Panther chameleon sick!?

[Gaberincon21]

Hi I have a one year old male panther chameleon. Lately I noticed that his eyes were kind of puffy or sticking out and also yesterday I was very scared when I saw his tongue hanging out and I touched it to help him put it back In his mouth. Also I don't know if this relates but he is only like 5 inches long.PLEASE let me know if this is something like MBD or if I need to take him to the vet! Thanks

 

[carol5208]

Can you please post a pic of him and his set up? And also fill out the ask for help form in the health clinic so we can see how you are taking care of him. It might give us a better understanding what is going on.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

This one sounds quite simple... TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

If he is 1 year old and only 5 inches, he has been poorly cared for his entire life. The tongue hanging out is also a VERY bad sign, this is not normal behavior for a chameleon.

Again I say

TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

 

[carol5208]

This one sounds quite simple... TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

If he is 1 year old and only 5 inches, he has been poorly cared for his entire life. The tongue hanging out is also a VERY bad sign, this is not normal behavior for a chameleon.

Again I say

TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

you are right, but it would not hurt to post some pics and fill out the form so we can maybe stop further damage from happening.

 

[Gaberincon21]

This one sounds quite simple... TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

If he is 1 year old and only 5 inches, he has been poorly cared for his entire life. The tongue hanging out is also a VERY bad sign, this is not normal behavior for a chameleon.

Again I say

TAKE HIM TO THE VET!!!

Well I have been taking care of him and I don't understand it.I use super worms , how much should I give him daily?

 

[kinyonga]

If his tongue is hanging out you need to keep it moist. If his tongue is out then he cannot chew without biting it...so how is he going to eat?

The tongue can hang out due to a calcium imbalance or an injury or an infection. Also if it is back in his mouth but not sitting on the hyoid bone properly it can end up being swallowed...you need to get it solved quickly.

 

[Gaberincon21]

Can you please post a pic of him and his set up? And also fill out the ask for help form in the health clinic so we can see how you are taking care of him. It might give us a better understanding what is going on.

If his tongue is hanging out you need to keep it moist. If his tongue is out then he cannot chew without biting it...so how is he going to eat?

The tongue can hang out due to a calcium imbalance or an injury or an infection. Also if it is back in his mouth but not sitting on the hyoid bone properly it can end up being swallowed...you need to get it solved quickly.

Well it was only hanging out for like 30 seconds and that only happened once

 

[Gaberincon21]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Panther, male 1 year old
Handling - at most 2 times a month
Feeding - 2-4 superworms daily
Supplements - only slightly ducted w calcium and d3
Watering - spray cage once every couple hours
Fecal Description - Brown with a little white
Previous history - was shipped to me , no previous problems till now

Cage Info: about 2 feet tall 1 1/2 foot wide and long
Cage Type - Glass with screen top
Lighting- all living things 75 heat Eco terra UVB
Temperature - 95 at the top of the cage 80 at the first branches Nights in low 70s
Humidity -60-80
Plants - Fake ivy type and fake vine/branches
Placement - on A desk about 4 ft tall in my room

 

[Craig94089]

Curious, when you say 5 inches, is that snout to tail or just the body? Generally supers are not used as a staple, have you tried other feeders?

 

[Gaberincon21]

Curious, when you say 5 inches, is that snout to tail or just the body? Generally supers are not used as a staple, have you tried other feeders?

Well I will measure him now because that wasn't an exact measurement. And I used to use crickets but it was a lot easier using worms

 

[Craig94089]

Understood. Is he cup feeding, hand feeding, free range, or combination? You want to be sure you switch it up so he can exercise that tongue.

Has he ever had a vet checkup? If not might be good idea in general to plan for one. At minimum just do a fecal so you can rule out parasites. His cage seems small for a one year old. My guy is about 9 months at around 14" in total length...but just a guestimate.

As far as feeding I would suggest trying another type of worm or go back to crickets or try roaches. Hard to say how many, you would need to see how many he is willing to eat. My boy was at 10 feeders a day and now down to 6 or 7...they sort of decide on their own when they want to slow down. But keep an eye on it because he's got a few more months of growing to do hopefully.

 

[ZiggyStardust]

Using one feeder only is not a good idea - it may be easier for you to use worms only but it is not in the best interests of your chameleon. They need at least three different insects fed to them on a regular basis, gut loaded with appropriate fresh vegetables and fruit to ensure that they are nutritious enough to provide your chameleon with everything he needs.

You also don't mention using a vitamin supplement to dust your feeders with, do you do this?

As other members have said, you do really need to take him to a qualified herp vet. Chameleons hide symptoms of ill health for a long time, so by the time you do notice something is wrong, you often don't have a lot of time to get it treated before you are risking his long term health and wellbeing. My advice would be to get to see a vet as quickly as possible.

 

[kinyonga]

How far out did the tongue hang? Has he eaten since the tongue was out?

If the tongue was most/all the way out and he was having difficulty getting it back in on his own then there is still reason for concern. Besides, you also said his eyes were swollen.

You also said you were dusting with a calcium D3 powder. It's recommended that you dust at most feedings with a phosphorous - free calcium powder, twice a month with a phosphorous - free calcium D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene ( prOformed ) source of vitamin A. If needed you can dust once in a while with a vitamin powder that contains a prEformed source of vitamin A...but be careful with prEformed vitamin A since it can build up in the system and lead to overdoses.

We have no way to tell you if he has MBD without seeing signs of it in a photo. We have no way of knowing if his tongue is injured or infected or what from the information you have given....so the best option is still to take it to a vet.

 

[camimom]

HI,

First off, your care isn't quite up to par.

You aren't feeding the right types of bugs, supers and mealies are ok, butthey aren't supposed to be staple/daily feeders.

You NEED to switch to crickets or roaches. these are not easy animals, if that's what youre looking for, you bought the wrong pet.

Your supplements are wrong as well. you need a calcium with no d3 for EVERY feeding, a calcium with no d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.

If the tongue is injured, then you NEED to see a vet.

I just experienced this with my nosey be about a month ago. He had to have the tongue amputated because it spat the tongue out and it would not go back in his mouth.

You need a good vet who can help you determine the eye thing and this tongue thing, asap.

The eyes could be several things, infection, injury, vitamin a deficiency, etc.

Please go see a vet.

 

[Gaberincon21]

HI,

First off, your care isn't quite up to par.

You aren't feeding the right types of bugs, supers and mealies are ok, butthey aren't supposed to be staple/daily feeders.

You NEED to switch to crickets or roaches. these are not easy animals, if that's what youre looking for, you bought the wrong pet.

Your supplements are wrong as well. you need a calcium with no d3 for EVERY feeding, a calcium with no d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.

If the tongue is injured, then you NEED to see a vet.

I just experienced this with my nosey be about a month ago. He had to have the tongue amputated because it spat the tongue out and it would not go back in his mouth.

You need a good vet who can help you determine the eye thing and this tongue thing, asap.

The eyes could be several things, infection, injury, vitamin a deficiency, etc.

Please go see a vet.

Ok thanks so much

 

[Gaberincon21]

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