The two most common health issues which affect tongue health in chameleons are Vitamin A deficiency and Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). MBD can weaken or deform bones required to project their tongue and Vitamin A deficiency causes aiming problems via poor eye health.
Dehydration, illness, such as respiratory infection, and eye injury can negatively affect your chameleon’s ability to capture prey with their tongue. These are usually temporary and after you fix the issue, their tongue function should return to normal.
Another common problem we have seen is when a chameleon injures its tongue while attempting to capture stationary prey, such as hornworms. This can lead to a tug-of-war scenario, potentially causing muscle strain or tendon tears in the tongue.
Lastly, sharp DIY feeder cups can also result in tongue decapitation. Please avoid leaving freshly cut plastic edges near where their tongue will fly. And better yet, get yourself a proper feeder run cup from Sunset Chameleons or Full Throttle Feeders.