Bad posture

[ChameLIonLover]

My boy Alby seems healthy in most ways, but I have worried that he sometimes displays signs of MBD. His posture is normally erect but when he gets "comfy", he'll sort of lay more and look like this.

Any thoughts or comments?

 

[WilcoxAE]

Not sure what you mean by the pic. Kinda hard to tell.

...chams are also kinda hard to photograph.

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Not sure what you mean by the pic. Kinda hard to tell.

...chams are also kinda hard to photograph.

Just his posture. Is it normal? It's normal for my cham, but is it any indication of MBD? I realize it's hard to tell. Any feedback is helpful as I'm curious. I'm fairly certain my guy is fine and healthy, but I don't normally see pics of other people's chams in which they are laying like that unless if they're sick.

My guy has never fallen and he is able to grasp with all of his feet.

 

[MissMaisie]

He just looks like he's getting comfortable. my cham likes to 'lay down' on the branch like that sometimes, resting her head on the branch, especially if she's getting ready to go to sleep.

 

[WilcoxAE]

Looking at an image that ferretinmyshoes from this forum here posted, you can see that chameleons kind of have a slightly aggressive downward slope starting around the rear legs so I'd think it to be normal? Unless it continues to increase in its angle to a very noticeable degree... It gives them their iconic shape. Cute little dinosaurs.

 

[ChamDE86]

I'm also not seeing anything wrong here. My guy tends to get into this position closer towards the end of the day.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Looking at an image that ferretinmyshoes from this forum here posted, you can see that chameleons kind of have a slightly aggressive downward slope starting around the rear legs so I'd think it to be normal? Unless it continues to increase in its angle to a very noticeable degree... It gives them their iconic shape. Cute little dinosaurs.

You cannot look at an x-ray and draw those kinds of conclusions. This chameleon is lying on its side and might be anesthetized.

 

[WilcoxAE]

You cannot look at an x-ray and draw those kinds of conclusions. This chameleon is lying on its side and might be anesthetized.

Oh come on now, you know it's being used as a general reference to illustrate that chameleons have a downward slope towards the back of their bodies. Don't get your panties in a twist.

And yes, the chameleon was anesthetized, further illustrating the point that in a relaxed state, this is a natural posture.

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Thanks for all your feedback! @jajeanpierre, what do you think of Alby's posture then in this picture? I can take another pic the next time he is like this and get a better angle perhaps if that helps.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Oh come on now, you know it's being used as a general reference to illustrate that chameleons have a downward slope towards the back of their bodies. Don't get your panties in a twist.

And yes, the chameleon was anesthetized, further illustrating the point that in a relaxed state, this is a natural posture.

What downward slope? An arched back? Anethestized for an x-ray is not relaxed. It is posed.

 

[MissLissa]

What downward slope? An arched back? Anethestized for an x-ray is not relaxed. It is posed.

I'd agree with this. I've put anesthetized animals- mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, even a few arachnids- in some pretty bizarre postures to get the angle that we needed. Bones can do all sorts of weird things when the ligaments and muscles go limp: you even have to be careful not to overextend or dislocate anything when posing an animal that is under surgical-level anesthesia because some of the natural mechanisms to prevent that are no longer reliable. Not saying that's what this is- but xrays taken while the subject is under anesthetic are not very trustworthy for judging body posture in a conscious animal.

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Interesting. Here's another pic. Obviously people won't normally post a pic of their cham that shows that their not in a pronounced posture. That's why I was asking if people do see similar posture in their chams occasionally as well. This same cham is the one in my profile picture.

 

[WilcoxAE]

Well @MissLissa @jajeanpierre considering that the xray matches the normal arch of a chameleon's spine THAT is why I was using it as reference to show that structurally, chameleons have arched backs with an increasing degree of arch as you get closer to the tail. This was to ease @ChameLIonLover distress over whether or not the posture of their chameleon was normal or not.

Really, you guys?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Well @MissLissa @jajeanpierre considering that the xray matches the normal arch of a chameleon's spine THAT is why I was using it as reference to show that structurally, chameleons have arched backs with an increasing degree of arch as you get closer to the tail. This was to ease @ChameLIonLover distress over whether or not the posture of their chameleon was normal or not.

Really, you guys?

I think the OP was worried about his/her chameleon lying on the branch and not standing up on his legs.

From the first post, emphasis mine:
"His posture is normally erect but when he gets "comfy", he'll sort of lay more and look like this.

 

[brownie64]

I think you chameleon is fine mine sleep like this all the time. It seems to get more pronounced the older they get. They are just chilling.