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Dirge337 LunaC Dirge337 LunaC LunaC Dirge337 Dirge337 LunaC Dirge337 LunaC Dirge337 |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Hyperextended Tongue or an Infection?
Thanks |
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| 07/12/08 10:55pm |
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LunaC View Profile |
Message To: Dirge337 In reference to Message Id: 1793209 Hyperextended Tongue or an Infection?
How old is he? Does he have any outward signs of infection? Either around the outside of his mouth or inside? What does the inside of his mouth look like? (ie, swollen, puffy, red gum area). Has he lost any teeth that you might be aware of? What kind of supplements do you use and how often? How long have you been noticing his reluctance to shoot? Sorry for all the questions, but the more info you can provide, the easier it is for someone to offer suggestions. |
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| 07/13/08 12:20am |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Message To: LunaC In reference to Message Id: 1793262 Hyperextended Tongue or an Infection?
Ive been feeding him soft stuff for the past year or so. I dont think hes lost any teeth. Not that i know of at least. I use to use calcium supplements but then i started feeding him Phoenix Worms so i held off on that for a while. And its only about once or twice a week. I have to get him some multivitamin supplements soon once i get my Beardie. Its only been about 2 days since ive seen him fully shoot his tongue out. If you want to know anything else just let me know :) Thanks for the quick reply |
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| 07/13/08 11:55am |
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LunaC View Profile |
Message To: Dirge337 In reference to Message Id: 1793481 Hyperextended Tongue or an Infection?
Is he used to hunting free-range prey or do you generally cup feed? If he’s grown accustomed to cup or hand feeding, it’s possible he’s just gotten lazy. Seems weird, I know, but I’ve seen it happen. When you say "soft stuff", I’m not sure what you mean .... relative to what "hard stuff" would be, I mean. Do you mean soft as in silkies, horns, Phoenix, wax and crix as opposed to mealies (which are useless period) and supers or even roaches? Everything I feed my chams I would consider "soft". I have an older male Veiled who seems to have gotten lazier with age. When he was younger he eagerly hunted down his prey. Now, he seems to enjoy sitting and waiting for the prey to come to him. He will move to his cups to eat worms, but doesn’t move as fast, as far or shoot as eagerly as he did even 2 years ago. Could be your guy is just getting lazier, or just not as hungry as often. Just keep an eye on him. Just out of curiosity, what kind of UVB and basking lights do you use? Sorry I am not more help, but from your great shot, he looks pretty good! |
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| 07/13/08 08:12pm |
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LunaC View Profile |
Message To: LunaC In reference to Message Id: 1794040 At second glance ....
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| 07/13/08 08:20pm |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Message To: LunaC In reference to Message Id: 1794050 At second glance ....
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| 07/14/08 12:11am |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Message To: Dirge337 In reference to Message Id: 1794372 At second glance ....
The 40 watt is what i use. |
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| 07/14/08 12:41pm |
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LunaC View Profile |
Message To: Dirge337 In reference to Message Id: 1794813 At second glance ....
Quote: Oh im not sure what UVB light i use. I got them years ago. I think it was Repiglo
Well, that certainly could be a problem. UVB output weakens over time, even if the bulb works, so in order to maintain sufficient UVB levels, the bulbs need to be replaced every 8-9 months (depending upon the % of UVB output and the manufacturer) If you can’t remember what brand, you could also just look at the bulb and see what brand, what % it is. At any rate, you need a new UVB source immediately. Is there any particular reason you use a nocturnal heat bulb? Do you know what temps the 40-watt generates? I presume you don’t leave it on at night. A regular household bulb works just fine and is way less expensive, too. Quote: I do cup feed him. He goes right to it when i feed him and gets all the critters eventually. Oh, by soft stuff i mean like silkworms and phoenix worms.
If he’s been cup fed for a long time, then perhaps he’s so accustomed to that he just doesn’t shoot like a cham would hunting free-range prey. I know chams can injure their tongues against cup sides/bottoms when they perch too closely and then shoot into a cup. Does he ever get free-range crickets? The body pic of him looks pretty good. His casque looks okay and what little can be seen of his limbs look okay. If he hasn’t had sufficient UVB in "years", though, it is possible he could be suffering early stage MBD, unless he does get plenty of natural unfiltered sunlight. |
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| 07/14/08 09:55pm |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Message To: LunaC In reference to Message Id: 1795524 At second glance ....
Hes eaten free range before but not for a while because they crawl all over his face and bite him so i didnt like doing that anymore. I cant ever take him outside because he gets aggressive when i try to take him out since the only times ive done that is to take him to the vet. What do you use for lighting/heating? Heres his limbs:
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| 07/15/08 01:50am |
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LunaC View Profile |
Message To: Dirge337 In reference to Message Id: 1795807 At second glance ....
Quote: The temperature around the heat lamp is about 90 degrees
That’s about right. You could even go up a couple of degrees. I don’t go above 95-97 for my Veileds. Yes, regular household bulbs put out plenty of heat. In fact, you can’t just stick a 100-watt bulb in a clamp lamp and assume you’re not going to fry a cham. Even if you use a household bulb, it is IMPERATIVE you check the temps. Even a household bulb can cause thermal burns if the basking perch is too close, so either adjust the wattage of the bulb or the distance between the bulb and the basking point to achieve the proper temps. Also, remove the noctural heat light completely. There is no need. It’s been said chams benefit from a temp drop at night. I know of no scientific studies to back that theory, but it makes sense given there would be a temp drop at night in their natural environment. Normal house night-time temps are fine for your cham. It is also IMPERATIVE that you replace your UVB immediately. ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0% is perfect (IMO) for most enclosures. Quote: Hes eaten free range before but not for a while because they crawl all over his face and bite him so i didnt like doing that anymore. You should only feed the number he will eat in a normal 12-hour span. Uneaten crickets should either be removed at the end of the day or provided greens at the bottom of the cage so they will not nibble on a sleeping cham. My adults only eat 7-10 3/4" crix every other day. Worms are given on alternate days for treats. Do not just dump a 3 day supply of crix into a cage and leave them. If your crickets were biting him, perhaps they weren’t getting a decent gutload. A well fed cricket won’t chew on a cham.
Ok, now ... here are your pics. Overall, he looks pretty good. I have outlined in red what may (or may not be) suspect for early MBD. His forearm and wrist look slightly bowed, rather than a straight V shape. Could be the camera angle, could just be the way he’s resting. It could be nothing. However, given he’s not had sufficient UVB or natural sunlight for a very long time, I would (if he were mine) begin an active regimen to quell any bone density issues, starting with a new UVB source and lightly dusted, well gutloaded (with REAL dark leafy greens/fruit etc) crix added to his diet.
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| 07/16/08 10:47am |
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Dirge337 View Profile |
Message To: LunaC In reference to Message Id: 1797615 At second glance ....
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| 07/23/08 07:25pm |
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