Chameleon fell from 9 feet.

[unixmiah]

I setup a free roaming range. For some reason the 7 months old guy fell couple of times-- idk what he is trying to do but sometimes he runs across the bamboo that goes to the ceiling and sometimes he falls.

The floor is carpeted, when he lands he doesn't look hurt but he's shocked when he hits the carpet floor?

How can I stop this? is he going to be ok? this happened 3 times already. Can I train him not to run or fall from the 9/10 ft. bamboo free range?

 

[ChamDE86]

Is the bamboo smooth? If so, you can try to sand it down to make it coarse for better gripping. Also, a 9 ft fall is pretty steep, especially if he doesn't haven any branches to slow his fall like they do in the wild. I wouldn't chance it anymore until you figure out why he's falling.

 

[pgr7]

If possible but some soft plastic netting across the area he's prone to falling you could even pad it with dry moss.

 

[unixmiah]

He has branches, sometimes he rushes to get down and he'll fall. The carpet is good cushioning but yeah that 9ft. is high for him to call on.

I figured out why he fell, he'd climb all the way up, as soon as he sees left over crickets in his cage, he runs to get it- right when he gets close, he slows down. But from a distance if he spots he, he runs to it.

Does it hurt their organs since they weigh nothing I was wondering if there is any impact?

@pgr7: i need to figure out how to put dry moss. It's a carpeted room maybe netting is a better idea.

 

[pgr7]

He has branches, sometimes he rushes to get down and he'll fall. The carpet is good cushioning but yeah that 9ft. is high for him to call on.

I figured out why he fell, he'd climb all the way up, as soon as he sees left over crickets in his cage, he runs to get it- right when he gets close, he slows down. But from a distance if he spots he, he runs to it.

Does it hurt their organs since they weigh nothing I was wondering if there is any impact?

@pgr7: i need to figure out how to put dry moss. It's a carpeted room maybe netting is a better idea.

I was saying you could layer the netting with moss so it's extra soft,and if the netting is larger it will help prevent him from getting tangled.

 

[Dro B]

Im not a Cham keeper, but I remember seeing that some chameleons fall to the ground to avoid predators, and I seen a video of one bieng spooked, freezing and falling to the ground as if it died of fear, but the guy said it was normal. I know this is different, but those champ feel from further than 9 ft, I think he'll be okay.

 

[unixmiah]

That makes sense. Before I bought my 2 chameleons 3 months ago when I did research on them and I saw few videos of a chameleon playing dead (in the wild)

I believe Veiled do that, somewhere in this forum i saw it -

That landing was a shock to the little panther guy- he was like wtf, looked around and climbed back onto the bamboo.

 

[Andee]

I would still be careful with repetitive falling, falling over and over again could still bruise organs or crack ribs. I would still put netting down to soften his fall somehow. It's nice to be more careful and avoid a vet visit when you can XD

 

[Venutus1]

I have to ask.... since many free range chams do NOT get enough UV.

Do you have an adequate lighting set up so he can get the UV he needs?

My first instinct says these falls could be the onset of MBD due to UV deficiency.
Calcium ratio is off in his bloodstream affecting his muscle co-ordination, among other things??



If the bulb is on average more than say 14" inches away from him most of the time... this could be a problem.
And if it is only a 5% - 6% UVB bulb and on average farther than say 16+ 18" ... it is not doing anything for him.


You may want to post a pic so I could see what you have for UV lighting and just how far away he is from it when he is basking.

Hope this helps.

Thanks
Todd

 

[Andee]

Did not think of this Todd, good point. Definitely a worry, do you free range 24/7?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Bamboo is a poor branch to use. It is just too slippery. Yes they can be killed by a fall even from waist height.

 

[mvad]

Bamboo is a poor branch to use. It is just too slippery. Yes they can be killed by a fall even from waist height.

Agree 100%. Bamboo is not a good type of branch to use in cham enclosure. Way to slippery when dry. Wet, even worse.

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

I quit letting yoda out because every time I let him out he would jump off his tree and try to run for it . Maybe he doesn't feel safe out in the open .

 

[unixmiah]

Actually the bamboo I have is best branch. I know what you mean about it being slippery. But I went to petco/petsmart those branches are so ugly, small so expensive for something so little.

