Chameleon has stopped using his tongue

[Bigstorm87]

Hey guy! I'm new to this forum and new to owning a chameleon. About a month or so ago, my Veiled stopped using his tongue completely. He will not try AT ALL. No small length sticking out, NOTHING. Before it happened, he started using less and less length until nothing. He is only about 6 -7 months and has not grown much either like I thought he would. He drinks and is hand fed with wax worms and crickets with calcium W/d3. I did not realize they could not be fed the calcium at every other feeding like my other animals.

I should note to that he has broken some ribs (I honestly do not know how). The ribs are healing nicely though. I had a suspicion that this may have something to do with his tongue because it was around the time that he stopped using his tongue.

I will put up my info because I know you guy like to see it!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear that your little guy isn't doing so well. There's a number of things that can cause tongue problems such as supplements, lighting and even eye sight. Please fill out the Ask For Help form and post a few pictures of him so that we can better help you. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

I'm also attaching my blog for new keepers for you below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Bigstorm87]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon 6-7 month old male

Handling - Seldom (only when cleaning)

Feeding - Crickets (gut loaded and fed commercial diet), wax worms. Fed crickets every day to every other day. Also eats terrarium plants.

Supplements - Rep-Cal Calcium w/d3 and Rep-Cal Multivitamins. I was using this every few days to aid in his broken ribs. Now that they are healing nicely I use it once a week. (I did not realize when I bought him that they had to be on a much different supplement schedule than my other animals.)

Watering - Heavy misting once to twice a day every day.

Fecal Description - Um it looks like a normal lizard poop. Best way I can describe it.

History - I think I covered everything.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Old tank was a normal 10 gallon with a branch and artificial vine (he was only a month old when I got him). New tank is a 20 gallon long style with sliding mesh screen lid. Tank is inverted to allow for maximum vertical climbing limits. I want to get a full screen cage, but It will have to go on the floor and we have two cats to WILL NOT stay off of things. Any suggestions?

Lighting - Exo-Terra blue (black) night light, Exo-Terra 125w Solar Glo Professional Series. The lamp is acting as a basking spot for now since it is shining through glass. I was going to be mounted to allow the UV to shine through the screen.

Temperature - Measured with an in-tank digital thermometer. Day: 80 -90, Night: 73-75 (room temp), Basking Spot: 95 or so

Humidity - Room humidity except when misted of course

Plants - Dieffenbachias (potted) with large stones placed on the soil so the cham does not ingest anything. Artificial vines wrapped around larger branches and the are some thinner long branches

Placement - Free standing metal wire shelf about 4.5 feet off the ground. It is in my room as are my other animals so there is a fan and air vents.

Location - Maryland

Current Problem - Already stated

 

[SangrelX]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon 6-7 month old male

Handling - Seldom (only when cleaning)

Feeding - Crickets (gut loaded and fed commercial diet), wax worms. Fed crickets every day to every other day. Also eats terrarium plants.

I would feed daily on crickets and use wax worms as a treat for him. 4-6 crickets a day with supplements

Supplements - Rep-Cal Calcium w/d3 and Rep-Cal Multivitamins. I was using this every few days to aid in his broken ribs. Now that they are healing nicely I use it once a week. (I did not realize when I bought him that they had to be on a much different supplement schedule than my other animals.)

I would recommend daily calcium dust without d3, d3 twice a month, multivitamin twice a month perhaps a bit more for a while to help his ribs

Watering - Heavy misting once to twice a day every day.
Please find a way to provide a drip of water to trickle down plants and vines this is the best method for watering these guys


Fecal Description - Um it looks like a normal lizard poop. Best way I can describe it.

urates white? what sort of tint is the actual fecal matter (black, brown, light brown, runny?)

History - I think I covered everything.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Old tank was a normal 10 gallon with a branch and artificial vine (he was only a month old when I got him). New tank is a 20 gallon long style with sliding mesh screen lid. Tank is inverted to allow for maximum vertical climbing limits. I want to get a full screen cage, but It will have to go on the floor and we have two cats to WILL NOT stay off of things. Any suggestions?

