HELP, CHAMELEON HAS FALLEN....swollen leg

hello to all, and thank you very much for reading my question,

do you know anything about what to do if your chameleon has fallen, and has a suspected sprained/broken foot? my larger veiled ( Jack, 2 years, in all the photos) fell from about half way up his cage onto the bottom. he was fine that day, but now we are noticing his back right leg is swollen, and he's favoring it. does this require a vet visit? will it heal on its own? he is still fairly "normal", although he has not eaten anything since the fall ( yesterday morning) im afraid that the trip to the vet at the moment would put his stress level through the roof, but im also afraid that if we dont take him, his leg will not heal. what will they offer for a hurt leg? will they just tell me to take him home and let it heal by itself? then i will have put him through the stress of the move for nothing........please let me know what you think, any help would be really great, i dont like seeing my Jack like this thanks again.

JackAttack

First off, Pics would be of great help.

Secondly, if something is broken, a vet visit is needed. they should do an Xray and advise you from there. Did he just lose grip or is MBD a possibility? Do his joints look swollen?

is he eating/drinking normally?

thank you so much for replying, i am posting pics as we speak........the one that is hurt is swollen, but the rest look fine. he has been eating normally, until the fall, but i think its because he is hurt............i will post pics right now.

and also, he hasnt lost grip in the foot, its just so swollen, its hard to grab things.....and he's not using it

Filling this out as well will probably get you some detailed answers.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
* Location - 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?


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.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

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here are some threads I found for you that might help and have some advice instead of repetitive info:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/just-noticed-my-chameleon-21461/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/should-i-worried-21011/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/i-hate-myself-20834/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/mbd-broken-fine-20626/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-chameleon-possible-injured-20018/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/broken-legs-18712/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/sprained-ankle-16549/

Thats just a few on the first 3 pages. I did not read through them, just did a search for BROKEN LEG and these had it somewhat in the topic title so I listed them.

Good luck.

this is a picture of his back right foot, compared to the other left back foot.....his right foot is really puffy, but i dont see any bones out of place or anything sticking out.........just swollen.......he is favoring it and being smart about it, using his tail for support instead of his injured foot..........just wondered if its maybe sprained and not broken?? if so, will it heal on its own???? please help

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - VERY large all screen enclosure, approx 1.5metres tall by 1 meter wide, by 1/2 meter deep

* Lighting - all Exo Terra Lighting......one bulb for heat, and 1 for UV lighting, there is also another set of lights that help light to the bottom of the cage.

* Temperature - avg temp is about 82degrees, dropping to 70's in the evening

* Humidity - humidity is kept up by spraying/misting multiple times in the day

* Plants - fake plants, cleaned regularly with water

* Location - cage is located in our study, it is the warmest room in the house, cage sits on the floor, but is very tall


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Chameleon, 2 years old, owned him since he was wee

* Handling - Jack spends most of his time trying to get out of the cage, he loves to explore, i have NEVER had to force him out of the cage, he comes willingly and happily, once every couple of days

* Feeding - Jack eats mostly crickets, he LOVES horned worms and silk worms as a treat. he eats on avg 10 crickets/ day, sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on his mood. they are all dusted with a calcium poweder, which i recently realized doesnst have D in it, so will be replacing today ( he usually has one with all the vitamins, this is a new one) crickets are fed those chunks of water, and sometimes grapes and lettuce. they have had carrots as well.

* Supplements - as mentioned above, its a solely calcium powder, but he has only had that particular brand for a few months, he will be getting the proper ones today. they are dusted regularly, about every other day.

* Watering - I mist Jack multiple times through out the day, he preferrs his water from a dropper, he often drinks this way. i see him drink this way on a regular basis.

* Fecal Description - normal poops, white liquid, brown chunks

* History - he is an explorer and "wanders" ALL the time, he has fallen before, has always been sort of "clumsy" poor depth perception lol, but it has never been an issue, he has never injured himself before.

* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

Where are you located? ?That also plays a role in the advice you may recieve.

