Veiled Chameleon swallowing repeatedly. Please Help

[Leah B]

I'm really worried about Newid. She just started swallowing repeatedly and opening her mouth occasionally. I don't know what's going on. I gave her some crickets to see if she was still ok to eat. She was, she ate about three and is moving around just fine. I'm just worried about the repeated swallowing for no obvious reason.
Veiled Chameleon, young (about 3-4" long) probably only a few months, female, cage misted daily, fed twice a day 4-5 small-medium crickets (about 1/2").

 

[jannb]

She is not swallowing her tongue is she?

 

[memeisnumber]

Maybe the crickets are too big for the little one and she is having trouble swallowing them. Whenever my chameleon, Spock, gets his too big he will swallow constantly to actually get the cricket down. She could have even eaten the stuff at the bottom of her home. What are you using for the bottom of her enclosure/tank?

 

[Leah B]

She is not swallowing her tongue is she?

No, she flicks her tongue out to eat crickets so I don't think she's swallowing her tongue.

 

[Leah B]

Maybe the crickets are too big for the little one and she is having trouble swallowing them. Whenever my chameleon, Spock, gets his too big he will swallow constantly to actually get the cricket down. She could have even eaten the substrate at the bottom of her home. What are you using for the bottom of her enclosure/tank?

There is no substrate on the floor of her cage.. Though she may have gotten a piece of bark... We had a stick in there until we could go to the store and get a fake one.

 

[jannb]

Please fill out the Ask For Help Form and give us as much detail as possible and pictures are helpful too. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Leah B]

She has stopped swallowing repeatedly. I think I will wait until morning to see if her swallowing persists. I will post an update on the outcome. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[memeisnumber]

(I didn't mean substrate, I meant stuff like EcoEarth and sand and dirt.)

If you think she swallowed the bark, I would take her to a qualified vet asap because he could cause problems!

 

[Leah B]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, F, 3-4 months. I've owned her for a little under a week (that is why I'm so concerned)
Handling - not very often only to clean her cage.
Feeding - Fed Sm-Med crickets. 4-5 in the morning around 6am and another 3-4 around 6 or 7pm. Crickets are not gut loaded.
Supplements - Repti Calcium by Zoo Med. Every feeding they are dusted.
Watering - I mist the cage every morning and was told to place her in luke warm shallow water for about 6-7min to let her skin absorb water (by the pet shop owner. Mist every morning for about 2 minutes or when sufficient droplets form. I usually don't see her drink.
Fecal Description - Dark brown with a white/yellowy tip. Never been tested for parasites.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage. 3ft tall and 18" wide.
Lighting - Daily lighting is usually 12 hours with both her basking light and the uvb light on. I shut off the basking light a few hours before I'm going to sleep and then turn off the uvb light.
Temperature - Temperature range is about 82 near her basking spot and probably somewhere near 75 at the bottom of her cage. Lowest overnight temp is 74 degrees
Humidity - Not measured
Plants - No live plants.
Placement - the cage is in my room. I'm at work from 6:15am to 4:15pm so she has a lot of time to herself. I have a ceiling fan on at the lowest setting constantly to help with air flow. the cage is about 2.5-3ft off the ground
Location - Minnesota, USA

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[squiggles13]

The pet shop was wrong about the shallow water. Their skin doesn't absorb water, it beads off of their skin. Mist a few times a day, letting the cage dry out before you mist again (and/or wipe down the bottom)

 

[squiggles13]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/basic-husbandry-38769/

this should help

 

[Juancito]

Do you mean by swallowing that she sticks her tongue in and out repeatedly?? If so my veiled always does this after eating. I heard that they do this to taste the air or something like that but I wouldnt quote this. It's nothing to worry about