Glass tanks are a general no no without proper ventilation perhaps bottom screen and top screen to allow the chimney effect for air flow. but a glass tank sitting on its end with screen lid... probably not enough air flowing through .. it may help for now to have a light breeze going across the front of the tank to assist in air flow

Lighting - Exo-Terra blue (black) night light, Exo-Terra 125w Solar Glo Professional Series. The lamp is acting as a basking spot for now since it is shining through glass. I was going to be mounted to allow the UV to shine through the screen.

They need no type of light for night time. let them have darkness. The basking light commonly used is a normal household bulb with 65-100w rating depending on temps. I am not familar with solar glo bulbs but if they are indeed uvb bulbs they will not work through glass. Glass absorbs the uvb. I recommend finding some way to mount that fixture so it gives him full exposure to the uvb without him being able to touch the light or fixture itself. also remove any plastic lenses that might be on the fixture covering the light as they block uvb as well. Most people use a heat lamp with normal light bulb and linear tube reptisun 5.0 for UVB.


Temperature - Measured with an in-tank digital thermometer. Day: 80 -90, Night: 73-75 (room temp), Basking Spot: 95 or so

way to hot inside this tank... they need to be able to get to a cooler place when regulating themselves. 85-92 in basking spot is good zone to shoot for. and a 70-82 range inside tank so they can move around and regulate their own temperatures

Humidity - Room humidity except when misted of course

50-60% humidty for these guys -- try to keep a dripper going for them to have a constant supply of water..

Plants - Dieffenbachias (potted) with large stones placed on the soil so the cham does not ingest anything. Artificial vines wrapped around larger branches and the are some thinner long branches

Placement - Free standing metal wire shelf about 4.5 feet off the ground. It is in my room as are my other animals so there is a fan and air vents.

Location - Maryland

Current Problem - Already stated

there are many issues with the current setup. I am no means a professional and I have learned a lot reading on these forums myself. I have a male veiled for 6 months now how aside from being a grump when handled is to my knowledge in excellent health.....

please if you can try to get him into a different setup.. I have read to many bad things about tanks being used. You cannot provide proper drainage for the amount of water required to give him a decent home with a glass tank. they also make it harder to give proper lighting due to glass absorbing the uvb and they make it harder to control temperatures. Also with no proper method to allow air flow they can cause potential issues with fresh air coming into the tank and any standing moisture with little fresh air can breed bacteria.

you said he broke some ribs.. possibly a fall? or weak bones from calcium issues? even though you supplement they still require uvb to assist in processing supplements. from my understanding UVB creates d3 and d3 is what is used to absorb calcium. Without proper D3 levels and not just those already processed and given to him via supplements he cannot properly absorb and use the calcium he is given.

this is my advice there are others here with way more experience then me so please take time to view their information as well. like I said I am still learning myself but I have done very well so far...

 

[Bigstorm87]

there are many issues with the current setup. I am no means a professional and I have learned a lot reading on these forums myself. I have a male veiled for 6 months now how aside from being a grump when handled is to my knowledge in excellent health.....

please if you can try to get him into a different setup.. I have read to many bad things about tanks being used. You cannot provide proper drainage for the amount of water required to give him a decent home with a glass tank. they also make it harder to give proper lighting due to glass absorbing the uvb and they make it harder to control temperatures. Also with no proper method to allow air flow they can cause potential issues with fresh air coming into the tank and any standing moisture with little fresh air can breed bacteria.

you said he broke some ribs.. possibly a fall? or weak bones from calcium issues? even though you supplement they still require uvb to assist in processing supplements. from my understanding UVB creates d3 and d3 is what is used to absorb calcium. Without proper D3 levels and not just those already processed and given to him via supplements he cannot properly absorb and use the calcium he is given.

this is my advice there are others here with way more experience then me so please take time to view their information as well. like I said I am still learning myself but I have done very well so far...

I am thinking about building him a free flowing cage with all mesh screen. It's much cheaper than buying them for $100+. I know about the calcium/d3 levels now. I didn't when I bought him though. They guy made it sound so easy to care for them. Honestly, if I knew there was this much involved with him this early on and so many easy ways to screw up, I wouldn't have bought the little guy at the point that I did. I DID in fact know I was going to have to get a BIG screen cage at some point when he got big. I feel bad because at the moment I'm just doing what I can for him and right now. The tank is the best I can do right now because money is tight! College is not cheap with no job! I'm in a little over my head. I am stepping into uncharted territory in the herp hobby. It started with my first Dart Frog a few years back which is doing very well. Then I saw the baby Sunburst Veileds and I talked to the breeder about them and bought him. Now I'm here...

