Veiled stuck tongue out?

[noms]

Hi all! I’m a fairly new cham owner, i have a female veiled. i’m not sure of her age as i got her from pet smart but i’ve had her for about 3 months.
tonight, when she was going to her bed time spot, she yawned but also fully extended her tongue- she wasn’t aiming at a bug or anything because she did it straight down just in the air, didn’t hit a branch or anything.
i tried to google this but i just couldn’t find a single thing that sounded even remotely like what i just saw and i just want to make sure my girl is okay.
it was kind of like she yawned, looked down, and her tongue fell out for a second lol. she was also slow about retracting it into her mouth- which she’s never done before as well

 

[Beppo]

Hi! Welcome. While you are waiting on some experienced keepers if you can fill out this form by copying and filling in with your answers and re pasting here, it will help speed up the process

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

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

She could be developing MBD or have injured the tongue or it could just be a one-off event. It’s bothering me that she had trouble pulling it back in.

Can you please post some photos of her so I can see all of her from the side…and post a couple of photos of the cage including the lights.

Also…what supplements do you use and how often for each? I’m looking for calcium, phis, D3 and the form of vitamin A.

 

[noms]

oh no.. i really hope it’s a one off event and i’ll have to figure out how to post the photos- im sorry i’ve never posted here before. i use the zoo med repti calcium with and without D3. and for the vitamins i use reptivite and i alternate them so she gets one every 2 weeks. but the normal calcium is of course daily. until i can figure out how to upload photos, i’ll tell you what i have. i’ve got the reptisun T5HO for her uvb, and for her heat lamp i have a little blue heat bulb i got from petsmart, i can’t remember the name or brand. her basking temp stays at about 83° and the rest of the cage stays about 70-75 throughout.

 

[noms]

here she is about 2 weeks ago- i startled her on accident. i’ve also changed her cage some but i’m not home now for new pictures. i’ve since removed the plant to the right and rearranged some of the fake plants, i plan on getting them out and getting all real plants eventually. there is a real pothos in there that she likes to munch on.

 

[Beman]

oh no.. i really hope it’s a one off event and i’ll have to figure out how to post the photos- im sorry i’ve never posted here before. i use the zoo med repti calcium with and without D3. and for the vitamins i use reptivite and i alternate them so she gets one every 2 weeks. but the normal calcium is of course daily. until i can figure out how to upload photos, i’ll tell you what i have. i’ve got the reptisun T5HO for her uvb, and for her heat lamp i have a little blue heat bulb i got from petsmart, i can’t remember the name or brand. her basking temp stays at about 83° and the rest of the cage stays about 70-75 throughout.

Can you tell me if your reptivite has D3 in it? Also how often are you using the calcium with D3?

 

[MzLaurie11]

Hello and welcome. The blue heat light has to go asap. Red and blue light can damage the eyes. A plain 60-75watt basking bulb is good. I light having a dimmer switch on the it so i can adjust the light instead of the heigth of the basking area. Put your temp gauge right near the area of basking so you always know what the temp is. I have found that different bulbs give off different heat so you cant really trust the wattage. No heat Or light at night as their bodies get cold and go into a healing mood like ours do. as long as the room temp does go below 55, its all good. I havent heard of sticking out tongue for no reason, how does your cham get water? There are several.possiblities. stuck food or tongue bitten by a feeder. An infection in the mouth.....etc.... There is a paper clip with Attach Files on the left at the bottom of each thread accrosd from Post Reply. You tap on that and you can access your photos. Or even access your camera and take a pic with will upload. We really do need to see pics of your set up and cham. Your supplements sound ok though.

 

[MzLaurie11]

Omg i meant to say as long as the room temp does not go below 55 all is good. I see you figured the pics out. Unfortunately, veileds eat plants so the fake ones have to go. Flukers makes good vines. Those rubber ones dont hold up in the heat and can break apart leaving things for your cham to nibble on. Once you get all real plants. You will notice the humidity goes up and the chams can drink off of real leaves. Water doesnt really stick to the fake ones. Beman will go over your entire setup and supplements to make sure you get spot on with creating a thriving cham environment.

 

[noms]

i didn’t think they’d break apart!! i’ll get them out asap. what are good live plants to get for her? i don’t have a green thumb though lol. also i thought it was only the red ones that messed with her eyes. i feel awful now but she usually drinks it off of her pothos

 

[MissSkittles]

i didn’t think they’d break apart!! i’ll get them out asap. what are good live plants to get for her? i don’t have a green thumb though lol. also i thought it was only the red ones that messed with her eyes. i feel awful now but she usually drinks it off of her pothos

Hi. I’m not here to address your girl’s tongue issue as @kinyonga has been and she is one of the most experienced keepers. I just want to offer some advice about your enclosure.
It looks like you bought the chameleon kit. If so, you’ll need to upgrade your pretty lady to a larger enclosure of at least 2x2x4’. Plus I can see you need to make a few other improvements. The little vine that comes with it is ok, but over time and repeated rebending the wires tend to poke out. The Exo Terra black vines are to be avoided as those shed tiny particles that usually find their way in cham eyes. The foamy Fluker’s vines that @MzLaurie mentioned are great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YEB52/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You can also use natural branches from outside (avoid pine and other sappy or aromatic trees). Just give a little scrub with dish soap, rinse very well and if you can, sun dry. No need to bake, bleach or otherwise sterilize or remove bark. You just want to remove bird poop, insects and normal dirt. Adding branches and vines of different diameters is important to exercise little mitten feet muscles. Create lots of little roads for your lady to travel on. Empty space is basically wasted space. Definitely replace the artificial plants with safe washed live ones. Pothos, heart leaf philodendron, tradescantia zebrina are wonderful and don’t require additional plant lighting. Adding a nice tall weeping fig or umbrella plant (schefflera) is always nice, but you’ll need a grow light. Going to take advantage of the newest forum sponsor https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ who can help you to find the best plant light for your needs. To find a list of safe plants for veiled, https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ is one of the few lists that is trustworthy. Veileds and especially our beautiful female veileds, nibble their plants. Some take a random taste here and there and some will strip their plants bare. There is a use for your fake plants - hang them on the outside of the enclosure to give your sweetie extra privacy. Provide lots of shaded areas for your sweetie to hide in if she wants. If you have to look for a minute to find your chameleon, you’re doing it right.
Not sure where you got your husbandry info from, but this is the most current and correct info. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ Of course, ask as many questions here as you need and we’ll do our best to help.

