Chameleon fell!

[CharlieJcap]

Hi my almost 3 year old veiled chameleon fell. I marked where she fell from and what she landed on. Her head landed in the water. she seems completely fine now. but what can i do to prevent her from falling again. its the first time I've seen her fall too and i want to make sure she doesn't fall anymore. also any advice on how to make my set up better.

 

[JacksJill]

If she is falling it is probably related more to her health than it is to your set up. Chameleons rarely fall with out a reason. I would fillet the how to ask for help from to get a review of her husbandry and see if there is something affecting her coordination. see below

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[CharlieJcap]

If she is falling it is probably related more to her health than it is to your set up. Chameleons rarely fall with out a reason. I would fillet the how to ask for help from to get a review of her husbandry and see if there is something affecting her coordination. see below

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

-veiled chameleon, female, I've had her since decemeber 2016, she's around 2 1/2 years old maybe three.
-I almost never handle her since she doesn't like it
-I feed her meal worms and crickets. 3 crickets every Monday Wednesday and Saturday. And only a 1 or 2 meal worms every other day. also horn worms sometimes (maybe once a month if i see them in the store)
-zed med's reptivite with D3 every other feeding
- i have a dripper and i mist twice a day. in the morning and at night. i rarely see her drinking. but sometimes she'll some directly to the mister and just try drinking from it
-her most recent dropping was completely white. i haven't seen any poops from her in almost 3 weeks
-she is stressed out very easily and often mistakes my hands for food. she doesn't walk around her cage too much often only to get water, food or closer to her light

cage info
-screen cage 24x24x48
-zoo med 60w day light blue bulb and i have a 13w 5.0 mini compact fluorescent lamp that i don't turn on often
-the temperature is usually around 75f during the day maybe up to 80f if its a hotter day and the lowest temp at night it 63f. there is a zoo med digital thermometer in the middle of her cage
-she has a golden pathos and a dracaena
-her cage is on the floor of my room in the corner not near any windows

She has only fallen this one time infant of me. could she just be clumsy or is there a bigger problem?

 

[JacksJill]

Your supplement schedule may be the problem she is getting too much D3. Too much is as bad as too little. There is still time to correct things.
Try this instead. "Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks.'
There are some other areas that could use improvement. I'm sure others who have veiled will fill you in. I will check back tomorrow if they haven't.

 

[CharlieJcap]

Your supplement schedule may be the problem she is getting too much D3. Too much is as bad as too little. There is still time to correct things.
Try this instead. "Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks.'
There are some other areas that could use improvement. I'm sure others who have veiled will fill you in. I will check back tomorrow if they haven't.

thank you so much for the advice! ill be sure to slow down on the D3 and get her some calcium powder

 

[Beman]

-veiled chameleon, female, I've had her since decemeber 2016, she's around 2 1/2 years old maybe three.
-I almost never handle her since she doesn't like it
-I feed her meal worms and crickets. 3 crickets every Monday Wednesday and Saturday. And only a 1 or 2 meal worms every other day. also horn worms sometimes (maybe once a month if i see them in the store) Switch to superworms instead of the mealworms. As long as she is getting 5 feeders you should be good here.
-zed med's reptivite with D3 every other feeding As already stated this may be a bit much for her. Follow the info @JacksJill gave you.
- i have a dripper and i mist twice a day. in the morning and at night. i rarely see her drinking. but sometimes she'll some directly to the mister and just try drinking from it Dripper should sit on top of the cage dripping down her leaves. Adding a dwarf umbrella plant would give more volume in the cage as well as hiding areas and a place for the dripper to drip on. dripping into a bowl is a bacteria disaster waiting to happen. Chams do not drink out of bowls.
-her most recent dropping was completely white. i haven't seen any poops from her in almost 3 weeks
-she is stressed out very easily and often mistakes my hands for food. she doesn't walk around her cage too much often only to get water, food or closer to her light

cage info
-screen cage 24x24x48
-zoo med 60w day light blue bulb and i have a 13w 5.0 mini compact fluorescent lamp that i don't turn on often MUST have a T5HO fixture with a 10.0 bulb running the legnth of her cage on top. along with the heat lamp. These must be on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours
-the temperature is usually around 75f during the day maybe up to 80f if its a hotter day and the lowest temp at night it 63f. there is a zoo med digital thermometer in the middle of her cage She needs a basking temp of 82 to properly digest.
-she has a golden pathos and a dracaena
-her cage is on the floor of my room in the corner not near any windows

She has only fallen this one time infant of me. could she just be clumsy or is there a bigger problem?

I think she is falling due to a lack of proper lighting and supplementation. Let us know what questions you have.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm actually concerned that she is beginning to show signs of D3 toxicity or overdose. I think you should stop the D3 supplement for a month minimum and get a dose of vitamin A in a multivitamin with retinol or a small drop of vitamin A from a human gel cap on a feeder asap. Vitamin A is depleted in the presence of too much D3. If the weather permits some outdoor sunlight would be good until you can upgrade your lights.