URGENT! Baby Chameleon's Tongue Completely Fallen Out & Unattached After Getting Stuck!

emchristineb

emchristineb

Member
Hi Chameleon Forum Family! I am in urgent need of help.

First here is a breakdown of my chameleon Barney's info as well as notes on his husbandry:
  • INFO: Barney, Male Veiled Chameleon, 6 Weeks Old, 17 Grams
  • PURCHASE INFO: on 2/12/22 at 9 Grams from PetSmart
  • HANDLING: twice - once to bask on the balcony (used a stick to transport a few feet away) and the other time when taking him to the urgent care
  • FEEDING: mainly dubia roaches & crickets with occasional waxworms, supers and hornworms / he eats 10-15 insects a day / he likes to eat most of his insects around 10AM and a few insects around 5:30PM before winding down / gut loading my bugs with papaya, mustard greens, collard greens and sweet potato
  • SUPPLEMENTS: Repti-Cal / Calcium w/o Phosphorous or D3 6 days a week / alternating Calcium w/ D3 & MultiVitamin every other Sunday for 2x a month each / dusting feeders every morning with the appropriate supplement
  • WATERING: using a dripper as well as mister every 8hrs for 1min / never seen him drink but droppings are normal with white material
  • FECAL DESCRIPTION: dark brown fecal matter once a day with white material connected / never been tested for parasites
  • HISTORY: he's utterly adorable and very fiesty
  • CAGE TYPE - glass cage, mesh top, 24" x 24" x 48"
  • LIGHTING: Repti-Zoo / linear UVB 22" bulb T5 5.0 (I also have a 10.0 bulb as a backup but is that too strong?) / plus traditional heat lamp / lights are on from 7AM - 8PM / lights are 8" away from his highest point
  • TEMPERATURE: basking 90 / cage floor 82 / lowest overnight 60 / measure with a thermometer
  • HUMIDITY: 40-60% during day / 70-80% during night / measure with a meter
  • PLANTS: only using live plants - pothos & snake plant
  • PLACEMENT: cage is on a credenza by a large window in a quiet corner of my home / no fans or air vents but I occasionally open his door (while watching) to make sure there is some air flow / top of highest plant in his cage is about 50" from floor
  • LOCATION: Southern California, Los Angeles, Studio City
Current Problem:

I had Barney on the balcony basking in our olive tree. I went out to water some of my plants and I guess he tried to snack on my hand while I was standing next to the tree. It caught me off guard and when I pulled my hand away I looked down and his entire tongue WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all. He immediately started dripping blood from his mouth and was in shock. I completely FREAKED and called the exotic urgent care vet. He was given a bleak diagnosis. The tongue was not able to be repaired as it was removed completely, no tissue left, and only bone. His bleeding stopped after about 30 minutes and he was back to his bright green self and very active. The vet told us they could put him down or we could try and see if he would adapt to a new way of eating. Eating from the ground or being hand-fed. I was obviously going to give him a fighting chance! I have to syringe feed him both pain meds and antibiotics for 2 weeks. Today he’s crawling all around and very active, in his normal basking spot in his enclosure but has not eaten since returning home from the vet last night. I am devastated for him. I feel like I've seriously affected his quality of life and I'm just heartbroken. He was doing so amazingly and growing every day :( Now, this.

Has anyone ever experienced this?? I am so desperate for info. How long can he go without eating? Should I be feeding him a liquid diet right now? Oh gosh, I have so many questions. I will be so upset if he stops eating and withers away. Please, any insight on this freak accident would be so appreciated and helpful!
 
I am literally sweating.. I am very sorry this has happened to both of you.. ☹

Your husbandry is looking okay to me.

Just to make it clear, he is lacking his tongue completely? Or just a little bit has fallen out?

If he is totally missing it out, let the wound heal first. Of course he's not gonna eat if he is in pain.

To me, you really should let the wound heal first before doing anything. Ask your vet if he needs a pain killer or something, but I believe that Barney should be left alone not bothered so he can recover.

