Tongue dosnt work as it should

[Melvin]

I Have a 1 and a half year old male yemen chameleon, and lately I have fed him with zoophobas worms. and now when he eats he's toung moves 2-3cm away from it's mouth really slowly, he dosn't shoot the tongue out, just put it forward slowly, is it because he lazy or do he have any lackness of vitamines?

please help me out, I love the guy!

 

[jannb]

Do you hand feed or cup feed all the time? If you do sometimes they just get lazy at using their tongue. If you free range you feeders there's many different things that can cause tongue problems such as lighting, supplements, he could have eye problems and not be seeing well. If you'll fill out the Ask For Help form be might be able to help you more.

How to ask for help

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Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
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Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[sandrachameleon]

I Have a 1 and a half year old male yemen chameleon, and lately I have fed him with zoophobas worms. and now when he eats he's toung moves 2-3cm away from it's mouth really slowly, he dosn't shoot the tongue out, just put it forward slowly, is it because he lazy or do he have any lackness of vitamines?

please help me out, I love the guy!

Yes, it is quite possibly due to a nutrient deficiency.

Note: I cup feed 80-90% of the time and none of my animals has a "lazy" tongue.

Failure to fully extend the tongue, or troubles retracting the tongue, poor aim, etc.- these types of tongue issues can be the result of injury and/or nutritional inbalances.
- trauma from getting the tongue wrapped around or entangled or caught on something in the enclosure or a puncture wound from hitting something sharp in the enclosure;
- damage to the tongue by a live prey item (i.e. the spiky legs of adult grasshoppers, roaches, mantids);
- something caught or lodged in the mouth or tongue tissue
- hand-feeding injuries (if the feeder accidentally grabs or pulls the tongue when it makes contact with the fingers, injury from tongs)
- mouth or tongue infection or abscesses
- parasites
- eye issues (damage from bad lighting, infection, growths, etc)
- dehydration
- hypocalcaemia or vitamin deficiency, mineral deficiency. Nutritional deficiencies are typically a slower, more chronic loss of tongue function. The chameleon tongue's aim may become misguided, or the tongue's reach gradually decreases until the chameleon can project it just a little or not at all.
-Very old age can sometimes cause poor tongue control.

If your chameleon can not retract its tongue, keep the tongue moist and get the chameleon to the vet.

If your chameleon is missing its prey or not shooting its tongue like it used to, check your gutloading and supplementation. Poor tongue control / Missing the insects can be a sign of a calcium deficiency, or deficiency in B vitamins, and /or sometimes vitamin A deficiency, or an inbalance between Calcium, D, and A. A good supplement or improved gutload containing these vitamins in the correct balance usually helps within a week if vitamin deficiency is the reason and the case is not too far gone. Seeing a vet is also wise.
In any health situation, increasing access to water can not hurt.

read more:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/constantly-missing-his-mark-26208/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/tongue-issue-12800/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/tongue-use-sambava-24920/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-cant-shoot-tongue-37910/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/rescued-veiled-needs-tongue-help-37353/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/mike-isnt-using-her-tongue-33845/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/not-using-his-tongue-34195/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/tongue-problem-34219/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/tongue-issue-35508/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/very-...03/#post411755

 

[jannb]

I totally agree with Sandra that it's probably a nutrient deficiency but without the info from the Ask For Help Form it's hard to say for sure.

In this older thread Chris Anderson offers some advise and Dr. Alfonso (one of the best chameleon vets in the US if not the best) and Chris both agree that cup feeding can cause lazy tongue.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/short-tongue-42692/

 

[ttaylor]

I posted something like this recently, and I have been hand feeding exclusively for at least two months. I hadn't noticed this until recently.

Is your cham still able to use his tongue correctly sometimes? If I put the food further away, he will shoot it no problem. Sometimes he doesn't do it on the first attempt, though. Especially if it is only a few inches away.

What happens, in my case, is he starts to stick his tongue out too much, and then doesn't have much force when he goes to 'flick' it. Kinda like trying to flick something across a table with your finger, but barely curling your finger back.

 

[sdheli420]

ive had chams get lazy with distance, but if forced will still shoot at maximum range..ive had some adoptee's that would do that..first thing i did was give them more calcium and vits e, b, and vit a helps..seem to had fixed mine up in the past..

 

[sandrachameleon]

without the info from the Ask For Help Form it's hard to say for sure.

agreed! providing the info in the questionaire can certainly help the forum members identify possible areas of concern in husbandry

 

[sdheli420]

agreed! providing the info in the questionaire can certainly help the forum members identify possible areas of concern in husbandry

ya i think we will see somthing possibly in the supplements schedule that may be a lil off...

