Sprained tongue?

[Klinger #4077]

Took bort in for his first check up the other day and the vet said everything is fine, he's very strong, no signs of MBD etc etc. However when we got home I tried to give him a treat and he's been having problems with his tongue all of a sudden. Could he have sprained it? He can retract it, but he only sticks it out maybe half an inch or so.



All advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[nightanole]

You might have to hand feed him for life. Mine also sprang (sprung?) its tongue too many times and now it just acts like yours even after 4 years. Just pretend you have a really pretty iguana.

If it was something you did wrong like MBD, he would start missing alot before this started happening.

Mine did it by hitting a feeder and the stick at the same time, and didnt want to let go of the bug (they have a little nerve at the end of the tongue to release the vacuum if they want to let go) and just drug himself across the cage by the tongue. It never worked well after that.

 

[Klinger #4077]

You might have to hand feed him for life. Mine also sprang (sprung?) its tongue too many times and now it just acts like yours even after 4 years. Just pretend you have a really pretty iguana.

If it was something you did wrong like MBD, he would start missing alot before this started happening.

Mine did it by hitting a feeder and the stick at the same time, and didnt want to let go of the bug (they have a little nerve at the end of the tongue to release the vacuum if they want to let go) and just drug himself across the cage by the tongue. It never worked well after that.

Could you define what you mean by hand feed? I hand fed him to tame him and etc and he would use his tongue just fine. This is the first time he's ever done this

 

[Pitcard]

Could you define what you mean by hand feed? I hand fed him to tame him and etc and he would use his tongue just fine. This is the first time he's ever done this

Hold it close to his mouth until he catches it. My panther also does this... Completely healthy, but can't catch a bug unless it's basically in his mouth. Started all of a sudden one day.

 

[Klinger #4077]

Hold it close to his mouth until he catches it. My panther also does this... Completely healthy, but can't catch a bug unless it's basically in his mouth. Started all of a sudden one day.

It could just happen all of a sudden? Is it a common thing?

 

[kelly_girl199]

It could just happen all of a sudden? Is it a common thing?

Could be they are use to hand feeding and get lazy

 

[Pitcard]

Could be they are use to hand feeding and get lazy

It's a muscle so it makes sense that if it isn't used, it gets weak.

 

[Klinger #4077]

I only hand feed him a super worm around once a week. I let the crickets free roam the cage and I put dubias in a cup when I feed him. His tongue has always worked fine until I got back from the vet clinic a day ago.

 

[nightanole]

Its an injury. Yes constant close hand feeding, and only that, can cause a muscle weakness over time from lack of extension. This is not the case. The cham didnt slowely lose range, it didnt slowly lose aim. It hurt its self. Id say 75% of mine over the past 25 years never made it to death with a perfectly functional tongue.

Its just the nature of the beast. You didnt do anything wrong, its not a husbandry problem, there is nothing you could have done to prevent it.

It might gain use of it again in a few days/weeks/months. But during the mean time (and maybe forever) you are going to have to hand feed it like a bearded dragon. You are going to have to get the food and hold it 1" from its mouth and let it eat. You might want to invest in some long tongs, as sometimes they have trouble with the hand and small prey.

"Harry" lost the use of his tongue at 1 year old, he is 5, ive been hand feeding him or using tongs right in front of his face for 4 years and he could care less. The only way i he can hunt now is if i place silk worms randomly around his cage and let him run around and lick them up like pop corn, since silk worms never run.

 

[Klinger #4077]

Its an injury. Yes constant close hand feeding, and only that, can cause a muscle weakness over time from lack of extension. This is not the case. The cham didnt slowely lose range, it didnt slowly lose aim. It hurt its self. Id say 75% of mine over the past 25 years never made it to death with a perfectly functional tongue.

Its just the nature of the beast. You didnt do anything wrong, its not a husbandry problem, there is nothing you could have done to prevent it.

It might gain use of it again in a few days/weeks/months. But during the mean time (and maybe forever) you are going to have to hand feed it like a bearded dragon. You are going to have to get the food and hold it 1" from its mouth and let it eat. You might want to invest in some long tongs, as sometimes they have trouble with the hand and small prey.

"Harry" lost the use of his tongue at 1 year old, he is 5, ive been hand feeding him or using tongs right in front of his face for 4 years and he could care less. The only way i he can hunt now is if i place silk worms randomly around his cage and let him run around and lick them up like pop corn, since silk worms never run.

How should I hand feed him? He only finds superworms appetizing when I hand feed, he doesn't eat crickets or roaches when I hand feed him.

