Cham struggling to climb. Need advice before going to the vet

noahnguyen12

New Member
Lately my cham has been having a hard time climbing throughout his enclosure. His back legs seem to not be as strong as his front legs and he is often shaky when nervous. I have a repti 5.0 UVB. The humidity is controlled by a mist king that is set at 50% and never goes over and mainly stays 35%-45%. Plus I live in Arizona so it’s tough to keep it consistent. My supplement schedule is a bit inconsistent but I do non d3 daily and with d3 a couple times a month as well as a multivitamin twice per month. my calcium’s are repti cal and my multi vitamin is exo terra. He eats about 1-3 large dubias everyday. (sometimes every other day) He drinks most of his water out of a hand mister that I offer him 2-3 times a day and his urates are typically very white. My best guess at the moment is possibly not enough time outside or slight dehydration. I think he might of also taken a fall but I cannot tell if his legs are swollen or abnormal. Lately he's been relying on his tail to support his weight and has not been shooting his tongue out as often. Any help would be much appreciated. I plan on taking him to the vet but I wanted to see if anyone could help me get him back on track to being healthy.
 

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I'm aware his enclosure needs more foliage and live plants. My live plants tend to die quickly working on trying to get more.

Today he seems to not be interested in food or water. The third picture I caught him with one eye closed. Have never seen him keep one eye closed during the day.
 

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I'm aware his enclosure needs more foliage and live plants. My live plants tend to die quickly working on trying to get more.

Today he seems to not be interested in food or water. The third picture I caught him with one eye closed. Have never seen him keep one eye closed during the day.
you need more foliage my man. i use a grow light that i got from target and it keeps my art dracaena and lucky bamboo alive and growing. my hibiscus tree isn’t doing too well but it still blooms
 
He's quite plump. I don't know if that would cause the problem with his legs or not..you need a vet to tell you...but it could be something to do with it. It might be something to do with the fat stores or organ issues ...but I'm not a vet and can't be sure.
 
I'm aware his enclosure needs more foliage and live plants. My live plants tend to die quickly working on trying to get more.
Do you know why they are dying quickly? Might be a clue to other issues.

Today he seems to not be interested in food or water. The third picture I caught him with one eye closed. Have never seen him keep one eye closed during the day.
I know you said you have a mister, and keep the humidity up, however salty dog's observation about dehydration causes me to wonder if he's getting enough water for drinking and cleaning his eyes. :unsure:
 
Do you know why they are dying quickly? Might be a clue to other issues.


I know you said you have a mister, and keep the humidity up, however salty dog's observation about dehydration causes me to wonder if he's getting enough water for drinking and cleaning his eyes. :unsure:

I think my plant choice has been too diverse because some seem to die from too much water while others in the same pot don't get enough. I've been through just about every "tropical" plant my local nursery has to offer and have found little luck. My plan next is to just get a bunch of pothos because I know I can keep them alive and I can put them in the same pot. I've tried everything when it comes to keeping him hydrated. He typically gets most of his water from me. I offer him water from a hand mister 3-4 times a day which he's usually eager for. I've also tried drippers which he takes no interest in. Would love to try and learn to have him drink out of a glass like I've heard about but i'm not really sure where to start.
 
I think my plant choice has been too diverse because some seem to die from too much water while others in the same pot don't get enough. I've been through just about every "tropical" plant my local nursery has to offer and have found little luck. My plan next is to just get a bunch of pothos because I know I can keep them alive and I can put them in the same pot. I've tried everything when it comes to keeping him hydrated. He typically gets most of his water from me. I offer him water from a hand mister 3-4 times a day which he's usually eager for. I've also tried drippers which he takes no interest in. Would love to try and learn to have him drink out of a glass like I've heard about but i'm not really sure where to start.
Have you looked at the chameleon academy website (https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/)? Those plants are pretty good for these conditions. I have a money tree in mine and it does great.

I’ve heard mixed opinions on glasses. I’ve personally decided on no.. it’s just another place for bacteria to grow and it is unnatural. The whole reason for the enclosure is to act like they are in the wild, and they don’t drink standing water in the wild.
 
Malnutrition? Dehydration? I don't see either.
You said he may have fallen...where? How far? Did he hit anything on the way down?
 
Have you looked at the chameleon academy website (https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/)? Those plants are pretty good for these conditions. I have a money tree in mine and it does great.

I’ve heard mixed opinions on glasses. I’ve personally decided on no.. it’s just another place for bacteria to grow and it is unnatural. The whole reason for the enclosure is to act like they are in the wild, and they don’t drink standing water in the wild.
Yeah that's why I haven't been so quick to try the cup method. I've tried a bunch of these plants but majority of the time if my nursery has these, they are absolutely tiny or literal trees aswell as being tough for me to grow.
 
Malnutrition? Dehydration? I don't see either.
You said he may have fallen...where? How far? Did he hit anything on the way down?
I did not actually see him fall but I don't think he hit anything. Fell maybe a foot and a half onto a planter filled with soil. He was still weak before the fall but since then he hasn't climbed up at all.
 
Part of my previous post was addressing the closed eye. The cham could be sufficiently hydrated, but I was just wondering if he's not receiving sufficient mist to clean his eyes—my understanding being they need one longer misting session (usually the morning session) to do that.

If that's what he's getting, then... nevermind. :)
 
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