Wiggling while eating???

[Mayci]

my 2 month old veiled chameleon, Pluto, has been doing this odd and concerning wiggling with his whole body while he is eating every now and then. He will chew the insect, lift his head and start swallowing, then he will curl his body from side to side and wiggle for a few seconds as if he is in pain. Although his color does not change during this and it doesn’t seem to stress him out, it is still concerning to watch and makes me wonder if something is wrong. I hand feed him small crickets and small mealworms dusted in calcium, and every week I feed him ones that are multi vitamin dusted. He doesn’t eat more than 2-3 insects during a feeding 3 times a day. His color is healthy and he seems happy and active ever since I’ve had him, but this strange motion he does while eating is my only worry.

 

[kinyonga]

I've seen/heard of some chameleons do this. I don't know exactly why but it's usually not a good thing if it's done more than once.
Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for you.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I was giving water to my veiled when she was dehydrated, and she drank so much that she did the exact same curling, and proceeded to throw up the water, along with some mucus. She has obviously recovered, as that was over 6 months ago, but it was because she was feeling discomfort in the stomach. She drank too much water too quickly, and it might have been a bit too cold for her. I know this was a different situation, but it might be because your cham is having some pain in the stomach region. This is just a speculation, because you can never know for sure when it an internal problem, and I am not an expert. If I were in that situation, and it was happening over and over, I would be on the safe side and just go get a veterinarian checkup. Hope your little guy feels better soon