Enclosure for Senior Chameleons?

Anfsurfer

Anfsurfer

Member
I was wondering if those who have had Chams for their full lives have had to make adjustments in their enclosures later in life? Nitro is going to be 5 years old in a few months and he just doesn't seem to have the strength anymore to get around his cage like he used to. Sometimes I find him hanging over branches instead of holding onto them. This morning I found him just hanging straight up and down from a vine by his front mitts...just hanging there. Not trying to pull himself up. Over the last few months I've just noticed him slowing down a lot. I guess chams suffer from old age as well as everything else...
 
Some have made catch nets and other safety items to help prevent injuries to older chams. @jannb has a few pics of ones that her husband made. They are designed to limit the area that a chameleon can fall as well as allow for some roaming. It seems to work well with older, as well as arthritic animals.
 
For seniors, I like to eliminate hard things for them to hit, if they fall. This would include using soft plants as ground covers, in pots, covering the rims of pots with soft tubing, including more branches lower in the cage, to prevent falling a great distance, and possibly using hammocks of cloth, rather than mesh. Jannb has the right idea, but for my personal taste, her method eliminated a lot of useable space in the enclosure, though these are only outdoor cages and not permanent homes, if I understand correctly, but in a permanent enclosure, I'd try to strike a balance between space to move around and minimizing areas where a fall could occur and result in injury.
Hydrate more, with 1 or 2 longer misting sessions, not several shorter ones. Like elderly people, they will be easily dehydrated and find it harder to maintain their body temperature. Misting cools them down, which can make them more likely to fall. A couple long duration mistings allows them longer periods to drink and longer periods that they can get and stay warm, without being misted and cooled down too often.
 
Thanks for your answers everyone. I'm just worried about him now. I found him hanging from his front mitts three times today. He doesn't seem to have any strength in his back legs anymore and can't get around the cage. He looks thin and dehydrated, probably from not being able to get around. I went out and bought him a hornworm this afternoon, and he ate it and seemed a bit more responsive, but he's still not moving around the cage because of his back legs.
 
Anfsurfer said:
Thanks for your answers everyone. I'm just worried about him now. I found him hanging from his front mitts three times today. He doesn't seem to have any strength in his back legs anymore and can't get around the cage. He looks thin and dehydrated, probably from not being able to get around. I went out and bought him a hornworm this afternoon, and he ate it and seemed a bit more responsive, but he's still not moving around the cage because of his back legs.
Click to expand...

It sounds like he needs a vet visit. Vet visits are important with old age. They get allot of the same stuff that we do. Most of my old guys got arthritis and there's several meds the vet can give to help with that. Spike, my senior takes Medacam for his arthritis and I've had other chams that got Adequan injections.
 
He's not doing well this morning. He was on the bottom of his cage on his side when I woke up. His eyes are very sunken in. I got some water in him by holding his tail end up while he gripped the branch with his front arms. He seems to have no use of his back legs. This all came out of no where.

Just waiting for the vet to open at 8am to call and get an appt. today...
 
Oh no, sorry to hear this. Hopefully you get some good news at the vet. Sending positive thoughts your way.
 
Just wanted to give an update.
Nitro is still not using his back legs, therefore can't walk on vines or branches. Pretty much just stays wherever he's put.
He's going to the vet everyday for a saline solution injected into his abdomen, and they feed him critical care by syringe.
I'm giving him a soak every morning, and taking him outside for real UVB and warmth.
I have given him the opportunity for live feeders, but he's still not reacting to them.
The vet said he doesn't have MBD, which I couldn't see how he could. She did tests on his back legs and she said he reacted to the tests normally. It's still a mystery what happened to him, and why he's not using his back legs.
His normal weight was 294g.
Weight for first vet visit 229.
Today 236.
He does look a little bit better, and is more responsive...but he still has a ways to go.
 
Thank you jannb.
Not yet on the x-rays. She just did the tests on his legs, where she said he reacted normally.
What was strange was the first day the back end of his body was black, while the front half was colorful. Made me wonder if he had paralysis or something. That has improved now though, he's no longer black on the back half.
 
Turning black could be a pinched nerve. Without an X-ray there's no way to tell if he has artutitus.

I'm glad to hear that he's doing a little better though.
 
The x-ray is something we discussed doing after he recovers from being so thin and dehydrated. His blood panel showed his kidneys could be having issues. She wants to get him hydrated and retest. His eyes are still sunken in even with two days of baths and saline injections. I have him in the tub now and he was drinking from the water. He did that yesterday too.
 
With the vet closed today and tomorrow, this guy is my patient for the next two days. He was really good about taking his critical care this morning. :)

IMG_0572_zpsaltbzyed.jpg
 
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