Hey all, my nosy Be panther chameleon has not been eating for a couple of days. I am really worried. I was going to try to force feed him but......i dont know how to open his mouth up without hurting him. any ideas?
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How do you guys open a chameleons mouth?
Dexpanther
Dec 06, 2003 01:42 PM
Replies (7)
bencham
Dec 06, 2003 02:21 PM
use cutip///
slowly put toothpick in corner of mouth, twisting it until u can get the teeth apart and thus openein the mouth...
force feeding is not the best way to go... variety of food should be completed.
oftern they dont digest force fed food; from the experience i have had
Charm_Paradise
Dec 06, 2003 04:39 PM
Hi-
When asking health issues please post all the info you can on the setup, this will help us help you better, be exact.
For now I would not recommend force feeding him if he has only been off food for 2 days. What are you feeding him? Has he seen another male or female chameleon recently, any other animals in his view? To get the mouth open all you need to do is put you middle finger and thumb over there nostrils and blocking there breathing and he should open right up. Right now I do not recommend force feeding him. I have had panthers go off food for close to 3 weeks with NO weight loss (less then 1 gram), then start eating again with no problems, 2 days is nothing. After you post more about your setup we can try to focus in on the possible problem, most likely you just need to offer more verity chameleon do tire of being fed the same food over and over. Hope this helps!
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John W. Lucas
Feeding Baby Chameleons
Caging Baby Chameleons
F. pardalis
Ambilobe Locale
Nosy Be Locale
Sambava Locale
Rhampholeon uluguruensis
Eggs Incubating-
F. pardalis - Ambilobe Locale
Photo © Chameleon Paradise 2003
bencham
Dec 06, 2003 05:08 PM
John is jsut so smart!!
Dexpanther
Dec 06, 2003 06:57 PM
Yeah, i know that it is short for him not to eat. Well anyways he has a big variety of foods. he has crickets, silkworms, hornworms,flys,and mealworms. ill try to post a pic of his setup.
chimbakka
Dec 06, 2003 06:56 PM
if you need to forcefeed a cham, this is the best way (I've found) to do it:
mix bug guts with a little water. You can add some liquid calcium, and/or pedialite, or apetite stimulant, etc (depending on your needs). Mist your cham with warm water until he starts to drink. then, use an eyedropper to drop the drops of juice into his mouth. if you've already tried forcefeeding unsuccessfully, then he is probably going to run from the dropper. in this case spray him every few seconds with one hand to keep his eyes closed, and use the dropper in the other.
this is what i'm using for orion. now that she's used to it she'll let me feed her many eyedroppersful.
Herper123
Dec 06, 2003 07:48 PM
How don't you open a chameleons mouth?If i put my hand by mine he goes nuts!
lele
Dec 07, 2003 09:05 AM
I wanted to make sure Luna wasn't having problems IN her mouth b/c she too is eating very little so I brought her to the bathroom mirror - she opened right up! Everything was nice and pink inside with no sign of a problem.
Now I would NOT recommend this as a feeding strategy OR as something to do just for ha-ha's and giggles! It definitely is stressful for her, but for a quick look to see if there are health issues it is quite effective!
lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
