My baby panther had to have his tongue amputated

K

Kcaira24

New Member
Hi guys,

we recently bought my son a 6 month old panther chameleon, who has slotted into our lives perfectly. Sadly as my son was feeding him with the tongs his tongue got caught and my sons reaction was to pull back and damage was done. He then swallowed his tongue and it wasn’t saveable. We are all heartbroken and wondered if anyone had any advice on how to make his life still wonderful. If there’s any feeding tricks, water tricks that would be amazing. His name is yoda and he has bags of personality. Thanks I’m advance, kelsey.
 

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Hi, okay check.

I believe there´re a few members here that had or have a chameleon with an tongue issue and hopefully they chime in soon. Personally, I won´t start with thinking about force feeding, because they´re true survivors and will adapt to this situation. I would try cup feeding with shallow cup, so he can rest his feet on the edge and pick them out with his mouth, together with some slower moving staples like calci / phoenix worms. Mine always uses the edge and shoots from there in the deep cup and also witnessed they would grab them when put close to their mouth.

He´ll do fine within time poor fella 🍀🤞
 
Meh most of mine never made it to old age with a fully functional tongue.

You will need to cup train, with a non clear cup.
The feeders that mount to the screen(so the bugs can climb the screen) work great too.
Odds are super worms are a great staple
Gonna have to learn to tong feed too. I use the 12" long stainless ones used for planting wee little plant starts, they are like $10
And if you have a mulberry tree near you, silk worms work great, since they dont move once you put them on a branch. I would put 4-6 in different places each morning for a scavenger hunt.
Finally you will need some type of misting system now, or at least a good dripper, since they will not be able to lick water up.

At least my last one got to keep the tongue, it was just like having a bearded dragon.
 
I’m so sorry this happened! Yes tong feeding isn’t safe with chams. I’m sure no one told you that though. Your poor son probably feels so bad. Your Cham should do well with all the advice everyone has given you. Dubia roaches aren’t too fast and can be a better staple that super worms in my opinion. Silk worms are great to.
 
I’m sorry to hear about your chameleon. This is just one reason why chameleons are not good pets for children.

Also never use thongs. They can damage the tongue.

I’ve seen this happen before and most of the time they have to be had fed the rest of their like, but some have learned to cup or bowl feed.
 
I've had a couple of chameleons that had the tongue amputated. They can learn to eat like other lizards do, by running up to the insect and grabbing it...as wa already indicted.

It can be a problem if the tongue is not amputated right at the end of the hyoid bone though...it makes them uncomfortable and they can't get used to it. If they can't get used to it, because of this leftover flap, they won't eat and will be obsessed with adjusting their remaining bit of "tongue".

As well, as was already indicated, watering needs to be done in a way that they will drink. A dripper will work.
 
I have found that anything that lays flat such as Dubia are difficult to get because the Cham now has to bite rather than use his sticky tongue to seize the prey. Silkworms work great placed on branches. Superworms sometimes pose a problem as they are often dropped while trying to get them down during the second bite because they are so active when bitten. Roaches work great as they are active and tall enough for Cham to get a good bite underneath.
It takes some practice on their part and some experimintation on yours to find what works best for the condition. I would start out with hand feeding (if possible) and cup feeding with large enough opening so Cham is able to get his entire head in to reach bottom. Well you got my 2cents worth. Good luck
 
nightanole said:
Meh most of mine never made it to old age with a fully functional tongue.

You will need to cup train, with a non clear cup.
The feeders that mount to the screen(so the bugs can climb the screen) work great too.
Odds are super worms are a great staple
Gonna have to learn to tong feed too. I use the 12" long stainless ones used for planting wee little plant starts, they are like $10
And if you have a mulberry tree near you, silk worms work great, since they dont move once you put them on a branch. I would put 4-6 in different places each morning for a scavenger hunt.
Finally you will need some type of misting system now, or at least a good dripper, since they will not be able to lick water up.

At least my last one got to keep the tongue, it was just like having a bearded dragon.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for this advice. He’s not taken anything today. I got meal worms and calc worms he looked and walked away. I even pulled the legs of a locust so he could get it but he was uninterested. His op was only yesterday so maybe he’s still uncomfortable. I’m seeing the vet for a check up tomorrow fingers crossed all ok.
 
Ramrod said:
I have found that anything that lays flat such as Dubia are difficult to get because the Cham now has to bite rather than use his sticky tongue to seize the prey. Silkworms work great placed on branches. Superworms sometimes pose a problem as they are often dropped while trying to get them down during the second bite because they are so active when bitten. Roaches work great as they are active and tall enough for Cham to get a good bite underneath.
It takes some practice on their part and some experimintation on yours to find what works best for the condition. I would start out with hand feeding (if possible) and cup feeding with large enough opening so Cham is able to get his entire head in to reach bottom. Well you got my 2cents worth. Good luck
Click to expand...
Thank you this is all very helpful.
 
As yoda is refusing to eat today, we have tried meal worms and calc worms on a tong and in a bowl, and a legless locust right in front of his nose. He seems uninterested and turns away. Would anyone recommend holding him and opening his mouth to get them in? I am just so worried that he’s given up. I know this is really extreme I just need him to eat. We are on day 3. Also please excuse my nativity this is my first reptile. Thanks
 
Kcaira24 said:
As yoda is refusing to eat today, we have tried meal worms and calc worms on a tong and in a bowl, and a legless locust right in front of his nose. He seems uninterested and turns away. Would anyone recommend holding him and opening his mouth to get them in? I am just so worried that he’s given up. I know this is really extreme I just need him to eat. We are on day 3. Also please excuse my nativity this is my first reptile. Thanks
Click to expand...
So many people have said tongs are dangerous why would you try them today? It’s not a very smart choice to do tongs if a lot of people said there’s been horror stories and it’s not good. Also how old is your son if he’s under 10 I wouldn’t recommend letting him do anything with the chameleon without supervision
 
Last edited:
Kcaira24 said:
As yoda is refusing to eat today, we have tried meal worms and calc worms on a tong and in a bowl, and a legless locust right in front of his nose. He seems uninterested and turns away. Would anyone recommend holding him and opening his mouth to get them in? I am just so worried that he’s given up. I know this is really extreme I just need him to eat. We are on day 3. Also please excuse my nativity this is my first reptile. Thanks
Click to expand...
I would let him rest a few days before trying to feed and then DO NOT use thongs. Use your fingers and had feed when you do try again.
 
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