 

[MzLaurie11]

Other than pathos, i really like the swiss cheese plant. I dont know the formal name of it, but i have had good long term results with it and they offer good shade and have strong stalks.in one cage i have it planted right in the bottom as it is a partial bioactive cage and the other cage i have it potted and zip tied to the corner of the frame and to tree branches.high up to offer leaf shading up higher.

 

[noms]

Hi. I’m not here to address your girl’s tongue issue as @kinyonga has been and she is one of the most experienced keepers. I just want to offer some advice about your enclosure.
It looks like you bought the chameleon kit. If so, you’ll need to upgrade your pretty lady to a larger enclosure of at least 2x2x4’. Plus I can see you need to make a few other improvements. The little vine that comes with it is ok, but over time and repeated rebending the wires tend to poke out. The Exo Terra black vines are to be avoided as those shed tiny particles that usually find their way in cham eyes. The foamy Fluker’s vines that @MzLaurie mentioned are great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YEB52/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You can also use natural branches from outside (avoid pine and other sappy or aromatic trees). Just give a little scrub with dish soap, rinse very well and if you can, sun dry. No need to bake, bleach or otherwise sterilize or remove bark. You just want to remove bird poop, insects and normal dirt. Adding branches and vines of different diameters is important to exercise little mitten feet muscles. Create lots of little roads for your lady to travel on. Empty space is basically wasted space. Definitely replace the artificial plants with safe washed live ones. Pothos, heart leaf philodendron, tradescantia zebrina are wonderful and don’t require additional plant lighting. Adding a nice tall weeping fig or umbrella plant (schefflera) is always nice, but you’ll need a grow light. Going to take advantage of the newest forum sponsor https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ who can help you to find the best plant light for your needs. To find a list of safe plants for veiled, https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ is one of the few lists that is trustworthy. Veileds and especially our beautiful female veileds, nibble their plants. Some take a random taste here and there and some will strip their plants bare. There is a use for your fake plants - hang them on the outside of the enclosure to give your sweetie extra privacy. Provide lots of shaded areas for your sweetie to hide in if she wants. If you have to look for a minute to find your chameleon, you’re doing it right.
Not sure where you got your husbandry info from, but this is the most current and correct info. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ Of course, ask as many questions here as you need and we’ll do our best to help.

Hello! I did start off with it as i didnt know any better but i know have the reptibreeze XL (The one that comes with LED lights, but ive never even plugged them in because i learned they can be harmful to her eyes) But, i didn't know that about the vines! i will keep an eye on them and make sure to inspect them every now and again so she doesn't hurt her little feetsies. since this post, i've actually added some more branches. lots more actually. from looking at other peoples enclosures on here, i realized mine wasnt up to par. ive made lots of improvements and i wanted to thank you very mich for informing me on all of this! it'a greatly appreciated! i'm also currently on the hunt for an umbrella tree but neither walmart or tractor supply carries them, i'm planning on a trip up to lowes this weekend as i live far away. im hoping that theyll have one. thank you for recommending the ones that don't need additional light! that'll be super helpful. i've taken out all of the face plants except for 2. i'm worried that she just won't have enough hiding spots if i take them out as well, but they'll be gone this weekend once i go get some more at lowes. even if they dont have an umbrella tree. i'm going to grab as many more as i can so i can get the fake ones out. i didnt realize how big of a danger it was until recently. the idea of hanging them on the outside is lovely! i'm sure it's going to help her feel much more safe. thank you so much!

 

[noms]

Other than pathos, i really like the swiss cheese plant. I dont know the formal name of it, but i have had good long term results with it and they offer good shade and have strong stalks.in one cage i have it planted right in the bottom as it is a partial bioactive cage and the other cage i have it potted and zip tied to the corner of the frame and to tree branches.high up to offer leaf shading up higher.

thank you very much! i'll be looking for it this weekend! do you happen to remember where you got yours from?

 

[noms]

Can you tell me if your reptivite has D3 in it? Also how often are you using the calcium with D3?

sorry! i must have missed your reply. i don't believe it does. i have a little sampler pack right now, to make sure everything was going to go okay with it before i bought a jar of it. but on the package it doesnt say it has it. and i'm using it one day a week, alternating with the vitamins!

 

[noms]

also, for a little update in case anyone else ever runs into this problem: she's doing good! nothing else weird has happened and she's still her angry little spunky self. i'm guessing and hoping that she was just being weird

 

[Beman]

sorry! i must have missed your reply. i don't believe it does. i have a little sampler pack right now, to make sure everything was going to go okay with it before i bought a jar of it. but on the package it doesnt say it has it. and i'm using it one day a week, alternating with the vitamins!

What sampler pack are you using? The one that comes with the chameleon kit? like a little jar and then a tiny multivitamin bag?