HELP! Won’t use back legs or tail!

chammythechammy

New Member
I have a female veiled chameleon who is about a year old. Just yesterday i noticed her at the bottom of her enclosure not moving much at all, she looked dead to me. After her misters came on she moved & i saw that she was alive so when my husband came home he helped me inspect her. She won’t use her tail at all, its limp, so is her back legs. Her back feet will still grip, but very lightly. She hardly moves & looks to be sleeping most of the time, she seems uncomfortable. I’m thinking it’s constipation, but she seems to be pooping just fine so i’m not sure. It doesn’t seem to be MBD to me. She gets her feeders dusted twice a month with & without D3, she has all her proper lighting/heating etc. I’m not sure what it is, she just seems tired & limp ):
 
Hello, I would highly recommend taking her to a vet. Sleeping during the day is very bad and especially if she is at the bottom of the cage. Is there anyway you can send a pic. Also, if she is not able to grip well I would set her up in a hospital bin to prevent further injury. Have you had your husbandry reviewed? This may help give you some answers in the meantime. Just copy paste and fill out with as much detail as possible.
Edit: she is a yr old, when was the last time she laid eggs? Has she ever laid eggs? And do you have a lay bin?

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.
 
I have a female veiled chameleon who is about a year old. Just yesterday i noticed her at the bottom of her enclosure not moving much at all, she looked dead to me. After her misters came on she moved & i saw that she was alive so when my husband came home he helped me inspect her. She won’t use her tail at all, its limp, so is her back legs. Her back feet will still grip, but very lightly. She hardly moves & looks to be sleeping most of the time, she seems uncomfortable. I’m thinking it’s constipation, but she seems to be pooping just fine so i’m not sure. It doesn’t seem to be MBD to me. She gets her feeders dusted twice a month with & without D3, she has all her proper lighting/heating etc. I’m not sure what it is, she just seems tired & limp ):
This is going to be a combination of two different issues, both of which are related to MBD.

1- MBD has set in causing her to loose her grip and coordination. A weak and uncoordinated Cham is sure to fall at some point. With the MBD also making her bones very fragile breaks are guaranteed, spinal injuries are common.

2- MBD has set in resulting in her going eggbound. If she hasn’t had the correct supplement and UVB routine, and she sounds like she hasn’t based on your original post, her eggs will not develop properly resulting in an inability to lay them. Varying degrees of paralyzation of the rear half of her body is a common symptom of eggbound females.

Or it’s possible it’s a combination of all three, MBD, fall, and eggbound. Providing the info and pictures requested above will help us narrow down the possibilities. Right now your priorities are getting her to a vet first thing this morning, then come back with all of the requested info and we can discuss how to implement the required husbandry fixes. I want to stress that the husbandry fixes will not cure her, only prevent this from happening again down the road if she survives this.
 
Sorry to tell you that but prognosis is really bad, I saw this twice and perform autopsy one one. one the first this was caused by kidney failure (kidney was really big really inflamed and my guess is abnormal size did pinch a nerve
It can also be million of other reason :

-Tumor
-Constipation
-MBD
-neurological problem
-inflammatory disease
-bacterial infection
-other cause I can't think about
-parasite

without a vet and bit of money for the test (x-ray, bacteria culture, parasite test, blood testing) your chameleon will die (and with the treatment, still no warranty)

If you want, you can fill the how to ask for help form so we might be able to help you to better understand what possibly be the cause
 
Back
Top Bottom