my cham has a tongue issue.

A

amkhamavong08

New Member
My chameleon has a tongue issue. How do I fix this problem?
When he trys to eat he sneaks behind the cricket and trys to grab him but miss he can't shoot his tongue very far at all and he only drinks from a dripper he never drinks when I mist him.
what should I do?
 
sounds like vitamin a problem! either too much or too little.

i would guess too little what is you supplement schedule??
 
I bought him like this. My other cham they get crickets powdered in calcium everyday and I give them calcium with d3 once every 2 weeks
 
This can be several things please fill out the 'how to ask for help' form and let us know what type you have.
thanks
 
I just bought him today and the person that I bought it off of said that he had this prob, I thought it might be a vitiman A problem
 
the how to ask for help will help but you have not owned him long enough for history but you need to add a multi vitamin to your schedule i recommend herpavit from rep-cal
 
Tongue issues can be the result of an injury or an infection or even dehydration or a nutrient imbalance (MBD). Without more information its hard to know what is causing it.

As for vitamin A, it can play a part if it isn't in balance with the D3, calcium and phos.

Here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
Why are you assuming its vitamin A that's the problem???????
Without testing you can't be sure and if you give him prEformed vitamin A without knowing you could end up with other issues. If you give him prOformed vitamin A it might not work.
 
Repashy Calc Plus is a good balanced formula, but to get things back in order IF IT IS A VIT PROBLEM I give either Vit A Repashy Dust or I give A 1000iu Bolus via a dubia that I inject from pills I get at the drug store. If he doesn't get better from Vit A you might want to check if there is an infection at the base of the tongue. Otherwise it's probably a injury.
If you are giving additional Vit A it needs to be in balance with Vit D so the cham really NEEDS to get outside and get some natural sun so they can regulate how much Vit D3 they need
 
There has been no history given as to how this chameleon was supplemented/fed/etc. so there is no way to say for sure that its a vitamin A issue. IMHO if its a nutrient imbalance it could just as easily be a calcium issue. Also...mcleodschams...you said it could be too little or too much...how do you know which it is????
 
I cannot post in your for sale ad for some reason. Do you have a picture of the Cham and could you fill out the how to ask for help just so we get a better understanding :) thanks
 
6c0df0d7-b45f-5fa5.jpg
Here's a pic
 
I have a cham like that .what I was told was like previous threads it can be a vitamin a issue,repashy has vit a ,at this point u dont know if its too much or lack of ,i gave my cham a lil at a time like once everyvthree days,I also took the legs off my crickets so its easier for it to get them.it was suggested I cup feed it but I want all my chams to hunt instead of getting lazy by cup feeding..i dusted my crickets with vit a or sprinkled Alil in the water .it helped my cham alil but what ive heard u might get use to the fact thats the way its gonna be.good luck
 
I had a male jackson's that ended up getting mouth rot. The first sign I noticed was that he kept missing his target I would end up holding a cricket out on tweezers and he would shoot for it but miss he would keep trying and eventually get it after a couple tries. Then he began to only be able to shoot his tongue out about an inch and I would have to hold the cricket right in front of his face. The next day he didn't even try to get his food and stopped eating completely. He would still stick his tongue out to drink from the dripper but that was it. I ended up having to take him to a herp vet. When the vet opened his mouth there were small white bumps all around the inside of his mouth. He informed me that it was mouth rot and started him on antibiotics. There was really no noticeable difference from the outside until the infection got worse. then his bottom lip started to swell. I'm not sure if this is the case with your chameleon that was just my experience. I figure its worth a shot to carefully open his mouth and see if you see any signs of infection.
 
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