lazy feeding!

[m4ttsy]

Hi guys, I have a male Yemen Veiled Chameleon who is now 6yrs old and have had him since he was a baby. He's really cool but does not liked being handled so I don't try.
He has never caused me any problems but has suddenly started trying to eat the insects that I feed him directly rather than using his tongue and hunting from distance. By this I mean when I put food into his enclosure, he runs over to it and tries to grab it with his mouth or tries to use his tongue from a very short distance.
He is still very healthy, his appetite is still great and I have not changed his food or anything in his enclosure and was wondering if this was common or not?
I'm not overly concerned at this stage but would love to see him firing that sticky tongue out from 3-4 inches again and would therefore appreciate any advice?
Thanks - Matt

 

[carol5208]

Matt, it seems that a lot of the older chameleons loose some of their tongue function as they get up into their senior years. I have almost 6 yr old that uses his well, but there was a discussion on here the other day about it and some of the members with older chameleons stated the same as you. If your chameleon just suddenly stopped using his tongue, then it is possible he could have injured it by getting it caught on something, or over extending it. If it has been a gradual thing, then it is probably something health related. I have read that some type of imbalance such as vitamins, calcium etc could be the culprit. You could take him to the vet, get bloodwork done and see where his calcium levels are and such. The thing is you don't handle him and the stress of the handling, vet, car ride may out weigh the vet visit especially at his age. If he is still eating and thriving, then It would have to be your personal decision on what you want to do. You obviously have been doing something right to get him to the 6 year old mark.