USSTrioceros
Member
This is the style I have in there now. He just doesn't seem to be figuring it out. :-/
Tongue problem and Montana vet recommendations
- Thread starter USSTrioceros
- Start date
USSTrioceros
Member
Fruit flies would be too small, honestly. I have been using smaller crickets and roaches. He just can't seem to catch them yet.
@jannb I'll get some currently photos tonight before his lights shut off.
USSTrioceros
Member
He could be doing a lot worse. Every 3-4 days, he gets supplemented wih his "soup" so his weight has been good. He even has started shedding recently. He just hasn't gotten himself coordinated between speed and grabbing with his mouth. I am not ready to give up on him.
Is his lip line swollen?
USSTrioceros
Member
No. It's just the angle.
Good news, though! I got him to take 3 freshly dead crickets from me today. I have fat finger syndrome and tend to drop bugs, so between me and him sorting out how to grab them, we did a good job. Gold stars for both of us!
Whatever works right lol. Have you tried silkworms? Soft bodied small feeders work well with a mouth that is healing. They dont suction the way a hornworm will so you could let him free feed off a feeder run that he can get up close to.
USSTrioceros
Member
I have, but he doesn't want them. Not even horn worms, which he used to love. I should try them again though. What do you mean by feeder run? I've not heard that phrase before.
Full throttle feeders are great... put a branch right up to them so he can get close. https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/
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USSTrioceros
Member
Hey, following up on this, you're correct. He does have a bit of a "wobbly" lip line. I guess I've not really looked at that. I think it's residual of my force feeding. We had a very rough start of it because there's a lot of written description but not a lot of video or even photos that I found. His gums are a good color and the vet hasn't said anything so I hope it goes away eventually.
I'm having better success with hand feeding dead or lethargic bugs. I look forward to not needing to syringe feed him ever again.
Yeah, my eyes seem to zero in on things sometimes lol. Just keep a really close eye on it. If you see any additional swelling or discoloration inside on the gums I would get him into the vet and make sure he does not have mouth rot going on.
GrannyK
Chameleon Enthusiast
She has the eyes like a chameleon, you get nothing past her! Thankfully
She spots all the little details while we mush over how cute they are
USSTrioceros
Member
No, the blobby bit is gone. They amputated the whole thing to the hyoid bone. In fact, my current concern and focus of observation, is that, while the wound is healed up, his hyoid bone sticks out. I don't know what this is supposed to look like at this point. I am watching to see if that toothpick size/shape bone is going to impede his ability to eat. There's so little info about this out there.
You said…”They amputated the whole thing to the hyoid bone”…That’s what I thought had happened. So this means that he either has to be hand fed the rest of his life or learn to eat by chasing down the insects like a bearded dragon does for example. The tongue has no sticky part now that will pull the insect into his mouth. Is there any bit of tongue that extends past the tip of the hyoid bone at all…or was the tongue amputated right at the tip of the hyoid bone?
I said before…”Just a warning, but with amputation from my limited experience with amputations,, if too much of the tongue is left hanging (because the amputation wasn’t made close to the end of the spike), the chameleon may not be able to cope with the tongue missing and keep trying to adjust it and eventually die because it won’t eat.”…I think this adjusting is what’s happening. I don’t know how to get him past this, sadly.
I said before…”Just a warning, but with amputation from my limited experience with amputations,, if too much of the tongue is left hanging (because the amputation wasn’t made close to the end of the spike), the chameleon may not be able to cope with the tongue missing and keep trying to adjust it and eventually die because it won’t eat.”…I think this adjusting is what’s happening. I don’t know how to get him past this, sadly.
USSTrioceros
Member
Right at the tip.
Yes, he is currently learning to hunt down insects and pick them up with his mouth. I am trying to find a feeder set up that will make it easier for him while he learns. I chill his bugs and hand feed him at this point. I think the full throttle-style feeder will be our end game. I have a homemade version in there right now. If I can find a tray style where he can push a bug around until it can be picked up, I think it may help. Everything else, including the full throttle one, just allows bugs to drop off completely and he gets mad and walks away.
Edit to add that he's also learning how to do all this with his horn always being in the way. Hence wanting to eventually switch to the tube-style feeder once he figures out how to grab them with his mouth.
