shipment gone wrong

[Deo]

So.. ordered a male ambilobe panther last sunday. he was shipped monday night and got here tuesday morning. upon opening the box and taking him out, I noticed his tongue was completely extended, limp and hanging out of his mouth. (the breeder and I did some digging and found out that it was on Fedex, got another one sent out to me.) anyways, I was told I could hold on to the guy and try to nurse him back to health because he probably couldnt handle being shipped back. well, after coming back home from work he had already bit his tongue off.. since then I have set him up in an older cage for my veiled i had a while back and got him all set up and good to go. I have caught him drinking multiple times now, but I cannot get him to eat what so ever.. tried hand feeding/tong feeding.. crickets, super worms, phoenix worms. He is not interested in eating what so ever and it has been 5-6 days now. I am just seeking the advice of others for any tips/tricks to try and get him to eat (he has no tongue) I would like to save the little guy if possible.

 

[Duma]

Man that is so sad. I'm glad you are nursing him back. I wonder what happened during shipping? I don't have any suggestions with the crickets etc, but maybe offer him some veggies or fruit in the mean time. Maybe he could eat those without using his tongue until someone has an idea.

 

[Deo]

Man that is so sad. I'm glad you are nursing him back. I wonder what happened during shipping? I don't have any suggestions with the crickets etc, but maybe offer him some veggies or fruit in the mean time. Maybe he could eat those without using his tongue until someone has an idea.

well, we dont know FOR SURE what happened, but when he was going to ship the next one, he talked to the people there and they found out that the driver that first loaded him got to his shift very early and the packages (including the chameleon) got loaded and sat in the truck in 85-90 degree heat for 2-3 hours.. so we assumed that was probably something to do with it.

 

[Virgil1972]

All you can do is try.

 

[KLowery88]

That's terrible... I hope someone has some advice for you. You might have to liquefy some bugs and feed him that way while attempting to teach him to eat without a tongue.

 

[dtork]

I would try to puree his food and try to syringe feed him. Mash up worms, add a little water and drip it in his mouth. Maybe when his mouth heals from tongue loss and gets some fluids he will be strong enough to eat on his own. Good luck with him. Let us know how he does.

 

[Deo]

I would try to puree his food and try to syringe feed him. Mash up worms, add a little water and drip it in his mouth. Maybe when his mouth heals from tongue loss and gets some fluids he will be strong enough to eat on his own. Good luck with him. Let us know how he does.

thank you, and I will definitely try that.. hopefully I can get him to survive and eat within the next week and eventually get him to either learn how to eat like a normal lizard or eat from tongs. I would feel so bad if he lost his life because of this so im definitely going to try everything i can to keep him going!

 

[Calegrey]

I'm new to all this but: I would get one of those super small blenders, like they sell for protein shakes, mix super worms crickets and maybe some baby food in for a purée. That way you can add vitamins or calcium dust or whatever else in. Then syringe it.

 

[Deo]

I'm new to all this but: I would get one of those super small blenders, like they sell for protein shakes, mix super worms crickets and maybe some baby food in for a purée. That way you can add vitamins or calcium dust or whatever else in. Then syringe it.

yeah I plan on trying this out. he's been pretty reluctant to trust humans being that he's a baby and the traumatic experience he just had but maybe I can get him to take it out of a syringe from me.

 

[distortionz]

A vet visit is in order. If it becomes infected his chances of survival will drop. The good news is plenty of people have kept Chams alive and thriving for years after losing a tongue. They adapt and either need hand fed or will eat from a cup.. This is why I recommend always picking up live animals at the fedex hub. It limits the amount of exposure to additional dangers. Sorry to hear about him and hope you get him all fixed up.

 

[dtork]

I know he is reluctant to trust humans, but it is most important to get fluids in him. Like a child who does not take their medicine, you just have to do it. I would pinch his jaws on both sides, (gently) to get him to open a little and go drop by drop. He may hate you at first, but if you save him he will ultimately bond with you. This could be the beginning of a great trusting relationship. As long as you help him and not hurt him, I think he will get used to you. .... and love you. Good luck.