I am having tongue issues with my cham. For the last 2 weeks or so he has just been sticking his tongue out only about an inch and can never get his target. He his not cup trained (believe me I am trying) so I have been feeding him by holding the feeders with tongs and letting him just get them that way. His hydration is fine I supplement D3 every other day multi vitamin twice a month and calcium with out d3 every other day. I gut load with carrots, potatoes, apple, grapes, lettuce and other greens. I noticed today a small yellow bump forming on the side of his mouth so maybe he has a mouth infection from eating something? Could that be what is effecting his tongue? Also on a side note when I sprayed today he rapidly drank with his tongue like a dog for about 2 min straight, just guzzling all the water he could. I have never seen this before today. He drinks fine everyday I mist 2 to 3 times, and his eyes are very bulgy and his crest looks great. The only thing wrong is his tongue. He does not eat some time because he gets frustrated from it, do you think its time to go to the vet?
tongue/ mouth infection
- Thread starter kellon16
- Start date
CNorton
Avid Member
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
* Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - ***We know this part thanks to your first post above***
Do you have any pics we can see? Preferably of his open mouth an tongue.
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
* Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - ***We know this part thanks to your first post above***
Do you have any pics we can see? Preferably of his open mouth an tongue.
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? IZ is a 4 month old bb ambilobe panther. He has been in my care for about 2 months
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I only handle him when I need to take him down from his free range set up, or when I move him to a plant by the window to soak up some sun.
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding varies depending on him. I try to feed as many different type of feeders as I can. He has been eating about 4 crickets and 1 or 2 small to medium super worms few times a week. I just ran out of horn worms that he ate every chance he got. Some days he will eat 8 or so crickets and some days he will not eat at all. It just depends on the day and what he is in the mood for it seems like. I am chopping up a blend of potatoes, apples, grapes, lettuce, onion, bean sprouts, carrots, and a few other greens. He will actually eat carrots straight.
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I am using zoo med repti calcium with D3 every other day and the days I do not I use the D3 I use sticky tongue farms out door miner all with out D3, and I also give him a multi vitamin twice a month.
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I only mist with a had sprayer, I mist until the majority of the plants are covered, he loves to be showered and will run directly into the mist even if I try to aim away from him and he literally drinks like a dog. I do not understand why his tounge worse so well when he drinks but does not eat. I do this 2 to 3 times a day some times 4 or 5 just because it is really dry here in the winter
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? The fecal is normal, all white at the ends. No he has not ever been tested for parasites
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? He is in a screen 16x16x30 (I think) cage and he is allowed to free range once a day under supervision.
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I am using a repti sun 5.0 and it is ran for about 12 hours everyday.
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?I use a 40 watt heat lamp. Directly Under the lamp is about 85 to 90. the basking area he goes to is about 80 the rest of the cage is about at 75 and the lower half is around 73. the coldest it gets at night 72
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I am just using a spray bottle to keep the humidity up. it jumps a lot due to how dry it is right now but I try to keep it around 50 to 80 but it falls below 50 quite fast because of the time of the year. I am using a humidity and temp gauge.
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using a pothoe plant, a small jade plant, and he free ranges on a spider plant
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? The cage is in my bed room on a desk, no draft gets to the cage, the temp is pretty constant, the cage is lower than eye level but I sit down in a chair when ever I watch him so I am below him.
* Location - Where are you geographically located? I am located in central Illinois blahhhh
Current Problem - ***We know this part thanks to your first post above***
Do you have any pics we can see? Preferably of his open mouth an tongue.[/QUOTE]
I will try to get a picture of him eating but it will be a task, it is already hard enough to get him to eat
* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? IZ is a 4 month old bb ambilobe panther. He has been in my care for about 2 months
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I only handle him when I need to take him down from his free range set up, or when I move him to a plant by the window to soak up some sun.
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding varies depending on him. I try to feed as many different type of feeders as I can. He has been eating about 4 crickets and 1 or 2 small to medium super worms few times a week. I just ran out of horn worms that he ate every chance he got. Some days he will eat 8 or so crickets and some days he will not eat at all. It just depends on the day and what he is in the mood for it seems like. I am chopping up a blend of potatoes, apples, grapes, lettuce, onion, bean sprouts, carrots, and a few other greens. He will actually eat carrots straight.
