How can I open chameleon's mouth for medicating?

skyedog

skyedog

Established Member
Hello everyone. I have a problem I hope I can get some advice with. I have a Meller's chameleon that I received a few weeks ago. I'm unsure of it's age but it's not nearly as big as the last one I had. (this one is 14" tip to tail). I had it to a highly recommended reptile vet after I got it for a full checkup. When the bloodwork came back he found that the mellers has a kidney problem and a liver problem. The vet has me giving it 3 different meds and he has me giving them orally 2-3 times a day. He tried to explain how to open the chams mouth but the cham refuses to open his mouth at all. All I'm doing is stressing it out. The cham has stopped eating and he has me giving it a mash via dropper 1-2 times a day orally. I tried gentle pressure on the skin under the mouth, and I also tried misting the cham so when it drinks I can do it then. He said I can try to gently use the syringe to make it open it's mouth too. At this point it's just not cooperating, and I'm afraid to injure it. Is there a safe way to get a cham to open it's mouth for medicating / feeding? Thanks for any help.
 
If you can get it to start drinking, while its mouth is opening and shutting you should be able to get some food in its mouth. Just watch that you don't put too much in at once so it doesn't end up in the lungs...and ease it in...don't squirt it in.
 
I couldnt get ester to open his mouth the first time i tried either.....So I held him firmly in my hand while pulling on his little skin thing I also kind pulled up on his nose gently....He opened up wide for me! Now when I do it he opens up on his own.....:D
 
One more possibility...I've never tried this...but putting your finger and thumb over his nostrils sooner or later he should have to open his mouth to breath?
 
I hold the chameleon facing away from me in my left hand. And I have feeding syringe ready between my fingers. With my right hand, I place my index finger on one side and thumb on the other of the back part of the mouth. My hand is underneath the chameleon With slight pressure, I pull down on the lower jaw. It works better on panthers and veileds but it may work on your melleri. No need to pull hard.

I don't like pulling on the gular but sometimes that helps. Female veileds and some of the more pissy males only need a tap on the top of the top of the mouth. In fact, some only need you to look at them and they will gape. I like those the best. :)
 
I'd would like to thank you all for the replies regarding this. I'm going to try some of these great ideas. I did try very gently pulling on the skin under the mouth but I'm so afraid to injure the cham that I didn't take that too far. I was able to get one of the meds into it when I was watering a little while ago. The lactulose syrup I have to give the cham caused him to open his mouth a bit while trying to swallow it because it's so thick. I have to give the cham baytril and metronidazole benzoate on top of the lactulose. Plus I'm giving it a mash of peach baby food, ensure high protein, half a centrum, and a banana. All of these combined are making it difficult for me to administer everything orally to it. But these ideas will hopefully help me out. Thank you everyone :)
 
i had to get help with my first few trys.

basically i had to use a small rubber mixing spatula that i kinda got him to bite..and then slid it back a little more till i had enough room. i had to have my sister push the stuff in the syringe in.. was a 2 man job..
 
Covering the nostrils definately works. Tapping gently,I said gently,on the head also. I feel these methods are better than trying to pry the mouth open,especially if its the first time for you.
 
I just wanted to once again thank everyone for the great ideas about getting the chams mouth open.:) I tried a lot of the suggestions and it seems the technique of medicating while misting is working out very well, even though the other ones worked too. The cham is taking the meds while drinking (not willingly), but after the meds go in I give him the food which it seems to almost enjoy. It's going to be a somewhat lengthy process to get him where he should be, but since I've been able to get it to take the food while its drinking the chams body weight went up 4 grams since this weekend.
 
I had to open my girls mouth for her vit A.. I had to pull the skin under the mouth, its not as hard as you may think. I had to this to also feed her at the time cause she couldnt see. It hard to get it open only cause they are fighing it, but once they get use to it they open thier mouth on thier own. Well at least mine did.. all i had to do was touch the syringe to her mouth and she would open it.
 
Q-Tip......

I sometimes use a Q-Tip sideways (the part between the cotton ends). It's thin enough that it can get between the upper and lower jaw just enough to get leverage. But the material it is made from is soft enough that it does no damage. While they are trying to spit the Q-tip out of their mouth I then put the meds into the mouth. I have a stainless steel curved/ball-tipped syringe attachment that I use. I got it from a vet supply place. You can get that thing safely down far enough so that the cham can't aspirate the food or the medicine.

