyongia covered a good portionof it. It is very important that she goes to a vet or she is almost guaranteed to die.

Chameleons are solitary and should, in most cases, be housed separately. Problems like this often happen otherwise.
 
sorry forgot one...

this one shows how much her tounge is actaully sticking out. its just the tip. also most of yesterday she was black with bright colors and now shes back to one of her reg colors... cats 113.JPG
 
Look at the way she is sitting...without keeping her legs under her like she should. She is in trouble.

You may not think the male is bothering her but there can be a "silent" stress put on her. The dark coloration can be part of it.
 
GET her our of that cage and into a 5 gal bucket with at least 10" of sand or sand and soil. Do it NOW. I have no idea where you are but if she doesn't drop those eggs right away you will lose her. You very well may lose her anyway with a vet. Good luck. Give her water by dripping it on her head.
 
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