chameleons

[rgun2515]

I have my Jackson chameleon for about 4 weeks, and it has never used his tongue to capture pray. I have to feed it by hand. He tries, but his tongue only comes out of his mouth about an inch or two. The breeder said he is 6-8 months old and they never watched him eat, so they can't help me. Any ideas? Just thought someone here may have some experience.

 

[duke62]

if the breeder said they never watched him eat that should have been a red flag.just like purchasing a new fish you need to always watch any live animal eat before purchasing.if its eating from your hand that is ok.train him to start going after live prey.tie a small knot on the end of a string and push the knot into the insect your feeding and move it near his face.you dont want the chameleon getting used to you hand feeding because that will be the only way it will ever eat

 

[howze01]

Anything else wrong with it? I have seen MBD cause the Chameleon's tongue not to "work."

Would need more info about it to really help. Parameters in the cage (temp, humidity), what are you feeding him? Do you dust and/or gutload the food?

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I would agree that any legitimate breeder would have more information on your particular specimen and have an idea as to what may be the issue. I know with dart frogs problems with extending the tongue or capturing food with the tongue can stem from vitamin or calcium deficiencies. I'm not a reptile expert but you might want to start there.

Also, find a good breeder to deal with. I'm sure if you find a good one they would be more than happy to help you figure out the problem even if you didn't purchase it from them.