Out of curiousity...what exactly is wrong with the Meller's kidneys and liver?
 
An ooooold book I had suggested using a small piece of film to open their mouths, but who has film any more? My vet recommended gently tapping either side of their nose and it seems to work pretty well for me (they don't even wait until they need to breathe, it's pretty much an instantaneous reaction). Eventually they learn what you're doing so it takes a little more effort after some time.
 
i have a very stubborn adult veiled who is a very light drinker. whenever i feel like he is not drinking enough, or he looks like he is dehydrated, i hand feed him water by prying open his mouth with a syringe. using your finger nail works too. stick it between its teeth so you are not ripping its lip. occasionally i get bitten, it's painful, but i can deal with a veiled's bite. i dunno about a mellers' bite though. lol.... don't use any hard objects, cuz you might damage its teeth.
 
Out of curiousity...what exactly is wrong with the Meller's kidneys and liver?[/QUOTE]

When I got the cham I scheduled a vet appt right away for a checkup and bloodwork. That night I noticed his back leg was hanging. I thought it was an injury from shipping or something but the vet advised me he had a kidney problem and gout. He did a workup on the cham and sent me home with baytril. He called me back to advise me that the bloodwork came back and he also had a liver problem. I'm not exactly sure what liver levels were bad, but he said the normal range should be about 35 and the meller's level was over 100. Thats when he started the cham on lactulose and metronidazole benzoate which i believe is flagyl but I could be wrong. Plus since the cham wasn't eating he has me also giving it the mash. In 2 weeks I have to go back to the vet for a follow up.
 
op17 said:
yea. after only a few times, they know that you are not trying to harm them, and it gets easier.
Click to expand...

I meant just the opposite actually. At least in my experience they don't like you opening their mouth and catch on to your tactics. My chameleon has resisted the urge to open his mouth when I coerce him to longer and longer each time I try.
 
Thank you Pardalisgirl. I have a soft spot for the mellers. I could have returned it but I wanted to do everything possible to get it back to good health myself. His weight this morning is up another 5 grams so hopefully after almost 600 in vet bills and the advice of some great people here in the forums the treatment is starting to work :)
 
skyedog said:
Hello everyone. I have a problem I hope I can get some advice with. I have a Meller's chameleon that I received a few weeks ago. I'm unsure of it's age but it's not nearly as big as the last one I had. (this one is 14" tip to tail). I had it to a highly recommended reptile vet after I got it for a full checkup. When the bloodwork came back he found that the mellers has a kidney problem and a liver problem. The vet has me giving it 3 different meds and he has me giving them orally 2-3 times a day. He tried to explain how to open the chams mouth but the cham refuses to open his mouth at all. All I'm doing is stressing it out. The cham has stopped eating and he has me giving it a mash via dropper 1-2 times a day orally. I tried gentle pressure on the skin under the mouth, and I also tried misting the cham so when it drinks I can do it then. He said I can try to gently use the syringe to make it open it's mouth too. At this point it's just not cooperating, and I'm afraid to injure it. Is there a safe way to get a cham to open it's mouth for medicating / feeding? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Dude, no nose pinching (like 1 person suggested) or anything like that is every necessary. Either is trying to wedge the syringe into his mouth by forcing it open. All u have to do it gently piinch the loose skin under the neck, and pull downwards. The chameleon will try to pull away but that's fine because it causes the mouth to open. It's very easy. Hope this helps in the future :)
 
skyedog said:
Out of curiousity...what exactly is wrong with the Meller's kidneys and liver?
Click to expand...

When I got the cham I scheduled a vet appt right away for a checkup and bloodwork. That night I noticed his back leg was hanging. I thought it was an injury from shipping or something but the vet advised me he had a kidney problem and gout. He did a workup on the cham and sent me home with baytril. He called me back to advise me that the bloodwork came back and he also had a liver problem. I'm not exactly sure what liver levels were bad, but he said the normal range should be about 35 and the meller's level was over 100. Thats when he started the cham on lactulose and metronidazole benzoate which i believe is flagyl but I could be wrong. Plus since the cham wasn't eating he has me also giving it the mash. In 2 weeks I have to go back to the vet for a follow up.[/QUOTE]

Is it a recent import? Are you making sure it gets a ton of water? Does the vet think the bad liver and kidney test results are from dehydration?
 
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