The ceiling fan is constantly on and there is always air moving through the room. The night light is on because sometimes it does get chilly in my room at night. It's on so that if the temps drop while I'm sleeping, he can have someplace to go to keep warm. It really doesn't matter anyway because he sleeps under the canopy of the plant where it is completely dark. As I mentioned, I JUST bought the Solar Glo and am trying to figure out a way to mount in properly. And yes, I do know that the glass does not allow the UV to pass through. That's why I said I'm using it was a basking light for now. I have been reading things in my books and on the internet about temps. I have seen that the temps should be just kept at room temp to 80-95 degrees.

I have been working to try and figure out a drip system for him. It will be easier once I get him into a screen cage. In the meantime, he IS drinking the droplets when I mist the cage. And he is eating the live plants which also contain a little water.

Anyway, does anyone know why he has stopped using his tongue? Or could these all be factors? Should I be able to see his tongue when he opens his mouth when I hand feed him? Should I see it moving anywhere from the outside of his body when he eats?

 

[SangrelX]

dont get too discouraged

they can be expensive to start with but once u get a decent enclosure in place and good system / routine going they are not bad to take care of

i learned a TON from these forums -- reading others posts and taking advice from others here.

and in reading your setup and giving advice there i totally spaced out on the tongue issue...

im honestly lost there.... perhaps injury to the tongue... chameleons have bone in their tongue its possible this bone softened up due to calcium issues and he cannot use it properly now

calcium issues are one cause of tongue issues... so it could very well be related

ADDED INFO
The hollow tongue sheathes over a long, tapering cartilaginous spike called the hyoid horn. The horn attaches to the center of the hyoid bone. The tongue consists of three primary components: The sticky tip, the retractor muscles and the accelerator muscles. (musculus accelerator linguae). When at rest, the whole assembly sits at the bottom of the mouth, the base placed down in the throat behind the head. Before striking, the lizard moves it toward the front of the mouth and muscles raise the hyoid bone above the lower jaw. After aiming with the entire head, the chameleon is ready to fire.

soo calcium issues can for sure cause tongue problems

 

[jannb]

The tongue issue could be from an injury but with your supplements and UVB being off it could very well be that. If you'll read the blog I posted above it will tell you how I keep my veileds and panthers and I have had great success with this method. I would get him a 48 inch high cage as soon as possible. One of our site sponsors has one for $99.00 shipped. I'll attach the link below. You might want to think about re-homing him if money is tight because he may very well need a vet visit in the very near future. Would you please post some pictures of him and his set up. Please post pictures of his whole body and a few good one of his legs.
http://www.diycages.com/15201/15243.html

 

[Bigstorm87]

dont get too discouraged

they can be expensive to start with but once u get a decent enclosure in place and good system / routine going they are not bad to take care of

i learned a TON from these forums -- reading others posts and taking advice from others here.

and in reading your setup and giving advice there i totally spaced out on the tongue issue...

im honestly lost there.... perhaps injury to the tongue... chameleons have bone in their tongue its possible this bone softened up due to calcium issues and he cannot use it properly now

calcium issues are one cause of tongue issues... so it could very well be related

ADDED INFO
The hollow tongue sheathes over a long, tapering cartilaginous spike called the hyoid horn. The horn attaches to the center of the hyoid bone. The tongue consists of three primary components: The sticky tip, the retractor muscles and the accelerator muscles. (musculus accelerator linguae). When at rest, the whole assembly sits at the bottom of the mouth, the base placed down in the throat behind the head. Before striking, the lizard moves it toward the front of the mouth and muscles raise the hyoid bone above the lower jaw. After aiming with the entire head, the chameleon is ready to fire.

soo calcium issues can for sure cause tongue problems

AH!! Anatomy is always a good thing. I just learn something So what I am seeing in his throat IS his tongue moving when he is swallowing. At least I know it's functioning. As far as calcium goes, none of my animals, including him, are deficient. I was afraid I may have been giving him too much at one point while he was dealing with the ribs. I thought maybe his body was using a lot more calcium in rebuilding them. I am not sure as to what the big deal is with the D3 in the calcium. I tried looking at the local stores (Petco and Petsmart) and it looks like I may have to order the calcium WITHOUT D3. I wonder if JUST the multivitamin would be better since it contains calcium as well.

