Not doing good.

[Diezel]

Ok here we go with the info

Cage Info:Cage Type - 6x3x2 foot
Lighting - 1-60 watt ambiant, 1-100 watt basking, 1 uvb
Temperature - basking-93 ambiant-75-85
Humidity - humidity around 75 to 80
Plants - fake fiscus, live pothos, 2 live 4 foot umbrella.
Location - Very inactive area, across the room from a window.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - 1.5 year old male vield
Feeding - crickets, superworms, meal worms
Supplements - chameleon dusting powder
Watering - spray 2 times, drip constant
Fecal Description - solid
History - eye popping out and can see the back of eye socket.
Current Problem - refuses to eat. will stick head fully down into feeder cup but wont shoot, he refuses to shoot, he can be 1 inch away and step back to reload then try again without pulling the trigger. now head turning grey. not sheading type more of loss of color. help me i dont want to lose this guy.

 

[Jordan]

What do you mean by eye popping out?

Have you seen his tongue come out at all?

Could you elaborate on what type of dusting you are doing and the frequency in which you are doing it?

What type of UVb source are using and how old is it?

 

[Diezel]

ok the eye poping out soounds weird but i have video to show it. his eye pops out from his skull and gets lodged forward in his eye lid and i can see the back of his eye socket and he cant see me at all. i can put the video on youtube if you want. his toungue sticks out a little like hes ready but then pulls it back in. idk what its called its just a chameleon dusting powder i got from pet solutions.com and ive seen it at petco. i use reptisun and its only 4 months old.

 

[VerteX]

The problem you are describing can be caused from various factors combined.

• Improper supplementation.
• Food strike.
• Parasites hindering appetite.

A bloodwork and a fecal analysis will do wonders for discovering what could be wrong more than anybody can guess here.

 

[bucky]

Louie did that before,i think it was becuase of a hunger strike,hope its cause a hunger strike for diezel!

 

[Diezel]

i think i know why he is getting so close to the food and not doing anything. he seems to get close and jerk to try and shoot his tongue but cant. he will eat if the cricket is placed on his mouth. ugh how do i fix this. because my vet charges $100 to see him and $100 a piece for stool and blood work

 

[jannb]

Get him to the vet. You need to some how come up with the $100.00 This sounds very serious to me.

 

[Julirs]

He may have hurt his tongue, he may have early MBD. The vet may be the only option to save him. You don't have any glass or plastic between the UVB and his cage do you? Calcium duting powder? Do you have the brand name?

 

[bucky]

That might be it, ive never heard of MBD affecting tongues.

 

[Diezel]

there is no glass or plastic or anything between him and the uv bulb only screen and he sits about 8 inches away from it all day long. and yes its cal. powder

 

[Amy J]

Is the calcium powder with or without D3? And is the container completely transparent? Because I hear that will confuse some chameleons.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

You could also try feeding silkworms or hornworms. Silkworms are high in calcium and these guys don't move fast like crickets. He could just walk over and pick it up in his mouth if he wanted. My veileds will also eat pieces of grape and strawberry placed on twigs in their enclosures.

I don't know what to tell you about the tongue. It sounds like VET time to me.

Dyesub Dave.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

there is no glass or plastic or anything between him and the uv bulb only screen and he sits about 8 inches away from it all day long. and yes its cal. powder

If it's Calcium with D3, you're way over supplementing. D3 should only be given to indoor chameleons 2 times a month.

 

[newyorkbreed]

i think i know why he is getting so close to the food and not doing anything. he seems to get close and jerk to try and shoot his tongue but cant. he will eat if the cricket is placed on his mouth. ugh how do i fix this. because my vet charges $100 to see him and $100 a piece for stool and blood work

I have a vet I just made an appointment with in brooklyn, NY
I found the vet through Online resource.
I don't know the Dr's work other than they are exotic pet specialist.
Walk in is only $50
PM if you would like the contact info

 

[Amy J]

What about the D3? It should say on the label or the ingredients at least. But glad to hear you're seeing the vet. Hopefully you find the root of the problem.

 

[Jordan]

He could have hyperextended the tongue. This occurs when they misjudge distance. They aim further then the insect is. When this occurs it cause the tongue to force it self outward instead of straight. When this occurs most people just report their chameleon's shoots looking a little weird only to get better in a day or two. I have witnessed mine do this and seen the recovery, very fast. I would assume it just amounts to being a little sore.

He could have torn his tongue. Misjudging position and latching his tongue onto an object that is not going to give or him holding on to tight. Kind of situational as to whether this could have occured or not. As I shared in a recent post I have had one of my chameleons pull itself onto my face via tongue. Heika an older memeber on this site had a similar situation with one of her chameleons. The outcome was different as the tongue ended up having to be amputated. Might want to search for this old thread. If I remember right in her situation the tongue did not retract after the accident.

MBD can have an effect on the tongue and the ability to use it properly. The tongue is anchored to a bone. The is the trigger for the tongue. A weaken or broken bone here could end up in an inability to use the tongue.

Other deficiencies could cause irradict tongue functions. Dehydration can cause the tongue to lose it elasticity. Both of these though usually still allow the tongue to move.

I am not sure of what you are using in the way of supplements. Sounds kind of fishy that you are just using one. Most indoor keepers use straight calcium, calcium with D3 and a multivitamin. Frequencies vary among keepers and species, the principles for why these are all used is very sound.

I would suggest a vet trip. An exam, bloodwork and perhaps an X-ray by a qualified physcian is probably the only way you are going to get to the bottom of this problem. Until the appointment I would suggest that you keep handfeeding him to keep his strength up.

 

[royden]

Sorry to hear this. Deizel is well known on these boards (to me anyway)

You need a new vet.
Mine is $40 for a checkup and $20-$60 for a fecal.

 

[kinyonga]

Diezel said..."refuses to eat. will stick head fully down into feeder cup but wont shoot, he refuses to shoot, he can be 1 inch away and step back to reload then try again without pulling the trigger. now head turning grey. not sheading type more of loss of color. help me i dont want to lose this guy"...will he eat if you put an insect in his mouth?

Oops...sorry...reread the posts and read that he will.

 

[Tokoloshe]

Please post the video on youtube so we can see what his eye is doing.

I am assuming you are not meaning a blepharous(sp?)-the way they clean out their eyes.

This sounds like the problem I had with a OLD Verrucoses male. He would stare and stare and try moving closer and further to adjust - like he needed reading glasses.

Sorry I can't be more help.
T.

 

[Diezel]

he goes to clean his eye but then it goes way to far and comes out and he puts it back in with his hand. and he will eat crickets if i place them in his mouth but his tougne hasnt come out in a week or 2 i keep trying but he wont shoot. i will post the video when i get home of his eye im at work now..