Tongue issue

[Blakekiser123]

I have a panther chameleon that's about 4 or 5 months old and ever since I got him about two months ago I've noticed he has no accuracy with his tongue. He seems very healthy. Nothing wrong with his eyes, I feed him correctly, his cage is set up perfectly. Every time I feed him I have to hold the cricket fairy close to his face or he either comes straight to me and tries to bite it out of my fingers. He's a very friendly little guy all this hand feeding has made him very open. It's been like this since before I got him so i don't think there's anything that I personally am doing wrong. Could this just be a disability of some sort? I thought maybe it's something he would grow out of but its not looking that way.

 

[Carlton]

I have a panther chameleon that's about 4 or 5 months old and ever since I got him about two months ago I've noticed he has no accuracy with his tongue. He seems very healthy. Nothing wrong with his eyes, I feed him correctly, his cage is set up perfectly. Every time I feed him I have to hold the cricket fairy close to his face or he either comes straight to me and tries to bite it out of my fingers. He's a very friendly little guy all this hand feeding has made him very open. It's been like this since before I got him so i don't think there's anything that I personally am doing wrong. Could this just be a disability of some sort? I thought maybe it's something he would grow out of but its not looking that way.

Um, some specifics about his nutrition, supplement dusting, feeder gutloading, lighting will help a lot. Muscle control can be affected by nutrition. Dehydration can make the tongue tip less "sticky" so its harder for him to hunt normally. So what happens when the feeders are farther away? Does he even notice them? Does he even try to shoot at them or not? Has he always been offered feeders in a bowl?

If he's always had feeders offered right in front of his nose or in a dish he can get right up to, he may have lost some muscle tone from lack of exercise.

If his supplementation is off there could be a nutritional reason behind lack of control too.