Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys,

my 4 year old veiled chameleon (13" is having trouble shooting his tongue all of a sudden. when we feed him crix or super worms he had to walk up to them and stick only the tip of his tongue out and then push it against the cricket.

his crown looks a little sunken but he has no other signs of dehydration. his joints are not swollen and his eyes are not sunken. he also has an appetite and has a very strong grip.

the room he is in gets very hot now in the summer, but i don't think that would cause an issue. we do also have a UVB light.

what could be wrong with him? thanks!

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1.0 Veiled Chameleon -- Dexter
13 months old

There are several things that could be going on. First, look to see if there are signs of injury: can he retract his tongue normally? Sometimes chams over extend the tongue and strain the muscles especially if they are bowl fed and the muscles are not in good condition. If he's been bowl fed he has probably lost muscle tone and coordination because he hasn't been using it much. Strains can heal on their own, and to improve his muscle strength you should offer some of his food loose...houseflies are great for this. Sometimes they accidentally bite the tongue damaging it a lot or biting it off completely. If he'll gape for you check for blood, torn tissue, swelling, etc. Chams who have lost part or all of their tongue can learn to eat without it. They will need to be hand fed, but it can be done. If a cham is dehydrated the tongue loses its sticky mucous on the tip, and doesn't trap prey. The cham gets frustrated and learns to go right up to the prey to catch it. There could be nutritional problems going on, but these wouldn't show up suddenly. There is a good article about tongue problems on www.adcham.com that may give you more complete information and may help figure this out.

I agree with Carlton's statements.

Tongue issues are often the result of injury and/or nutritional imbalances. Possible causes:
- trauma from getting the tongue wrapped around or entangled or caught on something in the enclosure;
- damage to the tongue by a live prey item;
- puncture wound from hitting something sharp in the enclosure;
- hand-feeding injuries (if the feeder accidentally grabs or pulls the tongue when it makes contact with the fingers);
- something caught or lodged in the mouth or tongue tissue;
- tongue infection;
- dehydration;
- mouth abscesses;
- hypocalcaemia or vitamin deficiency. Nutritional deficiencies are typically a slower, more chronic loss of tongue function. The chameleon tongue's aim may become misguided, or the tongue's reach gradually decreases until the chameleon can project it just a little or not at all. Missing the insects is often a sign of a deficiency in B vitamins (and sometimes vitamin A deficiency). A good supplement containing these usually helps within 1-3 days if vitamin deficiency is the reason.

Also, old age can sometimes cause poor tongue control or reduced muscle in general.

I suggest you Seek Veterinarian advice.
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Sandra
BC Canada

thanks for your messages.

i have dexter out right now. he is acting totally fine except he cannot extend his tongue further than 1 cm. i held out a super worm very far and he would not try to shoot at it....he would keep trying to get closer and closer (which is normal for chameleons but usually they will shoot at it once "in range" even if they can shoot further). the other odd thing is that once he bites down on the super worm...instead of devouring it and chomping like mad like he usually does (or did a while ago), he cannot seem to bite down to bite the worm in half. the worm will just sit there in this mouth hanging out of both sides and he will try to swallow or chew or something but it just doesn't happen. he still has the worm in his mouth after 10 minutes. it seems like this tongue/throat is swollen because he can't really open his mouth to chew. but i believe he is eating

i think he must have had something happen where he is swollen. i felt his neck but it feels normal.

i think he has probably not had function of his tongue for a few weeks or so because i've seen him at the bottom of the cage quite a while, probably trying to get crickets. we do not bowl feed, we usually throw in 2 dozen crickets or so each week.

it almost seems like his tongue is swollen. he doesn't gape at me and i couldn't get him fired up with a mirror or camera..so i can't see the inside of his mouth

any other ideas? i'm sure he will be fine and he has been hunting like this for a few weeks i'm sure....but i'm upset he lost this function.
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1.0 Veiled Chameleon -- Dexter
4 years old

This doesn't sound "fine" to me. If he has a swollen throat, swollen tongue, or jaw problems he needs to see a vet. Don't assume he's eating unless you actually see him eat. He may be hungry and can't do much about it. Let's look at some nutritional problems. If his jaw is tender or soft due to calcium imbalance he may not want to chew. An overdose as well as a deficiency can cause jaw problems. What do you supplement with and how often? How old is your UV light? They do stop producing UV after some time depending on what brand it is.

Is his mouth infected? Any signs of sores or inflammation back in his mouth? This will need antibiotic treatment. You are going to have to look inside his mouth to check this. From your pic his lips don't look swollen or infected, but there could be something going on farther inside.

I agree with Carlton - what you describe is in no way "Fine"

i have dexter out right now. he is acting totally fine except he cannot extend his tongue further than 1 cm. i held out a super worm very far and he would not try to shoot at it....he would keep trying to get closer and closer (which is normal for chameleons but usually they will shoot at it once "in range" even if they can shoot further). the other odd thing is that once he bites down on the super worm...instead of devouring it and chomping like mad like he usually does (or did a while ago), he cannot seem to bite down to bite the worm in half. the worm will just sit there in this mouth hanging out of both sides and he will try to swallow or chew or something but it just doesn't happen. he still has the worm in his mouth after 10 minutes. it seems like this tongue/throat is swollen because he can't really open his mouth to chew. but i believe he is eating

i think he must have had something happen where he is swollen. i felt his neck but it feels normal.

You said: "i think he has probably not had function of his tongue for a few weeks or so because i've seen him at the bottom of the cage quite a while, probably trying to get crickets. we do not bowl feed, we usually throw in 2 dozen crickets or so each week. "

Why have you waited so long to see a vet? If you just throw crickets in each week, it seems likely to me you have been neglecting your chameleons diet and it is probably suffering a painful horrible slow death due to nutritional deficiencies.
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Sandra
BC Canada