chameleon not catching food.

[TheMightyMonarch]

My male panther chameleon is having a hard time catching its food. He will shoot his toung out but it seems like it is not sticky or he just cant grab with it it just hits the cricket or worm and when he retracts it it does not grab the food. He is drinking normally. Has his light every day and is still very energetic climbs right on to me when i open his cage.

 

[Beman]

What supplements and what rotation are you using. If you can take a pic of the supplements that would be helpful.

 

[BryanP]

Im not saying that this will happen to you but I had a chameleon start doing this and it never got any better.

Maybe fill out the "Ask for help" Form.

What is your gutloading for the insects?

 

[TheMightyMonarch]

I use calcium w/o d3 dusted on 5 crickets every day calcium w d3 once a month reptivitamin once a month off setting 2 weeks from d3. His max basking spot gets to 85 to 87 at the hottest days but usually sits at 83 to 84. Has a uvb light on every day as with the heat light 12 hr rotation. I let him out of his cage 3 times a day to get real sunlight weather permitting. I feed him 8 crickets a day with super worms if he will take them some days he doesnt want any. He seems to be more excited for me to hold him insted of the food. When i open his cage and have a worm for him he runs to me and over the worm just to get on my shoulder. My girls chameleon omg eats like hes never gonna eat again.

 

[Beman]

I use calcium w/o d3 dusted on 5 crickets every day calcium w d3 once a month reptivitamin once a month off setting 2 weeks from d3. His max basking spot gets to 85 to 87 at the hottest days but usually sits at 83 to 84. Has a uvb light on every day as with the heat light 12 hr rotation. I let him out of his cage 3 times a day to get real sunlight weather permitting. I feed him 8 crickets a day with super worms if he will take them some days he doesnt want any. He seems to be more excited for me to hold him insted of the food. When i open his cage and have a worm for him he runs to me and over the worm just to get on my shoulder. My girls chameleon omg eats like hes never gonna eat again.

Can you please take a picture of the supplements so I know exactly which ones your using? They are not all created the same.
Typically we recommend multivitamin 2 times a month and calcium with D3 2 times a month so rotated week to week (if the multivitamin is without D3) Then at all other feedings calcium without D3. You would always lightly dust all feeders given to balance the calcium to phosphorus ratio of the feeder. Not dusting feeders can mess up the calcium to phosphorus levels in his body.

Which uvb fixture type and bulb strength are you using?

 

[TheMightyMonarch]

I am using all the recommend lights and supplements times and rotations i dont see what sending a pic of the brand of calcium is going to do so tgank you for your time ill bring him to a vet since all anyone can say is what are the supplements are u using your light.... My chameleon has everything recommended his cage and environment is set to how many experts have them. And i ment 2wice a month on the d3 n vitamins i mis spoke when i was checking my calendar because i already gave him d3 yesterday. Its every other week d3 vitamins

 

[TheMightyMonarch]

Also i dont see how not dusting 3 of his 8 can do any harm since he is getting the recommend levels of calcium with the 5 dusted and super worms dusted i dont see the point in feeding him excess calcium when it just gets prossed as waist and cant be absorbed anyway

 

[Beman]

WOW ok then... Good luck to you.

 

[BryanP]

What do you gutload your bugs with?

 

[kinyonga]

You said...Has a uvb light on every day as with the heat light 12 hr rotation"...so no lights at night?(There should be no lots at night.)

You said..." I let him out of his cage 3 times a day to get real sunlight weather permitting"...so he's outside to get the sunlight?

You said...." My girls chameleon omg eats like hes never gonna eat again"... So it's a male for sure?

You said..."I am using all the recommend lights and supplements times and rotations i dont see what sending a pic of the brand of calcium is going to do so tgank you for your time ill bring him to a vet since all anyone can say is what are the supplements are u using your light.... My chameleon has everything recommended his cage and environment is set to how many experts have them. And i ment 2wice a month on the d3 n vitamins i mis spoke when i was checking my calendar because i already gave him d3 yesterday. Its every other week d3 vitamins"...we have to ask questions in order to determine what's going on so we can see why the tongue is a problem. There is a lot of bad information out there so for you to say that your chameleon has everything recommended...I have to ask myself...recommended by who? I hope you find a good chameleon vet to help you with your chameleon's tongue issue and that its corrected. There are lots of reasons for tongue problems...MBD, injury, nutrient imbalance, infection, etc....we try to rule out. Things so we can figure it out.

You said..."Also i dont see how not dusting 3 of his 8 can do any harm since he is getting the recommend levels of calcium with the 5 dusted and super worms dusted"...how do you know it's the right amount of calcium. The right amount of calcium is useless without the right amount of D3 to be able to use it, without right amount of vitamin A to work with the D3..without a proper balance of phos to calcium in the insects. How do the insects that are not dusted suddenly have the right balance of phos to calcium if they aren't dusted?

You said..."i dont see the point in feeding him excess calcium when it just gets prossed as waist and cant be absorbed anyway"...whether he absorbs it or not has to do with the amount of D3 in his system...and to some extent the balance between the D3 and the vitamin A.

Also, @Beman was trying to help you....no need to be rude. All supplements have different amount of calcium in them and different amount of D3. Some supplements have prEformed vitamin A and some have prOformed and may be less useful.

The questions we ask and the photos we ask for are to help us help you and try to solve the problems.

 

[Miels]

My male panther chameleon is having a hard time catching its food. He will shoot his toung out but it seems like it is not sticky or he just cant grab with it it just hits the cricket or worm and when he retracts it it does not grab the food. He is drinking normally. Has his light every day and is still very energetic climbs right on to me when i open his cage.

Mine does this on purpose so I'll get her out and heed her by hand she can be such a turd