Can't pull herself up, please help

Bekkageary

Member
Yaterday when I came back from work, Ivy was sleeping on the ground which I didn't think anything of, she usually sleeps on the ground if she was eating before her light shut off or is hunting. This morning she seemed fine and was on a lower vine looking at her food, but around 12:00 she was laying on the ground and dragging herself towards a vine. She can use her back legs now but she is having a lot of trouble pulling herself up. I don't know what's wrong please help!!
 

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Man that is scary! Sorry your going through that. I'm not an expert, but I did go through a phase with my Ambilobe becoming weak. He was always falling and sliding down the cage. Trying to pull himself up was as if he was using all of the energy in his little body. It was pathetic and nerve wrecking! When I called in about it the rep had told me that he was lacking UVB which was making him weak. I litterally had to take him outside everyday for sun exposure for about 30 to 45 minutes. I did that until I noticed he began regaining his strength back to normal and stopped sliding.
 
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I'm not sure if it's uvb, we've got two bulbs on her and she's never had any problems. This morning she was able to cling to a vine but how's she's dragging herself around the cage and hasn't moved in hours.
 
I'm not sure if it's uvb, we've got two bulbs on her and she's never had any problems. This morning she was able to cling to a vine but how's she's dragging herself around the cage and hasn't moved in hours.
Do you ever notice her sliding down the screen cage as if she cant get a steady grip or just falling alot?
 
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She was sliding off he vines, she's in a glass with screen top enclosure
I have no knowledge of glass terrarium, but your Chameleon symptoms sounds similar to what my guy was going through which was definitely a lack of UVB. I got him some sun daily and moved some branches around closer to the UVB strip light on top of his cage and he soon became mighty again!
 
If you have your uvb bulb shining through the glass than your cham is not getting ANY uvb because it cannot penetrate the glass tank.
 
We need better pictures of her and especially of her legs, you need to post all your care and fill out the form in the health care section. If someone else could link it that'd be amazing, I am slipping out the door to drive in a couple seconds so I won't be able to link for half an hour.
 
Please post clearer photos of her and answer the questions in the how to make for help thread at the top of the health forum.
 
Make sure you're dusting with vitamins and such. Not too much, not too little. My friend had the same problem and I figured out it was because he wasn't giving her vitamins. Also, certainly get a screen cage ASAP. Glass cages when misted or have a lot of humidity or water in it can let bacteria grow really easy, which can get her sick. They also love a good breeze.
 
Another thing, I see mealworms in her feeding bowl. They're okay to give occasionally, but they're not a good staple. If it's her staple you could compare it to someone only eating brownies. It'll keep you alive for awhile but it's not healthy and you'll get weak. I'd give her a juicy hornworm, those have a good amount of calcium and moisture :)
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Chameleon - Veiled, female, around 8 months. She's been in our care for about 5 months. We bought her from Petsmart.
  • Handling - we almost never handle Ivy, she does not like it.
  • Feeding - we feed Ivy crickets and mealworms, on occasion a wax worm as a treat. She gets 20 crickets and 20 mealworms, we feed her everyday, switching the meal (crickets one day, mealworms the next day, then crickets, etc.) we gutload the crickets with potatos, Flunker's orange cricket food cubes, along with Flunker's cricket water cubes and Flunker's cricket calcium water cubes.
  • Supplements - Flunker's liquid calcium without d3, put in water fountain. Zoo Med's reptile calcium without d3, given everyday; 3 out of the 20 crickets or worms get put in a bag&dusted. Occasionally given D3 powder, dusted on food.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Exoterra terrarium with screen top. 1&1/2 ft wide, 18in deep, and 3ft tall.
  • Lighting - Exoterra, heat bulb 65w. 2 Exoterra uvb bulbs, 100uvb, 26w each. Everyday both uvb bulbs& heat lamp are on, light on at 6:00a.m. Lights off at 6:00p.m. ever since we got her.
  • Temperature - her temperatures range from 85-80 at the top, to 70 at the bottom. Lowest overnight temp is 67-65. Zoomed thermometer for basking spot (in the middle), 2 Zoomed thermometers that measure temp&humidity, 1 at bottom left corner and the other at top right.
  • Humidity - Varies from 50-65, we use zoomed monsoon automatic misting system; set for 2 times a day 8sec intervals, once at 6:00 a.m. (When she wakes) and at 12:00 p.m. We also use the Zoomed automatic fogging system, that set to turn on once the humidity reaches 50, we also use it to measure the humidity throughout the terrarium.
  • Plants - We are not using any live plants.
  • Placement - Ivy is located in the corner of the living room, not a high traffic area for us. She isn't near any vents or fans. From the floor to the top of the cage is about 4ft 9in.
  • Location - Located in New York, Erie County.

Current Problem - Not sure what exactly is wrong, she's very weak. She was sleeping in the ground when I came home from work and I thought she was okay because the next day she was just on a vine over her food. Later she was dragging herself around the bottom and looked like she couldn't use her legs. I think she fell while she was alseep that night and hurt herself. Yesterday (Sat) I called every animal hospital in my area, only 2 or 3 worked on chameleons and they were closed. Today she is doing a little better, she can climb a bit and has interest in food.
 
She has an egg laying bin, although I think she's too young to lay. I've got to get sand for in there or different dirt because it's too dry.
 

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