Problem with tongue?

[mattcast1214]

Hey guys, I got a jackson's chameleon from a local reptile store about 2 weeks ago and hes about 8-10 moths old. At first i only had hornworms to feed him and noticed that he would never flick out his tongue to get them, just walk on over to them and bite em right off the leaves. This week i was finally able to get crickets and I saw him doing the same thing, whenever they came close to his basking spot, he would just lean on over and chomp on them.

Occasionally he has flicked his tongue to catch crickets but it seems really lazy/out of control or like theres a problem with it because he misses a few times before actually catching the cricket. He is still very active and eating and drinking well though, today he ate 2 hornworms and 3-4 crickets, but i just wanted to know if i should be worried and take him to the vet. Thanks for any help

 

[carol5208]

It could be due to incorrect supplementing or no supplementation at all from the lack of knowledge from the pet store or whereever they got him from. He is old enough to have acquired a problem from insufficient care.. A calcium imbalance can effect the tongue's ability to shoot. There is a possibility of a tongue injury also and maybe that is why he is not shooting. If he is shooting and missing, that could also be due to an eye problem. So you have a few options here on what it might be, but I would see a vet and have him checked out. Could you post some picture of him?

 

[iLik3LIzards]

u using calcium w/out d3 daily? if not do so, if so throw in an extra day of w/ d3 and vitamin. thats what i did. worked out.

 

[kinyonga]

Have you been supplementing him properly since you got him? If the store wasn't it could be that he is developing MBD but tongue issues can also be from injuries or dehydration.

Here is some information that I hope will help....
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.

Since many of the feeder insects 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.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
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.

 

[mattcast1214]

It could be due to incorrect supplementing or no supplementation at all from the lack of knowledge from the pet store or whereever they got him from. He is old enough to have acquired a problem from insufficient care.. A calcium imbalance can effect the tongue's ability to shoot. There is a possibility of a tongue injury also and maybe that is why he is not shooting. If he is shooting and missing, that could also be due to an eye problem. So you have a few options here on what it might be, but I would see a vet and have him checked out. Could you post some picture of him?

He seems perfectly healthy except for this one problem and I have given him calcium w/o D3 at every feeding and calcium with D3 once and a multivitamin once, so i will continue using these supplements and see if it gets better... His eyes also look very healthy and i have never seen them closed during the day. The bottom pic is when he was in the reptile store and 2nd is in his enclosure

https://www.chameleonforums.com/att...0d1304646747-help-me-age-jackson-img_0001.jpg

 

[kinyonga]

If he does have MBD you will need to give him extra calcium until its corrected.

 

[sandrachameleon]

You may find this blog entry useful
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
Its likely the problem occured prior to purchase. You should investigate how it was fed and supplemented prior to pruchase. If you are now supplementing and gutloading properly, its possible the problem will begin to improve. Be aware that jacks dont need as much supplementation as veileds or panthers, so do be careful not to over-do it.

 

[mattcast1214]

You may find this blog entry useful
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/232-tongue-troubles.html
Its likely the problem occured prior to purchase. You should investigate how it was fed and supplemented prior to pruchase. If you are now supplementing and gutloading properly, its possible the problem will begin to improve. Be aware that jacks dont need as much supplementation as veileds or panthers, so do be careful not to over-do it.

Thanks for the info Sandra, it was very informative! I have just been following the same supplementation plan since i bought him, calcium w/o D3 4-5 times a week, calcium w/D3 on Friday and a multivitamin supplement the next Friday. Do you think this routine is good? His tongue already looks better tho, i saw him catch a few crickets between yesterday and today but he still seems pretty hesitant before actually shooting out his tongue...I plan to just keep supplementing and hydrating him throughout the weekend and if it doesn't improve i'll make a vet visit!

 

[mattcast1214]

So i took my jackson to the vet because his tongue showed little sign of improvement. His advice was pretty much the same, to keep supplementing with calcium and hydrate him several times a day as he showed no signs of MBD or any other problems. I try cup feeding and leaving the cup under a branch but he just won't eat them out of the cup, he seems determined to catch them even though his tongue can only shoot about 1-1.5 inches out which makes me feel pretty bad when he misses and the cricket just jumps from the screen. He will occasionally eat the crickets from my hand but has only done this about 2 times. I started taking him outside so he can get some natural sunlight and he loves it, so hopefully in time his tongue will fully heal. Any other advice? Thanks