falling chameleon

chdwckvnstrsslhm

chdwckvnstrsslhm

New Member
I didn't think this belonged in the health section, because it isn't a serious problem, I'm more wondering if this is just some common curiosity young chameleons do..?

I have a ~6 month old panther chameleon who has recently been falling. He did it once yesterday (that was the first time I'd ever noticed it happen) and he fell twice today within about a 30 minute span of time. I wasn't watching him when it happened, so I'm not sure if he fell or actually jumped or what, but it's got me concerned. I have the bottom of his cage filled with crumpled newspaper because I was worried he'd fall when he was smaller and hurt himself, so luckily he isn't injured at all. It's a four foot drop from the top of the cage to the bottom so I'm hoping this is just some "teenage chameleon daredevil" thing he's doing... ;)

He ate some crickets today and I dusted them in vitamins, and sprayed his cage down with water, and he fell about half an hour after that... He has a 5.0 Exo Terra Repti Glo UVB bulb, and a ceramic heat lamp, I regularly dust with calcium and vitamins, and I've been putting him in a screen cage outside for a while since it's been sunny every so often, so I don't think it's MBD-related... He seems completely healthy.

Anyone have a similar experience? Should I worry about anything?
 
Hi,
I have seen some chameleons get all the right supplements and UVB lighting and still develop mild signs of MBD.
 
Is his cage new or different? I remember when I got my Jackson's his first screen cage he hadn't mastered how to climb it properly and kept falling. After a day or two he got the hang of it and had no trouble at all climbing the screen sides.

Could there be an issue with his nails maybe?
 
He's been in the same cage for about 3 months... I checked his nails and they seem fine... Idk, I'm thinking maybe he's just clumsy haha :rolleyes:
 
Are the branches/vines easy to grip...not slippery?
Do his arms/legs show any signs of MBD? Does he exhibit trunkal lifting? Can he fully extend his tongue?

The right supplements and gutloading/feedings are important so that the chameleon gets the proper combination/balance of nutrients. The right lighting and temperatures also play a part.

Here is some information that I hope will help....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
could he be trying to "reach" for somewhere far and falling? when I was first setting up my panthers free-range he fell multiple times the first few days and I began to get worried until I finally witnessed WHY he fell...he was trying to reach from the edge of a branch onto the blinds about 4" away and kept falling. I simply moved the setup an extra 3-4" away and he stopped falling (cause he stopped trying to reach that gap :) )
 
@ Javsto, I'm not sure because I've never seen him actually fall... I just hear a thud and realize he has.

@Kinyonga, the branches are all either sand-blasted grapevine or that flexible fake vine stuff, so it's definitely not slippery. He doesn't have any signs of MBD (that I can tell) and has a strong grip when I hold him. He eats perfectly fine and can extend his tongue as far as he needs to, but I'm not sure what trunkal lifting is. I dust and gutload all his food regularly so I'm pretty sure it's not MBD-related, although I understand that symptoms can still develop...

@EviLost, that's a good idea, his cage is near the blinds. I'll move it a bit and see if that helps.



I also wonder if he's just gotten too big to fit his feet in the screen mesh of the cage and is now too heavy to sustain his weight when he climbs around on it? He seems perfectly healthy to me...
 
I would get him to a vet asap. If's it's mbd, stopping it early is vital for him to have a normal life. I've never seen mine fall (he does jump though), it doesn't sound normal. Make sure your supplement schdule and lighting are correct, overdoing it can be as bad as not enough.
 
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