 

[kirekameleon]

Sandra, sdheli, Jannb

how do you two administer your vitamins? Dusting just like you do with calcium in a bowl? I would like to know how you to do it, I have Rep-Cal with Beta Carotene.

kire

 

[Stanly]

Sandra, sdheli, Jannb

how do you two administer your vitamins? Dusting just like you do with calcium in a bowl? I would like to know how you to do it, I have Rep-Cal with Beta Carotene.

kire

Well I'm neither of these but I'll toss my ¢.02 out here.
I used to shake my crickets up in a bag with the powder and they would always end up ghost white, like a powdered donut (which isn't what you want).
Now I do what "Texas Panther Man" suggested, and "swish" them around in a cup with a small amount of powder, they come out more speckled or "seasoned" with powder.

P.s. Is that rep- cal with beta carotene Calcium or herptivite (or some other multi vitamin)? If it's a vitamin make sure you also have the plain calcium (with out d3) and (if kept indoors) calcium with d3. And make sure you know how often to give each (depends on the species of chameleon AND the brand of supplement)

*EDIT* can I blame my small phone screen for my lack of reading that post clearly?

I dust the vitamins just like calcium (tho I have found herptivite doesn't stick that well) some times a light mist on the feeder (before dusting) will help it stick.

 

[kirekameleon]

Thank you!

It is Rep-cal Herptivite w/ beta carotene Multivitamins. I have calcium w/o d3, and calcium w/ d3. I use the calcium w/o d3 everyday just like you explained in a small cup so I will do the Mutlivitamins the same way. I am going to do it in the morning, then I will start doing it twice a month(1st and 15th), and the calcium d3 I am holding off for a while cuz the previous owner was giving it every other feeding, everyday. I will give the d3 to him twice a month as well. Thank you for your response! I would like to see a pic of your Jacksonni Xantholophus(sp?)

kire

 

[ttaylor]

I have been dusting mine (apparently too much, using the ghost white bag method) almost everyday with plain rept-cal calcium. I do their calcium with D3 once a month. I think I should be doing that twice a month?

Also, I have been using the reptivite aronund two times a week, dusted in the same manner, mixed 50/50 with the calcium. I've been thinking recently maybe that is too much? I don't have a very good gutload program worked out yet, and had been doing superworms that come in feed.

 

[kirekameleon]

My Calyptratus was missing his target and had never been given any multivitamins by the previous owner. I gave him his first round of it, and I have to be honest he has not missed since (coincidence or deficiency?). He was missing targets 3 inches away. This morning he "picked off" a dubia from 6-7 inches away. I was impressed; I don't know if it was the vitamins or even if they work that fast but I have been hand feeding him from further away and he is "picking" those off too.

kire

 

[sandrachameleon]

Sandra, sdheli, Jannb
how do you two administer your vitamins? Dusting just like you do with calcium in a bowl? I would like to know how you to do it, I have Rep-Cal with Beta Carotene.
kire

Most of the vitamins my chameleons get come from careful attention to gutloading and using a wide range of feeders. I use the same vitamin supplement powder, about twice a month, dusted on 1-3 feeders by swirly swishing the feeders around in a plastic container with some powder.

What do you gutload with? What feeders do you use?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I have been dusting mine (apparently too much, using the ghost white bag method) almost everyday with plain rept-cal calcium. I do their calcium with D3 once a month. I think I should be doing that twice a month?

Also, I have been using the reptivite aronund two times a week, dusted in the same manner, mixed 50/50 with the calcium. I've been thinking recently maybe that is too much? I don't have a very good gutload program worked out yet, and had been doing superworms that come in feed.

What brand of calcium with D3 do you have? It makes a difference as to how often you would supplement with it.

Most people suggest NOT mixing the vitamin powder with the calcium.

 

[ttaylor]

It is the rep-cal brand. The reason I had mixed it is that's what it says on the containers

 

[sandrachameleon]

It is the rep-cal brand. The reason I had mixed it is that's what it says on the containers

Ya I know that's what it says, and for many reptiles Im sure this would be appropriate, especially if you're using the supplements up fast (Calicum never goes back - vitmains do expire - D3 is not really a vitamin). But you may very well want to use calicum more often than the vitamins, or the other way around, so a 50-50 mix is not always appropriate IMHO for supplementing chameleons. Keeping them separate gives you more control.

 

[melric]

So question if your husbandry is correct and you've had a cham since it was two months old and it's never been able to shoot it's tongue. Can it be born that way? I guess because I have one that I cup feed now that's been like that since day one. I use to hand feed her everyday.

 

[kinyonga]

Melvin...what happened with your chameleon?

 

[Stanly]

I have been dusting mine (apparently too much, using the ghost white bag method) almost everyday with plain rept-cal calcium. I do their calcium with D3 once a month. I think I should be doing that twice a month?

Also, I have been using the reptivite aronund two times a week, dusted in the same manner, mixed 50/50 with the calcium. I've been thinking recently maybe that is too much? I don't have a very good gutload program worked out yet, and had been doing superworms that come in feed.

How often is some what dependent on species, for panthers and veileds most recommend a multi vitamin every two weeks (or twice a month), montane species are more sensitive to supplements so you typically would supplement less (some don't use a multi vitamin at all, just make sure gut loading is spot on)

As sandra said it's normally easier not to mix them so you know how much of what you are giving how often.