I have a bamboo forest near where I live in Richmond, most of these bamboo
has branches sticking out of them--

I will take a photo of the bamboo branch--- it has tons and tons of branches coming out of it.

They both seem to be happier since they have they're own room and they don't hiss.

Its wayyyy easier to handle them vs. them being in their enclosure 24/7 becoming too cage bound.

UVB
---
I do agree them being outside they get less sun-- for some weird reason my chams both
frequently go in and out of their enclosure often. They never stay at one location more than half hour.

When I feed them, the eat in the enclosure. They food stays there--- I close their doors when it's feeding time.

They are always roaming, and they seem much more less pissed then you come to handle them-- one of them will volunteer to come to me. Before they both hissed if you left them in the cage or if you try to fix their enclosure, they used to bot get really mad.

I prefer them to free range-- because I work 9-5 and having them stuck in a cage for 8 hours with light bulbs seems mean since they can come out and I have the space for it.

I got the bamboo from a bamboo forest, not from a store. Some leaves are still on it after I washed it with bleach and let it wash with water later.

The little guy goes up and down (7 weeks now) at least every 5 minutes - he loves it, when he's back in his enclosure after i tried to lock him up, he gets really dark and doesn't seem to enjoy it after he's seen what it's like to roam. They both go all the way up to 9 ft. to the tallest point.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Actually the bamboo I have is best branch. I know what you mean about it being slippery. But I went to petco/petsmart those branches are so ugly, small so expensive for something so little.

I have a bamboo forest near where I live in Richmond, most of these bamboo
has branches sticking out of them--

I will take a photo of the bamboo branch--- it has tons and tons of branches coming out of it.

They both seem to be happier since they have they're own room and they don't hiss.

Its wayyyy easier to handle them vs. them being in their enclosure 24/7 becoming too cage bound.

UVB
---
I do agree them being outside they get less sun-- for some weird reason my chams both
frequently go in and out of their enclosure often. They never stay at one location more than half hour.

When I feed them, the eat in the enclosure. They food stays there--- I close their doors when it's feeding time.

They are always roaming, and they seem much more less pissed then you come to handle them-- one of them will volunteer to come to me. Before they both hissed if you left them in the cage or if you try to fix their enclosure, they used to bot get really mad.

I prefer them to free range-- because I work 9-5 and having them stuck in a cage for 8 hours with light bulbs seems mean since they can come out and I have the space for it.

I got the bamboo from a bamboo forest, not from a store. Some leaves are still on it after I washed it with bleach and let it wash with water later.

The little guy goes up and down (7 weeks now) at least every 5 minutes - he loves it, when he's back in his enclosure after i tried to lock him up, he gets really dark and doesn't seem to enjoy it after he's seen what it's like to roam. They both go all the way up to 9 ft. to the tallest point.

Have you got two young chameleons loose on the same free range? Maybe that's your problem.

If your chameleon is falling more than once something is not right. The usual reasons are improper perching, missing toenails, painful toes, or illness.

The improper perches/missing toenails/painful toes are really only one problem--improper perches for that particular animal but with differing root causes. Chameleons shouldn't fall.

You might be misinterpreting his behavior in his cage. (One cage or two for the two chameleons?) His going dark in his cage may him simply turning dark as he basks under lights and might have nothing to do with stress. His being extremely active on the free range might be because he is hungry or stressed.

I suspect you have made up your mind on how you will care for your animals. I wish you luck and hope you supply sufficient lighting so they don't develop MBD in a few months.

 

[unixmiah]

When I get home, I'll post pictures of the setup and let me know what you guys think.

They free range is 10 ft. away from each other. None can reach each other; they both mind their own business and do their own thing. They both have separate cages. The both large bamboo branches coming out of their enclosure don't touch each other. When they first saw eachother, they puffed up; now they act normal. I don't put them close, I don't introduce them to eachother / just in the beginning when my 5 months old veiled saw my 4 weeks panther he was puffing.

I fixed the bamboo to bend more; he stopped falling. He falls because he runs; a very strange behavior; my veiled never runs, he walks slowly and things before he goes in any direction. It could be the one who fell 3 times is small and immature and fie sty.