 

[Bigstorm87]

Also, I was talking to my father who is a contractor and has lots of excess wood and screening. I am going to get some measurements and we are going to build him an all screen cage. Any ideas on cage dimensions?

 

[SangrelX]

The tongue issue could be from an injury but with your supplements and UVB being off it could very well be that. If you'll read the blog I posted above it will tell you how I keep my veileds and panthers and I have had great success with this method. I would get him a 48 inch high cage as soon as possible. One of our site sponsors has one for $99.00 shipped. I'll attach the link below. You might want to think about re-homing him if money is tight because he may very well need a vet visit in the very near future. Would you please post some pictures of him and his set up. Please post pictures of his whole body and a few good one of his legs.
http://www.diycages.com/15201/15243.html

not to get off topic but I never read Jannb's blog page until tonight --- Excellent information i recommend reading it for sure


as for the calcium without d3 --- its strange I found it in my local petco it was liquid formula though...

 

[Bigstorm87]

I just took some pics for you guys. I'll post them so yall can see...

 

[Bigstorm87]

 

[Bigstorm87]

OK, So don't everyone yell at me at once for the lamp being down there. It's only there temporarily. He actually likes it. He will either bask or sit on the other side or up in the branches where there is no direct heat. The temp was also 73 when I checked. So it depends on the overall temp of the room.

You can also see the bumps on his ribs where they are healing.

There is also a pic of his dropping

 

[SangrelX]

Honestly to my eyes which i admit are not professional or trained as much as these guys here

she looks good to me...
her legs dont show the curves and rounded joints like I have seen in MBD photos

what I understand is the most obvious place for MBD is the legs. They become a bit rounded and in advanced cases will look almost like they are double jointed.

hers are jointed well and at almost a 90 degree angle from my researching this is normal

I could be wrong so of course lets see what others say

also this chameleon is small for 6-7 months -- my male is a good bit bigger then this which leads me to think either very sick male or not a male


I also think this is a SHE

the small casque, sloped back a bit...

does the back feet right as the leg meets the foot have a tiny bump / pimple or a Spur as its called ?

also how do u know she/he broke any ribs? I remember when mine was younger sometimes ribs looked pointed and busted or sometimes they were tight against the skin looking life a leaf structure etc.. but I never suspected broken

 

[Bigstorm87]

Honestly to my eyes which i admit are not professional or trained as much as these guys here

she looks good to me...
her legs dont show the curves and rounded joints like I have seen in MBD photos

what I understand is the most obvious place for MBD is the legs. They become a bit rounded and in advanced cases will look almost like they are double jointed.

hers are jointed well and at almost a 90 degree angle from my researching this is normal

I could be wrong so of course lets see what others say

also this chameleon is small for 6-7 months -- my male is a good bit bigger then this which leads me to think either very sick male or not a male


I also think this is a SHE

the small casque, sloped back a bit...

does the back feet right as the leg meets the foot have a tiny bump / pimple or a Spur as its called ?

also how do u know she/he broke any ribs? I remember when mine was younger sometimes ribs looked pointed and busted or sometimes they were tight against the skin looking life a leaf structure etc.. but I never suspected broken

Like I said, my animals are not calcium deficient lol.

OMG!!! There is no spur!!! I asked the guy for a MALE (not knowing how to sex chameleons). The size of the fin was bigger than the ones he said were female so I assumed I got a male.

And like I said, he (she) is small for a 6-7 month old cham. I was feeding him (her) often and still not much growth.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."I was going to be mounted to allow the UV to shine through the screen"...so the UVB was not passing through screen?? The UVB rays do no good to the chameleon when they pass through glass or plastic. However, you were giving the chameleon D3 from supplements which may have compensated for the lack of UVB...and may have been part of the reason things weren't worse than they are.

You said..."Rep-Cal Calcium w/d3 and Rep-Cal Multivitamins. I was using this every few days to aid in his broken ribs. Now that they are healing nicely I use it once a week"...I'm surprised that the ribs healed with you using the Rep-Cal with D3 that often since too much D3 can actually cause bone problems....and tongue issues too for that matter. If the tongue issue is the result of a nutrient imbalance, then you will need to bring the calcium and other nutrients back into balance and then follow a proper supplement and gutloading schedule.