Experts here will add anything to my post or even correct me.

Keep your head up, he'll be alright! 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum. Sweet lord I about died reading this. So sorry this happened. Read my feedback in bold.

First here is a breakdown of my chameleon Barney's info as well as notes on his husbandry:
  • INFO: Barney, Male Veiled Chameleon, 6 Weeks Old, 17 Grams
  • PURCHASE INFO: on 2/12/22 at 9 Grams from PetSmart
  • HANDLING: twice - once to bask on the balcony (used a stick to transport a few feet away) and the other time when taking him to the urgent care
  • FEEDING: mainly dubia roaches & crickets with occasional waxworms, supers and hornworms / he eats 10-15 insects a day / he likes to eat most of his insects around 10AM and a few insects around 5:30PM before winding down / gut loading my bugs with papaya, mustard greens, collard greens and sweet potato
  • SUPPLEMENTS: Repti-Cal / Calcium w/o Phosphorous or D3 6 days a week / alternating Calcium w/ D3 & MultiVitamin every other Sunday for 2x a month each / dusting feeders every morning with the appropriate supplement
  • WATERING: using a dripper as well as mister every 8hrs for 1min / never seen him drink but droppings are normal with white material
  • FECAL DESCRIPTION: dark brown fecal matter once a day with white material connected / never been tested for parasites
  • HISTORY: he's utterly adorable and very fiesty
  • CAGE TYPE - glass cage, mesh top, 24" x 24" x 48" Are there vents down below on this cage?
  • LIGHTING: Repti-Zoo / linear UVB 22" bulb T5 5.0 (I also have a 10.0 bulb as a backup but is that too strong?) / plus traditional heat lamp / lights are on from 7AM - 8PM / lights are 8" away from his highest point 5.0 bulb is correct and distance is good. Do not use the 10.0.
  • TEMPERATURE: basking 90 / cage floor 82 / lowest overnight 60 / measure with a thermometer Basking is far too hot. Should be 80 at basking. Even as an adult it would never be hotter than 80-85.
  • HUMIDITY: 40-60% during day / 70-80% during night / measure with a meter
  • PLANTS: only using live plants - pothos & snake plant
  • PLACEMENT: cage is on a credenza by a large window in a quiet corner of my home / no fans or air vents but I occasionally open his door (while watching) to make sure there is some air flow / top of highest plant in his cage is about 50" from floor
  • LOCATION: Southern California, Los Angeles, Studio City
Current Problem:
I had Barney on the balcony basking in our olive tree. I went out to water some of my plants and I guess he tried to snack on my hand while I was standing next to the tree. It caught me off guard and when I pulled my hand away I looked down and his entire tongue WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all. He immediately started dripping blood from his mouth and was in shock. I completely FREAKED and called the exotic urgent care vet. He was given a bleak diagnosis. The tongue was not able to be repaired as it was removed completely, no tissue left, and only bone. His bleeding stopped after about 30 minutes and he was back to his bright green self and very active. The vet told us they could put him down or we could try and see if he would adapt to a new way of eating. Eating from the ground or being hand-fed. I was obviously going to give him a fighting chance! I have to syringe feed him both pain meds and antibiotics for 2 weeks. Today he’s crawling all around and very active, in his normal basking spot in his enclosure but has not eaten since returning home from the vet last night. I am devastated for him. I feel like I've seriously affected his quality of life and I'm just heartbroken. He was doing so amazingly and growing every day :( Now, this.
Has anyone ever experienced this?? I am so desperate for info. How long can he go without eating? Should I be feeding him a liquid diet right now? Oh gosh, I have so many questions. I will be so upset if he stops eating and withers away. Please, any insight on this freak accident would be so appreciated and helpful!

Good news is he is very very young... I would work on hand feeding insects. Get some small silkworms. See if he can adapt to eating by your hand. liquid diet is not a good long term solution. But when did this all happen? What are you using for a feeder? This I would be modifying for him to be able to put his face all the way into to grab the bugs. You can tong feed safely since he has no tongue.