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I am using zoo med repti calcium with D3 every other day and the days I do not I use the D3 I use sticky tongue farms out door miner all with out D3, and I also give him a multi vitamin twice a month.
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I only mist with a had sprayer, I mist until the majority of the plants are covered, he loves to be showered and will run directly into the mist even if I try to aim away from him and he literally drinks like a dog. I do not understand why his tounge worse so well when he drinks but does not eat. I do this 2 to 3 times a day some times 4 or 5 just because it is really dry here in the winter
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? The fecal is normal, all white at the ends. No he has not ever been tested for parasites
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? He is in a screen 16x16x30 (I think) cage and he is allowed to free range once a day under supervision.
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I am using a repti sun 5.0 and it is ran for about 12 hours everyday.
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?I use a 40 watt heat lamp. Directly Under the lamp is about 85 to 90. the basking area he goes to is about 80 the rest of the cage is about at 75 and the lower half is around 73. the coldest it gets at night 72
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I am just using a spray bottle to keep the humidity up. it jumps a lot due to how dry it is right now but I try to keep it around 50 to 80 but it falls below 50 quite fast because of the time of the year. I am using a humidity and temp gauge.
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using a pothoe plant, a small jade plant, and he free ranges on a spider plant
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? The cage is in my bed room on a desk, no draft gets to the cage, the temp is pretty constant, the cage is lower than eye level but I sit down in a chair when ever I watch him so I am below him.
* Location - Where are you geographically located? I am located in central Illinois blahhhh
Current Problem - ***We know this part thanks to your first post above***
Do you have any pics we can see? Preferably of his open mouth an tongue.[/QUOTE]
I will try to get a picture of him eating but it will be a task, it is already hard enough to get him to eat
Silkyslim
New Member
You should only be using D3 twice a month max! I bet once you switch that you will start to see improvements with your chams tongue. Chams naturally produce D3 through sunlight. That is why lighting in captivity is so important. Make sure your bulbs are not too old (as they gradually stop producing UVB over time)
Lay off the D3 for a month and let your guy get rid of some of those excess vitamins.
I use Sticky Farms Outdoor myself too, I use it every day and I use my other 2 supplements on alternating Fridays (Rep Cal w/D3 one Friday and RepCal Herptivite the next Friday then repeat)
Lay off the D3 for a month and let your guy get rid of some of those excess vitamins.
I use Sticky Farms Outdoor myself too, I use it every day and I use my other 2 supplements on alternating Fridays (Rep Cal w/D3 one Friday and RepCal Herptivite the next Friday then repeat)
how man IU does average D3 contain? the kind I have is about 10,390 IU so how often should be giving this amount to my little guy? Twice a month does make more since. Thanks for the impute. I have the sticky tongue with d3 also, maybe I will just switch from the zoo med to that twice a month since it is working for you.
crap for a while there I thought I was a really good cham keeper. If you guys see anything else you would recommend changing let me know since I thought I had it right but i guess I really am just a newbie. Thanks a ton
If you reduce the D3 (which I agree with) you still need to dust the insects at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium. Most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. (always...it doesn't change) so its important to dust with the calcium to make up for it.
I use a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some without overdoing it...and I leave it to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB light.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A because beta carotene won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A will. This leaves the owner to give the chameleon prEformed vitamin A if it is needed.
The tongue issue still could be from an injury. If you are holding on to the insect and don't let go of it the minute the tongue hits it, your chameleon may be straining his tongue to pull it free....just a thought.
I would also recommend that you set up a dripper. It can be as simple as a delicup with a tiny hole in the bottom so it drips at the rate of about 1 or 2 drips a second.
Concerning the bump on the mouth...can you post a picture of it please?
I use a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some without overdoing it...and I leave it to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB light.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A because beta carotene won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A will. This leaves the owner to give the chameleon prEformed vitamin A if it is needed.
The tongue issue still could be from an injury. If you are holding on to the insect and don't let go of it the minute the tongue hits it, your chameleon may be straining his tongue to pull it free....just a thought.
I would also recommend that you set up a dripper. It can be as simple as a delicup with a tiny hole in the bottom so it drips at the rate of about 1 or 2 drips a second.
Concerning the bump on the mouth...can you post a picture of it please?