Here's some information I hope will help you ....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

Is that plant a dieffenbachia? They are toxic as far as I know and I would replace it.

 

[Bigstorm87]

You said..."I was going to be mounted to allow the UV to shine through the screen"...so the UVB was not passing through screen?? The UVB rays do no good to the chameleon when they pass through glass or plastic. However, you were giving the chameleon D3 from supplements which may have compensated for the lack of UVB...and may have been part of the reason things weren't worse than they are.

You said..."Rep-Cal Calcium w/d3 and Rep-Cal Multivitamins. I was using this every few days to aid in his broken ribs. Now that they are healing nicely I use it once a week"...I'm surprised that the ribs healed with you using the Rep-Cal with D3 that often since too much D3 can actually cause bone problems....and tongue issues too for that matter. If the tongue issue is the result of a nutrient imbalance, then you will need to bring the calcium and other nutrients back into balance and then follow a proper supplement and gutloading schedule.

Here's some information I hope will help you ....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

Is that plant a dieffenbachia? They are toxic as far as I know and I would replace it.

Your information is just what I needed!!! I'm actually going to print it out and use it as a check list!! I was kind of wondering if the tongue problem was caused by some kind of imbalance in vitamins. I just didn't know which one or really how to fix it. What kind of supplement schedule would you use? My calcium is the exact same that you said you use "I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3." I use it and a multivitamin for all of my animals and they all thrive very well. Like I said, I didn't realize a cham was so different.

I know the light is in a bad spot and know the UVB is not going through. I could just turn the cage so the light can pass through the cage. I'm going to hopefully get time today to make up a drawing for a screen cage to build him. Any suggestions on dimensions?

Yes, you are correct with the plant. When I bought the plant, I was thinking along the lines of something live for him to climb in/on. I did not expect him to start eating it (I forgot that chams sometimes will eat plants). I also have a Schefflera Arboricola Luceane that I would use. What do you think about that plant? Do you have any suggestions on a good plant that is similar to the dieffenbachia? I let him move in both plants and he loved the one I have in there now. He started to eat it so I left it for him. Only later did it hit me "What if this thing is toxic??" I looked up info on it online and didn't find anything. Found the giant list of plants that were acceptable, but did not find a list of plants that were NOT acceptable. I WANT to use a Hibiscus. I think that are cool plants/trees to begin with, but I'll need a much bigger cage, and they are not in season so I won't be able to find one.

Thank you again for your help!!! I feel like an idiot, but unfortunately, making mistakes is part of learning for me. I have been keeping herps for about 11 years (I'm 24) and like I said, I'm new to this part of the hobby. Even as a kid, I wasn't just keeping them to keep them, I wanted to learn.

Keep the comments coming guys!! I'm learning a lot!!!

 

[kinyonga]

Just looked up dieffenbachia and found this. It might have something to do with the tongue as well. Also read in the site the part on toxicity...
"The common name is "dumb cane" due to its poisoning effect on the throat due to raphides."...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia

You said..."What kind of supplement schedule would you use?"...I explained the schedule in my previous post and listed the supplements I use too.

You could turn the cage. Its important that you get the UVB so he can be exposed to it ASAP.

Hibiscus would be fine to use in the cage. Pothos is another one that is acceptable.

 

[Bigstorm87]

Just looked up dieffenbachia and found this. It might have something to do with the tongue as well. Also read in the site the part on toxicity...
"The common name is "dumb cane" due to its poisoning effect on the throat due to raphides."...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia

I'll remove it immediately!!!

You said..."What kind of supplement schedule would you use?"...I explained the schedule in my previous post and listed the supplements I use too.

I understand about the 2x a month WITH D3 and WITH multivitamins, but what about WITHOUT D3? How often should I use it if I order it? I'm going to get the Herptivite and use it. Should I switch from the Rep-Cal Multivitamin to Herptivite? Sorry for asking so many questions. I just want to make sure I do things correctly!

You could turn the cage. Its important that you get the UVB so he can be exposed to it ASAP.

Cage is turned

Hibiscus would be fine to use in the cage. Pothos is another one that is acceptable.

I will get him a Pothos plant.