All you can do at this point is see if the baby can learn how to eat without having a tongue. It will take much more hands on care. I would get a kitchen scale and keep track of weight gains as well. When they are young they have to have the food intake to support healthy growth.
 
You said..." I have to syringe feed him both pain meds and antibiotics for 2 weeks"...be very careful that the meds go down his throat not into his lungs or he will be in more trouble.

I said..."It caught me off guard and when I pulled my hand away I looked down and his entire tongue WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all. He immediately started dripping blood from his mouth and was in shock"...chameleons can live without a tongue...but it will depend partly on the chameleon's own will to live. It will also depend in part on how clean the tear was where the tongue came off. He will have to be hand fed until he learns to go up to the insect to grab it.

He may have trouble drinking too because they lick the water up with the tongue...and now he can't do that.

Hopefully he didn't lose too much blood. They don't have much at that age.

More in a minute.
 
Poor baby! 😢 Chameleons airways are in the front of their mouth, so if you give any liquid you’ll need to make sure to aim towards the back of the throat. Red arrow is airway, blue arrow is esophagus.
550E2847-6678-4A5F-9D92-A0D02062A5A2.jpeg
 
Chances are he will "think" he still has a tongue and try to shoot at insects and still think he can lick the water up too. He may even be able to still lap it up...some can and some can't. It will take patience.

I would see if he will try to lick up the water when there is water dripping from a dripper or sprayed on the plant leaves. If he does, while the mouth is opening and shutting, try putting a small insect head first BETWEEN HIS TEETH as the mouth is opening and shutting. If he takes it and eats it, this will be a good start.

Eventually he should learn to walk up to the insect and pick it up and eat it.
 
Szush said:
I am literally sweating.. I am very sorry this has happened to both of you.. ☹

Your husbandry is looking okay to me.

Just to make it clear, he is lacking his tongue completely? Or just a little bit has fallen out?

If he is totally missing it out, let the wound heal first. Of course he's not gonna eat if he is in pain.

To me, you really should let the wound heal first before doing anything. Ask your vet if he needs a pain killer or something, but I believe that Barney should be left alone not bothered so he can recover.

Experts here will add anything to my post or even correct me.

Keep your head up, he'll be alright! 🙂
Click to expand...
Tell me about it...I'm seriously so upset, like how?! No the tongue is completely gone. My vet gave me both pain killer and antibiotic to take home. Thank you!
 
Beman said:
Welcome to the forum. Sweet lord I about died reading this. So sorry this happened. Read my feedback in bold.

