Concerned!

[ChamelaChameleon]

Carmelo is an adopted Cham so I have no background or age information. For the past 5 months he has been falling to the bottom of his enclosure. I removed his center plants and installed a horizontal, plastic honeycomb barrier to prevent him from falling to the floor. I took him to an Exotic Vet - blood work, fecal, and general exam was completed. Carmelo received a clean bill of health. He seems to have good grip strength but the falling and odd sleep positions continue. He falls once every 2 weeks. I just found him on the bottom most branch, hanging g on with a front claw and a back claw. The other claws were dangling. I moved him and placed him in a more comfortable position. It seems like he is in a deep sleep and so relaxed that he forgets to keep all hands on the branches. This happens several times a week. He eats well, a new uvb was installed late October. The only thing that stands out is that one eye seems slightly sunken. The other eye is normal. See pics below; Left eye seems sunken, Right eye is just fine. He just completed a full face shed. I wonder if he rubbed his eye on a branch, too hard. The eyes are not closed.

 

[elizaann2]

how stressful I’m sorry you and your darling boy are going through that. Chameleons aren’t known for falling so I would keep looking to find out what is causing him to fall. He does look a bit overweight. Is he on a diet? What is your supplement schedule? What uvb light do you have? Can you share a pic of his enclosure including the lights on the top please?

Tagging some ladies who can also help in case if I’m not available. @Beman @MissSkittles

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Yes, he is overweight. He receives 2 feeders everyother day. Grasshoppers and hornworms. He refuses to eat other feeders. Calcium at every feeding. Calcium w/D3 on the 1st an 15th. Zoo Med Uvb T5.0 HO. I'll post a pic in the morning. On sunny days, I take him outside for 30+ minutes. It's almost like he is in a deep deep sleep. Urates are white with a healthy poop. He's definitely less active. He tends to sit in his basking spot until sprinklers turn on or bedtime. He has a dripper for 12 hours everyday.

 

[elizaann2]

Thanks for the info! Do you give him a multivitamin as well? Do you know if he was provided with proper supplements and UVB in his previous home?

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I removed his lower plants and added a catch net, its plastic material. He is only using the top 3/4th portion of his cage.

 

[elizaann2]

I removed his lower plants and added a catch net, its plastic material. He is only using the top 3/4th portion of his cage.

Good idea. I’m hoping Beman and MissSkittles can chime in in the morning to give some advise.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Supplements

 

[MissSkittles]

When he's awake, how is the grip of all of his feet? Do both sides feel to have equal strength? Any clumsiness while awake? How is his targeting and striking when he eats? Is the left eye still looking around like usual? Pardon if I don't remember, but have you had the bump between his eyes (more on the right side) checked?
Honestly, I'm not sure what it could be, but I'm wondering if maybe something neurological, some sort of age-relate change (since his age is unknown, he could be old) or maybe something related to the bump.
@kinyonga might be familiar with something like this.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

His daytime grip seems strong. The clumsiness seems to be related to bedtime. A few months back , he had several daytime falls. That's when I added the branches near the door and the honeycomb net. He has no issues with targeting and striking. Depth perception seems good based on his ability to alter the force of his strike. He is able to stay away from the sprinklers. He does not patrol the enclosure as much as in the past.
He mostly sits between two different basking branches. He is slower with movement and more calculated with his movements.

He has had the bump between his eyes since adoption. There are no other bumps. 2 different Vets have inspected the bump. The bump hasn't changed in appearance or gotten bigger. Yesterday, I inspected the roof of his mouth - nothing looked suspicious, no visible signs of infection. Bloodwork 2 to 4 months ago was unremarkable.

 

[MissSkittles]

I'm at a loss, but there's tons that I just don't know. Do you have different diameter of branches in his enclosure...from thin to really big where he can't wrap his foot around?

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Yes, most branches are small enough for him to completely wrap his feet around. LI have a few that he can't wrap his feet completely around. I'm gonna remove them this weekend. Even the smaller branches seem to be a problem. Once it's bedtime, he seems to struggle to hang on. Even if I move him to a more comfortable position - 2 hours later he is back in a compromising position, barely holding on.

 

[GrannyK]

No advice here just sorry your going the this hopefully it’s figured out soon for you both. Sending hugs and positive vibes your way.

 

[Beman]

He is very obese which we have spoken about... My concern with that is if it is compromising his organ function and building uric acid in the body. This can lead to issues with gout and gripping.

Can I see a pic of the entire cage? You may have to make a switch and put it on its side so that if he does fall it is a very short distance.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

He is very obese which we have spoken about... My concern with that is if it is compromising his organ function and building uric acid in the body. This can lead to issues with gout and gripping.

Can I see a pic of the entire cage? You may have to make a switch and put it on its side so that if he does fall it is a very short distance.

Yes, obese. Even on a restricted diet he remains obese. I'm feeding him every other day- only 2 feeders. 2 grasshoppers or 1 grasshopper and 1 hornworm. The grasshoppers are 1 1/2-2 inches long (med-large).

I took his lower plants and branches out and added a plastic honey comb catch screen. I can move the Wandering Jew and place the catch screen higher.

 

[Beman]

Yes, obese. Even on a restricted diet he remains obese. I'm feeding him every other day- only 2 feeders. 2 grasshoppers or 1 grasshopper and 1 hornworm. The grasshoppers are 1 1/2-2 inches long (med-large).

I took his lower plants and branches out and added a plastic honey comb catch screen. I can move the Wandering Jew and place the catch screen higher.View attachment 352046

If the grasshoppers are that large then it really is not like feeding one feeder. Take him to every 3 days with those sizes.

It seems like the branches are pretty far away from the UVB. Which uvb type are you using and what is the distance to the branches? Also are the plants that are growing higher blocking the path of the UVB?

The catch screen is a very good thing to have.

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a couple of photos so I can see all of him.
Does he have all his toenails?
I’d like to see his feet gripping the branches in the cage too.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Please post a couple of photos so I can see all of him.
Does he have all his toenails?
I’d like to see his feet gripping the branches in the cage too.

He does not have all of his toe nails. They were missing at adoption. I'll get pics when I return home.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

If the grasshoppers are that large then it really is not like feeding one feeder. Take him to every 3 days with those sizes.

It seems like the branches are pretty far away from the UVB. Which uvb type are you using and what is the distance to the branches? Also are the plants that are growing higher blocking the path of the UVB?

The catch screen is a very good thing to have.

I will take him to every 3 days for feedings. Nothing is blocking the uvb. His basking and uvb branch is at 9.5 inches due to his large size and casque. The lower branches are newly added to prevent falling. The light is a ZooMed T5HO. It's bulb is 4 months old.

The green is his favorite spot for basking and uvb.

 

[Beman]

I will take him to every 3 days for feedings. Nothing is blocking the uvb. His basking and uvb branch is at 9.5 inches due to his large size and casque. The lower branches are newly added to prevent falling. The light is a ZooMed T5HO. It's bulb is 4 months old.

Do you have a solarmeter to check UVI output? If not I would go ahead and buy a new bulb just in case yours is not producing correct UVI.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Do you have a solarmeter to check UVI output? If not I would go ahead and buy a new bulb just in case yours is not producing correct UVI.

FYI - He gets frequent trips outside. He is outside almost every sunny day. I will replace the bulb.