I live in Alberta Canada

I am by no means experienced, but spend many working hours each day reading this website trying to clean knowledge, so the following jump out at me-

* Lighting - all Exo Terra Lighting......one bulb for heat, and 1 for UV lighting, there is also another set of lights that help light to the bottom of the cage. Why do you have lights at the bottom of the cage? I believe that you need a good temperature gradient within.

* Temperature - avg temp is about 82degrees, dropping to 70's in the evening - i work in Celcius, so no idea what this temp is!

* Humidity - humidity is kept up by spraying/misting multiple times in the day - are you able to monitor this? That gives you a good idea. I tend to keep mine at about 50-60%

* Plants - fake plants, cleaned regularly with water - People will always say try to get real

* Location - cage is located in our study, it is the warmest room in the house, cage sits on the floor, but is very tall - again, people would say to try to get high so the top of the cage is about 6ft and gives a feeling of security

* Feeding - Jack eats mostly crickets, he LOVES horned worms and silk worms as a treat. he eats on avg 10 crickets/ day, sometimes more, sometimes less, depends on his mood. they are all dusted with a calcium poweder, which i recently realized doesnst have D in it, so will be replacing today ( he usually has one with all the vitamins, this is a new one) crickets are fed those chunks of water, and sometimes grapes and lettuce. they have had carrots as well. - it is my understanding that at his age, he should be feeding every other day. People will also tell you to try and feed the crickets with as much veg as poss, with things such as kale and to gutload for a few days before feeding to your cham.

* Supplements - as mentioned above, its a solely calcium powder, but he has only had that particular brand for a few months, he will be getting the proper ones today. they are dusted regularly, about every other day. - i think the standard assumption over that side of the pond is calcium powder everyday, with vit d3 twice month and vitamins once a month.

* History - he is an explorer and "wanders" ALL the time, he has fallen before, has always been sort of "clumsy" poor depth perception lol, but it has never been an issue, he has never injured himself before. if he is always clumsy, would this not indicate an underlying issue? My understanding of chams is they have excellent eyesight. Someone please correct me if i'm wrong.

If there is even the slightest possibility there is a break (which there is) then really the only sensible course of action is a vets visit. Until x-rays are done and the extent of the damage is seen, i'm not sure how anyone on here can call it.

Emma - Google "10 degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius"

Syn said:

Emma - Google "10 degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius"

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I could, but i prefer celcius! I was just being a little lazy, long day at work.

WelshOneEmma said:

* History - he is an explorer and "wanders" ALL the time, he has fallen before, has always been sort of "clumsy" poor depth perception lol, but it has never been an issue, he has never injured himself before. if he is always clumsy, would this not indicate an underlying issue? My understanding of chams is they have excellent eyesight. Someone please correct me if i'm wrong.

If there is even the slightest possibility there is a break (which there is) then really the only sensible course of action is a vets visit. Until x-rays are done and the extent of the damage is seen, i'm not sure how anyone on here can call it.

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Depth perception? Maybe there's something wrong with his eyes. Clumsy.. maybe his muscles or bones have something wrong with them. Cases of MBD involve a lot of.. falling..

82 degrees Fahrenheit = 27.7777778 degrees Celsius


70 degrees Fahrenheit = 21.1111111 degrees Celsius

Can't offer first hand experience, but my juvenile panther spotted a hawk on an electrical line from well over 40 feet away. He spotted it before I could even tell what it was.

chambabysitter1 said:

Can't offer first hand experience, but my juvenile panther spotted a hawk on an electrical line from well over 40 feet away. He spotted it before I could even tell what it was.

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I read somewhere on a thread that they can zoom!

my chameleons usually spot things before i see them as well!

How's he doing? Has he seen a vet?

It maybe best that he sees a vet. His leg is swollen. My youngest sounds like yours where he likes to roam and he was clumsy for about a month but seemed to grow out of it and he was about 7 months old but I never had any health issues and now part free ranges. If he is clumsy and has trouble with depth perception then there maybe an underlying issue....all I know is that if one of my chams legs looked like that I would get him to the vet for a thorough check up. Good luck with your boy he is a great looking cham