Cham not shooting his tongue

Hello
We are new to chameleon keeping and we have a Male Yemen who is 5 months.

He has a mesh cage, basking spot light and uv strip and the temperature of his cage is 80-90 degrees. He has a water fountain and is listed three times a day.
Fed on crickets, fruit and mealworms.

He has calcium supplement (But to be honest we were a bit lax in adding it to the crickets as they kept escaping so he probably hasn’t had it for a month...)

he is active, a nice green colour and is only handled when we clean him out.

We’ve noticed that he has stopped shooting his tongue and is trying to catch crickets by creeping up on them and scooping them into his mouth.. I’ve seen his tongue shoot a tiny way out but the cricket didn’t stick and he lost it..

We’ve started giving him calcium now but still not sure what else we can do to fix his tongue.. I’m worried he won’t be able to eat properly.. he’s never fallen or hurt it as far as I know..
 

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There are a few things I notice right away...would you mind filling out the help form?
I do know that supplements are one of the most important aspects of chameleon keeping. Low or no supplementing can cause a lot of health issues, one I know of is MBD and a sign of that is not being able to shoot their tongue...
I'm not saying that's what is or isn't what is happening, but I know someone who can help more than me, but she will need that help form filled out.
@kinyonga
 
There are a few things I notice right away...would you mind filling out the help form?
I do know that supplements are one of the most important aspects of chameleon keeping. Low or no supplementing can cause a lot of health issues, one I know of is MBD and a sign of that is not being able to shoot their tongue...
I'm not saying that's what is or isn't what is happening, but I know someone who can help more than me, but she will need that help form filled out.
@kinyonga
Where is the form please?
 
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Please use as much detail as possible. If you are unsure just ask. And take as many pics as you feel necessary as picture speak a thousand words, especially of supplements, lighting brands, and the enclosure, top to bottom.
 
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
    5 months, had him since 6 weeks Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Only when cleaning out
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding crickets, 5-10 a day, they eat cucumber, orange and bread. Also give mealworms in a cup. Crickets dusted with calcium powder but not consistently. Cham also eats mango and melon every other week or so
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Photo of calcium powder attached
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
    water fountain on all the time and misted twice a day - see him drink in the morning and evenings a few times a day
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not been tested.. poo is brown with white ends
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Not sure of dimensions but it’s mesh see pic attached
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? UV off at night basking spot on all the time see pic of brand of bulb
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 80-90 f in spot but different heights so he can move in and out to cool and heat
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Not sure about humidity
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Live umbrella plant
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Cage near window low traffic no fans or vents
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Cornwall uk

Current Problem - not shooting his tongue
 

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Okay, I am on my phone, so I wont be able to respond to all the info in one post. I can do it a little at a time.
The first two (species and handling) are good.
Feeding: you want more variety than just crickets. You can use roaches, mantids, captive bred snails, moths, silkworms, superworms, black soldier fly (and larvae), bottlecap flies, hornworms and a few other critters too. Variety is good.
You will want better Gutload for your bugs. So you dont want to give them bread, and acidic or sugery fruit should be kept to a minimun. Good gutloads are collard greens, mustard greens, kale, sweet potato, butternut squash, and small amounts of apples oranges blueberries melons.
 
Supplements:
I have never used those. Im not 100% about your supplements.
But I can confidently tell you that you need to dust with a NO d3 calcium everyday but 4 out of the month. And those 4 you switch between a multivitamin and a calcium with d3. I think @MissSkittles may have more info for you there?

I do not do any of this...I use repashy calcium plus LoD very lightly at every feeding so my supplement schedule is easier. It is an all-in-one calcium/vitamin.

Do not skimp on the supplements! It is very important. Supplements and lighting go hand-in-hand and are extremely crucial for chameleon's well-being.
 
Watering: you will want to get rid of the waterfall. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and useless for a chameleon. If you want a constant source of water as many of us do, you could look into getting or making a dripper. Have it drip onto the leaves of your plants.
You will need to mist your enclosure for 2 FULL minutes in the morning and at night. Chameleons drink off leaves.
 
Fecal.
You may want to get it tested since you are feeding with crickets.
The dark part is poo, and the white part is irate (pee) and it should be white, may have a tint a yellow but if it is orange or yellow that may mean he is dehydrated.
 
Cage type: im not sure what size you have there, but you sill eventually want to upgrade to the 24x24x48 inch cage size, as that is the minimum requirement for adults. Youll probably want to switch over pretty soon cause 9 months is about that mark i have read.
Lighting: it appears to me that you have a linear t5. Is that right? And the coil bulb is only for basking?
 
Cage type: im not sure what size you have there, but you sill eventually want to upgrade to the 24x24x48 inch cage size, as that is the minimum requirement for adults. Youll probably want to switch over pretty soon cause 9 months is about that mark i have read.
Lighting: it appears to me that you have a linear t5. Is that right? And the coil bulb is only for basking?
Yes that’s right :)
 
Temps: Your basking spot should be mid/high 80s, and the rest of the cage should go down in temps so he can cool off. Do not use a nightlight at night and do not use a basking light/heater at night. Night time temp drops are good for the health of your little buddy. *IF* it drops below 50 throughout the night you may want to consider a heat bulb with no lights.
 
Supplements:
I have never used those. Im not 100% about your supplements.
But I can confidently tell you that you need to dust with a NO d3 calcium everyday but 4 out of the month. And those 4 you switch between a multivitamin and a calcium with d3. I think @MissSkittles may have more info for you there?

I do not do any of this...I use repashy calcium plus LoD very lightly at every feeding so my supplement schedule is easier. It is an all-in-one calcium/vitamin.

Do not skimp on the supplements! It is very important. Supplements and lighting go hand-in-hand and are extremely crucial for chameleon's well-being.
I think I have been a bit rubbish with the supplements to be honest. Didn’t realise they were so inportant.. can MBD be reversed??
 
Humidity:
This is very important. You will want a hydrometer to measure the humidity. For veileds it is about 50% humidity during the day and a spike at night. I turn on my humidifiers/foggers from 1:30am to 3:30 am to give my veileds some moisture.
 
Plants!
Your veiled will like a variety of plants as well. Pothos, ficus, schefflera, hibiscus are all good ones to use.
Veileds like to nibble on plants so it is advised to not use fake ones as they can cause impaction. Make sure to wash both sides of the leaves and cover your soil so you dont end up with a cham who has a belly full of dirt.
 
I think I have been a bit rubbish with the supplements to be honest. Didn’t realise they were so inportant.. can MBD be reversed??
Yes. With proper care and supplements. I have heard of it being reversed.

I just KNOW that when @kinyonga gets active today, she will have some good info for yo about MBD and how to care for it.
Again, I'm not a vet and I dont know if your chameleon has MBD or not.
I hope this helps tho.
 
Also, it looks as if your chameleon might have a mouth sore? In the last photos in the first post it looks like a black bump on his lip??
 
Temps: Your basking spot should be mid/high 80s, and the rest of the cage should go down in temps so he can cool off. Do not use a nightlight at night and do not use a basking light/heater at night. Night time temp drops are good for the health of your little buddy. *IF* it drops below 50 throughout the night you may want to consider a heat bulb with no lights.
Ok so I’ll probably start turning the heat off at night..
 
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