Strange tongue habit? Need your advice!

[MitchA]

Guys I need your help!



I have a small panther about 6 months old.

The pic is poor quality but its the best I could do!

Basically he has his tongue sticking out all the time like the pic. Whether asleep or awake. Inside or outside.

Now I'm confused with what it could be? I haven't seen him eat in a while but the food is always gone within a few days I've had him since he was about 7weeks old. He was a champion eater and now doesn't barely eat at all. He is still a beast when it comes to drinking though.

I've got plenty of panthers and he's set up exactly like them and I've had no problems with the others.

Anybody have suggestions on what could be the reasoning behind this? Or shall i go straight to the vet?

Thanks guys!

Mitch

 

[carol5208]

Mitch, if it were me I would take him to the vet. He could have some type of infection going on and obviously there is a problem if he was a good eater and now he is not. Just my opinion on what I would do.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Can you post a full body picture? Slack jaw like that can be a sign of MBD, among other things.

 

[MitchA]

I hope that's good enough!

 

[MitchA]

Now I think about it. From I have learnt it could actually be early stages of mbd. I think the vet is in order so far...

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The way he's holding his body so low makes me suspicious of MBD as well. His back legs look a bit bent too. I would schedule a vet visit soon to have him assessed. If caught early a lot of the damage can be reversed if calcium and UVB deficits are corrected. Can you fill out the husbandry form so we can see what might need to be improved.

 

[carol5208]

I agree with Ferrit(well she is a vet ) about the possibility of MBD. Do you do anything different with his set up then you do with your other chameleons? That would be odd for that to happen to just one.

 

[MitchA]

That's what is strange about it. It's exactly the same as the others. Come to think about it he is in (in my opinion) my healthiest males old enclosure! I already changed the UVB bulb and all the food is gutloaded and dusted. We think a lot more natural sunlight could help?

Now the money isn't an issue but my vet used to be a close friend (moved states) so I got it all pretty much for free. What kind of money am I to expect?

 

[Video Master]

Mitch,

Can you fill out the form from this link and post it here with your answers. Be as specific as possible. There might be something in you husbandry that needs to be tweaked. Everyone here will do what they can to help you out.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[sandrachameleon]

Can you post a full body picture? Slack jaw like that can be a sign of MBD, among other things.

agreed.

It might be helpful if you answered all the questions in the "how to ask for help" sticky

 

[sandrachameleon]

What kind of money am I to expect?

it varies from vet to vet and location to location

given that your others are believed healthy, I wonder if you had a bad UVB bulb on this guy and didnt know it?