First here is a breakdown of my chameleon Barney's info as well as notes on his husbandry:
  • INFO: Barney, Male Veiled Chameleon, 6 Weeks Old, 17 Grams
  • PURCHASE INFO: on 2/12/22 at 9 Grams from PetSmart
  • HANDLING: twice - once to bask on the balcony (used a stick to transport a few feet away) and the other time when taking him to the urgent care
  • FEEDING: mainly dubia roaches & crickets with occasional waxworms, supers and hornworms / he eats 10-15 insects a day / he likes to eat most of his insects around 10AM and a few insects around 5:30PM before winding down / gut loading my bugs with papaya, mustard greens, collard greens and sweet potato
  • SUPPLEMENTS: Repti-Cal / Calcium w/o Phosphorous or D3 6 days a week / alternating Calcium w/ D3 & MultiVitamin every other Sunday for 2x a month each / dusting feeders every morning with the appropriate supplement
  • WATERING: using a dripper as well as mister every 8hrs for 1min / never seen him drink but droppings are normal with white material
  • FECAL DESCRIPTION: dark brown fecal matter once a day with white material connected / never been tested for parasites
  • HISTORY: he's utterly adorable and very fiesty
  • CAGE TYPE - glass cage, mesh top, 24" x 24" x 48" Are there vents down below on this cage?
  • LIGHTING: Repti-Zoo / linear UVB 22" bulb T5 5.0 (I also have a 10.0 bulb as a backup but is that too strong?) / plus traditional heat lamp / lights are on from 7AM - 8PM / lights are 8" away from his highest point 5.0 bulb is correct and distance is good. Do not use the 10.0.
  • TEMPERATURE: basking 90 / cage floor 82 / lowest overnight 60 / measure with a thermometer Basking is far too hot. Should be 80 at basking. Even as an adult it would never be hotter than 80-85.
  • HUMIDITY: 40-60% during day / 70-80% during night / measure with a meter
  • PLANTS: only using live plants - pothos & snake plant
  • PLACEMENT: cage is on a credenza by a large window in a quiet corner of my home / no fans or air vents but I occasionally open his door (while watching) to make sure there is some air flow / top of highest plant in his cage is about 50" from floor
  • LOCATION: Southern California, Los Angeles, Studio City
Current Problem:
I had Barney on the balcony basking in our olive tree. I went out to water some of my plants and I guess he tried to snack on my hand while I was standing next to the tree. It caught me off guard and when I pulled my hand away I looked down and his entire tongue WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all. He immediately started dripping blood from his mouth and was in shock. I completely FREAKED and called the exotic urgent care vet. He was given a bleak diagnosis. The tongue was not able to be repaired as it was removed completely, no tissue left, and only bone. His bleeding stopped after about 30 minutes and he was back to his bright green self and very active. The vet told us they could put him down or we could try and see if he would adapt to a new way of eating. Eating from the ground or being hand-fed. I was obviously going to give him a fighting chance! I have to syringe feed him both pain meds and antibiotics for 2 weeks. Today he’s crawling all around and very active, in his normal basking spot in his enclosure but has not eaten since returning home from the vet last night. I am devastated for him. I feel like I've seriously affected his quality of life and I'm just heartbroken. He was doing so amazingly and growing every day :( Now, this.
Has anyone ever experienced this?? I am so desperate for info. How long can he go without eating? Should I be feeding him a liquid diet right now? Oh gosh, I have so many questions. I will be so upset if he stops eating and withers away. Please, any insight on this freak accident would be so appreciated and helpful!

Good news is he is very very young... I would work on hand feeding insects. Get some small silkworms. See if he can adapt to eating by your hand. liquid diet is not a good long term solution. But when did this all happen? What are you using for a feeder? This I would be modifying for him to be able to put his face all the way into to grab the bugs. You can tong feed safely since he has no tongue.

All you can do at this point is see if the baby can learn how to eat without having a tongue. It will take much more hands on care. I would get a kitchen scale and keep track of weight gains as well. When they are young they have to have the food intake to support healthy growth.
Click to expand...
No vents below his cage, ah!
Just submitted the 10.0 for return - thank you for clarifying, information differs everywhere online!
I'm reading my dang gage wrong - highest is about 82
I ordered some silkworms last night thinking this would be easy as they cling to the branches? I was thinking liquid diet only for a week or so while he's healing? What should I get for liquid diet?
This happened yesterday, exactly 24 hours ago around 3:30PM PST yesterday.
I was using a shallow feeder cup and he loved it, tongue was working perfectly and he was eating like a champ.
I am trying to wrap my head around how to create something he can grab but not something the bugs can crawl out of...can he live on silk worms forever? Ah! He does take food from me on tongs as well (or did) but now I will have to get them somehow in his mouth.
I will keep track of weight with kitchen scale.
I am so worried about his water intake...and who will watch after him if I ever go out of town!
This is dreadful. My poor baby. I'm hoping nature does what natures does and he becomes resilient and savvy.
 
kinyonga said:
You said..." I have to syringe feed him both pain meds and antibiotics for 2 weeks"...be very careful that the meds go down his throat not into his lungs or he will be in more trouble.

