Bad accident

L

Lgustave

New Member
Ok, something really bad happened ,I had a pothos hanging from the top of the cage, it's been there for somedays and steve (my chameleon ,1 month old) was hanging around on it, I was sitting in front just watching when suddenly the chain breaks and the plant falls a big distance to the ground!!!!!, I ran quickly and started looking, I tought I would find steve all hurt on the floor, when I saw him he was walking up from the plant just with a little mud on him , he was moving ok, i was trying to get him to look for wounds or something and he was quick and agile, I just sprayedhim a bit to clear him off, and let him go because he was all scared ,puffing is eyes and all. I repaired all the stuff in the cage quickly, and watched him, he looked normal, and was eating and everything. What do you think I should do? Do you think he could be ok? I just noticed a little dark mark on his skin, but it could have been there before and I just noticed it right now because I examined him.
Awww man, I feel really bad about it, damn, i hope he is ok.
 
Chameleons have spidey sense.





No, I'm not even joking.

As soon as they feel as if they are falling, the will pull their legs in and literally whip out their tail to graps anything possible. Not only this, which happens lightningly fast, but they also inflat their body completely with air, giving a cussion for their soft cartlidge ribs to land on. Just like an airbag.
 
Will Hayward said:
Chameleons have spidey sense.
Click to expand...

Jordan mentioned something a few days ago about chameleons being really far-sighted, and how anything really close to them is a bit blurry.

If that's true, then that would account for why they seem to lose their footing every now and then when climbing from branch to branch, and why they will sometimes try walk right off the edge of a table.

It might also explain why they've developed their 'spidey sense': they probably take a few tumbles out in the wild too.
 
I know in the wild that Veiled Chameleons use falling as a defensive act. If say a bird of prey were to fly over head and swoop in for attack, the chameleon simply releases it's grip and falls to the ground and as Will said, they inflate their bodies to minimize possible damage, then they scamper back to cover. I have to remind myself of this when one of our little guys takes a tumble now. We have 16 hatchlings so far and we get 1 to 2 more every day now, we have 2 pipping as I type and 25 more eggs to go.

Ivory Serpent
 
Is it only the old-world chams that have the spidey sense? I'm curious about my little brevs. I haven't seen one fall yet, but sometimes, when they're on the trail of a cricket, they don't use the best judgement on which stems might support them, or how long their reach is....Of course, they don't have the tails to grab branches.
 
Have you seen a brev play dead yet? They do an amazing job of it...I have even known of one person who was going to dispose of it only to find out that it had gotten up and walked away before it could be done.

They curl their bodies to look like dead leaves, show no movement no matter what you do to them and appear not to be breathing. They will do this if frightened or startled sometimes....and hold the state until they feel its safe to go back to normal.

Brookesia thieli also play dead well...and vibrate when annoyed.

Slightly further off topic...of course, I'm sure you have all "heard" the veileds "hooting"?
 
kinyonga said:
Have you seen a brev play dead yet? They do an amazing job of it...I have even known of one person who was going to dispose of it only to find out that it had gotten up and walked away before it could be done.
Click to expand...

No, I have never seen a brev play dead. I even accidently stepped on one once and it didn't play dead. They vibrate and squirm whenever I have to handle them.

Heika
 
kinyonga said:
I'm sure you have all "heard" the veileds "hooting"?
Click to expand...

My Veiled is still young, so the most I've heard is a rather feeble attempt at a hiss... He's getting there though ;)

When do they hoot, and what does that sound like? Are we talking 'owl hoot' here?
 
I forget the name of the effect- but the smaller the animal the more like water air is. Thats why smaller animals can make drops from increadible distances and still be fine.
 
I didn't know the brevs could play dead....I was desperately hoping my first one was, though. But when she turned black and white and got stiff, I gave up hoping. My guys do great curled leaf imitations, though....but they are still hanging onto branches when they do them.

Heika, I love the picture of a little lizard balloon....:D
 
here is a temperalis playing dead i have seen it with brevs too but dont have any pics, its amazing how chams can fall soo far even knowing how they manage it it sill amazes me.

oh crap did she see me!
DSC06526.jpg

gone yet?
DSC06527.jpg
 
Brandi those pics are GREAT! :p Now I know not to panic the first time one of my babies falls....sort of like not panicking when your crab moults, and you find an apparently dead body lying in the tank....:rolleyes:
 
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