 

[bobcochran]

First check his hydration, make sure he has plenty of water. A slightly dehydrated panther can temporarily lose tongue function. Next make sure your vitamin supplementation is up to par. In the mean time you can pinch the back legs of crickets and put them in a cup to let him feed as he wishes.

 

[Andee]

Specifically placed vines and cups can make feeding chams with tongue problems to be easier to feed. Make sure he is hydrated really well. I prefer all in one multivitamins with calcium etc. and preformed vitamin A in low amounts. It allows for better reabsorption and allows you to use it more regularly like they would get the needed vitamins/minerals in the wild. I don't find it normal for a chameleon to lose the use of their tongue unless it is injured or some other sort of health problem. If you allow for regular exercise of the tongue like they would in the wild it shouldn't happen. This is why I hand feed a few of my feeders in a way that force a lot of my chameleons (especially the ones who have mbd or other things that could affect their muscles) to use their tongue at a regularly large extent. I also feed all my healthier chameleons a completely free range meal once a week. Hope (who is my permanent resident with severe mbd) has started using her tongue much better since I have started to hand feed her regularly and make her exercise her tongue on an almost daily basis. However I do often find her not using after around three or four shoots. She does have her limits (though they are much better than before) she definitely gets tired when she uses her any muscles in general too much. I am a strong believer that chameleons with mbd need to be encourage to use their muscles as much as possible even if that mean making the hospital tank super safe with a catch net and a towel, but preferably having as many vines (that can safely hold their weight) as possible. In my opinion stronger muscles allow for the bones to heal better.

 

[Klinger #4077]

You might have to hand feed him for life. Mine also sprang (sprung?) its tongue too many times and now it just acts like yours even after 4 years. Just pretend you have a really pretty iguana.

If it was something you did wrong like MBD, he would start missing alot before this started happening.

Mine did it by hitting a feeder and the stick at the same time, and didnt want to let go of the bug (they have a little nerve at the end of the tongue to release the vacuum if they want to let go) and just drug himself across the cage by the tongue. It never worked well after that.

Its an injury. Yes constant close hand feeding, and only that, can cause a muscle weakness over time from lack of extension. This is not the case. The cham didnt slowely lose range, it didnt slowly lose aim. It hurt its self. Id say 75% of mine over the past 25 years never made it to death with a perfectly functional tongue.

Its just the nature of the beast. You didnt do anything wrong, its not a husbandry problem, there is nothing you could have done to prevent it.

It might gain use of it again in a few days/weeks/months. But during the mean time (and maybe forever) you are going to have to hand feed it like a bearded dragon. You are going to have to get the food and hold it 1" from its mouth and let it eat. You might want to invest in some long tongs, as sometimes they have trouble with the hand and small prey.

"Harry" lost the use of his tongue at 1 year old, he is 5, ive been hand feeding him or using tongs right in front of his face for 4 years and he could care less. The only way i he can hunt now is if i place silk worms randomly around his cage and let him run around and lick them up like pop corn, since silk worms never run.

First check his hydration, make sure he has plenty of water. A slightly dehydrated panther can temporarily lose tongue function. Next make sure your vitamin supplementation is up to par. In the mean time you can pinch the back legs of crickets and put them in a cup to let him feed as he wishes.

Specifically placed vines and cups can make feeding chams with tongue problems to be easier to feed. Make sure he is hydrated really well. I prefer all in one multivitamins with calcium etc. and preformed vitamin A in low amounts. It allows for better reabsorption and allows you to use it more regularly like they would get the needed vitamins/minerals in the wild. I don't find it normal for a chameleon to lose the use of their tongue unless it is injured or some other sort of health problem. If you allow for regular exercise of the tongue like they would in the wild it shouldn't happen. This is why I hand feed a few of my feeders in a way that force a lot of my chameleons (especially the ones who have mbd or other things that could affect their muscles) to use their tongue at a regularly large extent. I also feed all my healthier chameleons a completely free range meal once a week. Hope (who is my permanent resident with severe mbd) has started using her tongue much better since I have started to hand feed her regularly and make her exercise her tongue on an almost daily basis. However I do often find her not using after around three or four shoots. She does have her limits (though they are much better than before) she definitely gets tired when she uses her any muscles in general too much. I am a strong believer that chameleons with mbd need to be encourage to use their muscles as much as possible even if that mean making the hospital tank super safe with a catch net and a towel, but preferably having as many vines (that can safely hold their weight) as possible. In my opinion stronger muscles allow for the bones to heal better.

Thank you everyone for the advice! Today his tongue started working again! I'm still taking it easy on him so I don't push his limits of recovery but the advice was very much appreciated!!