I said..."It caught me off guard and when I pulled my hand away I looked down and his entire tongue WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all. He immediately started dripping blood from his mouth and was in shock"...chameleons can live without a tongue...but it will depend partly on the chameleon's own will to live. It will also depend in part on how clean the tear was where the tongue came off. He will have to be hand fed until he learns to go up to the insect to grab it.

He may have trouble drinking too because they lick the water up with the tongue...and now he can't do that.

Hopefully he didn't lose too much blood. They don't have much at that age.

More in a minute.
Click to expand...
Yes, the vet walked me thorugh a tutuorial with him on how to properly syringe feed so nothing goes down the trachea. Jeez I'm so nervous.
Tongue came out clear - root and all. No tissue left in the slightest. When you say "hand fed" does that mean hold the bug in my hand while it's flat? Or feed with syringe? Also I was thinking of clearing everything out of the bottom of the tank and maybe letting bug lose for him to "ground hunt"? Oh gosh I'm so worried.
Very worried about water.
Thank you for all of this! Any further findings are appreciated.
 
kinyonga said:
Chances are he will "think" he still has a tongue and try to shoot at insects and still think he can lick the water up too. He may even be able to still lap it up...some can and some can't. It will take patience.

I would see if he will try to lick up the water when there is water dripping from a dripper or sprayed on the plant leaves. If he does, while the mouth is opening and shutting, try putting a small insect head first BETWEEN HIS TEETH as the mouth is opening and shutting. If he takes it and eats it, this will be a good start.

Eventually he should learn to walk up to the insect and pick it up and eat it.
Click to expand...
Okay, good ideas. I feel as though I should kind of leave him alone today (this happened 24hrs ago) and intervene tomorrow with food and water? How long is too long to go without food and water?
 
redhorse said:
Sorry this has happened.
Can you share any pictures of tongue/and root? You said "WAS STUCK TO MY HAND, the root and all" not sure what you are describing as root.
Bone? muscle? Sorry, just want to make sure.
View attachment 320831
Click to expand...
Yes I'm sorry for the confusion. I knew I should have taken a photo of his tongue. I took it to the vet in a plastic bag and they kept it. The diagram of the tongue under the chameleon is exactly what it looked like. Sticky tip, accelorator muscles, and retractor muscles all intact - looking inside his mouth there is a perfect hole where his tongue was. Could the bone have come out too? It literally looked exactly like the above! When I say "root" I must mean all of the retractor muscles.
 
There are some liquid formulas you can buy or make, but those can’t be used in the long term, to the best of my knowledge. If for whatever reason he isn’t able to manage eating whole feeders, what I would do is mash up some soft bodied feeders and mix with a few drops of water and a tiny pinch of supplements due to make a slurry. It’s something completely disgusting to do, but we do what we must.
It’s more important than ever to boost your night time humidity to help keep him hydrated.
 
MissSkittles said:
There are some liquid formulas you can buy or make, but those can’t be used in the long term, to the best of my knowledge. If for whatever reason he isn’t able to manage eating whole feeders, what I would do is mash up some soft bodied feeders and mix with a few drops of water and a tiny pinch of supplements due to make a slurry. It’s something completely disgusting to do, but we do what we must.
It’s more important than ever to boost your night time humidity to help keep him hydrated.
Click to expand...
Ok will do - and should that be once a day when he's used to eating? And how much to give at a time? 10 bugs like he normally eat? Also if I end up syringe feeding water, how much and how often?
 
Ok new advancement - he just opened his mouth for the first time and tried to use his tongue and something about 1.5" came out, dark in color and stood straight up. What the heck is this? Insight please?
 
emchristineb said:
The highlighted area is exactly what came off onto my hand looked like. I guess his "retractor" is still intact? is that waht I'm seeing now pop out?
Click to expand...
Honestly I don’t know, but that’s a good guess. It seems like a good sign that he’s trying to eat and has some of his tongue remaining. You could put some slower feeders in a shallow cup and help him to relearn how to eat by grabbing his food with his mouth.
 
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