Chameleon falling off branch?

[Xyres]

The past two days my chameleon has fallen off of a plant in his cage. Each time I went up to him, lifted him up and he seemed 100% fine. No broken limbs, his grip strength is really good and he shows all the signs of a healthy cham. Should I be worrying about this? I know its (mostly) natural that some chams will just fall when scared or if they are clumsy.

He is a 1yo male Panther Chameleon
Lives in a 2x2x4 screen cage
Gets a total of 12 minutes misting per day
Gets supplemented every day
Has a one month old UVB bulb

If anyone has any info feel free to let me know!

 

[sandrachameleon]

they should not fall
is the grip strong in all four feet?
is the branch that he's falling from weak/thin/highly movable?

 

[Xyres]

Yup, all four feet are gripping strongly. And the branches are a reasonable size, nothing that he shouldn't be able to handle or anything that should be too small but some of the plants are on the thinnish side. Obviously because they are plants. He has been in this cage for about 4-5 months.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

Do you mind posting a few up to date pictures of him?

 

[Xyres]

For sure! Do you maybe think that it was just a random fluke of him losing his grip?

Also I got pictures from both sides, but one is with the screen in the way. If you like I could try to get a better angle.

 

[ridgebax1]

His front legs look mildly bowed. I worry about mbd when I hear about a chameleon falling. Could you elaborate on your supplementation? Type and schedule. How long are the lights on per day?

 

[Xyres]

Lights are on for 14 hours a day. My supplementation is the following:

(All repashy)

No D calcium every day, calcium +d3 twice a month, low d3 twice a month, multivitamin twice a month.

If it is some form of MBD did I just give my guy a death sentence? Should I be adjusting my supplement schedule? As long as I can remember his legs have looked like that. I will try to find some older pictures to compare, I may be wrong.

 

[sandrachameleon]

he looks fine to me
I wonder if he was rushing to catch some food and relied too much on a weak plant?

if it happens again, its worth looking into more significantly

 

[ridgebax1]

Lights are on for 14 hours a day. My supplementation is the following:

(All repashy)

No D calcium every day, calcium +d3 twice a month, low d3 twice a month, multivitamin twice a month.

If it is some form of MBD did I just give my guy a death sentence? Should I be adjusting my supplement schedule? As long as I can remember his legs have looked like that. I will try to find some older pictures to compare, I may be wrong.

I am sorry for scaring you. I thought his legs looked only a little odd. I defer to Sandrachameleon's opinion for sure. Your supplement is fine and it could have been a coincidence that he fell.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I am sorry for scaring you. I thought his legs looked only a little odd. I defer to Sandrachameleon's opinion for sure.

You could be entirely right and I could be entirely wrong. Don't defer to me!

 

[Decadancin]

He looks O.K. to me as well. I do see a bit of a "bow" but I think that's from the camera angle. (I am by no means a picture expert, and can barely get a shot of my boy but he doesn't seem to have MBD to me.) If it does continue, I'd have him checked out. An x-ray and some bloodwork might be in order. Sometimes Gout or even Arthritis can cause them to not want to grip branches at certain angles.

I will often try to use a vine or branch to help support certain plants. I even have to do this on my hibiscus.

 

[Xyres]

Alright thanks everyone! I will keep an eye on him! I really appreciate all your support and helpful advice.

 

[ridgebax1]

I originally looked at the picture using my phone and looked again using my computer and now I do think it is more of a camera angle thing. Just keep a close eye on him and maybe beef up his branches if they seem flimsy. My boy Pete's first symptom was falling and grabbing his front legs with his back feet. That is why I get concerned when I hear about chams falling. Some will purposely fall as an escape mechanism but I think some species are more apt to do that than others but I could be wrong about that.

You have come to the right place for help with keeping him healthy though

 

[Xyres]

Alright I observed him falling again today... Time to treat for MBD? I just don't get it. I supplement him all the time, replace his UVB every 6 months and everything. :\

Is it possible to get a bad UVB bulb?

Also unfortunately for me there is no reptile vet where I live so I can't readily take him in either to get tests done.

EDIT: I found a reptile vet in my town. I will make an appt tomorrow.

 

[sandrachameleon]

glad you found a vet - sorry that you feel it is necessary and very sorry that he fell again.

can you describe the circumstances / what he was doing when he fell?

yes it is possible to get bad UVB tubes - only way to be sure is with a metre. but you are supplementing, which should reduce /mitigate any harm from a low UVB tube

maybe worth answering all the questions in the how to ask for help sticky, just in case.

 

[Xyres]

Thanks. D:

And I didn't see what exactly he was doing, i just heard him fall off his branch. I then moved everything around a little so its easier for him to walk. Since that he hasn't fallen so hopefully that was the issue. Also for a vet visit what should I be asking the vet to look for? And how much does it cost for a vet visit for a cham? Xrays, blood tests and the vet appt itself isn't usually cheap.

 

[Xyres]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - 1yo male panther chameleon. Had him for 8 months
Handling - Rarely. Once or twice a week for less than 15 minutes.
Feeding - Feeding 10-12 crickets a day, 2-3 mealworms a week. Gutloading with oranges, apples and repashy gutload mix.
Supplements - Already posted this in the thread
Watering - I use a mistking for about 12 minutes total a day. A dripper for about 20. I never see my cham drinking but sometimes I do sneak a peek at him just after.
Fecal Description - Bright whites, dark brown. Solid and in one piece. He has never been tested for parasites.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen cage 2x2x4
Lighting - 14 hours of light with reptisun 5.0
Temperature - 85f basking, 70f ambient. About 65f overnight.
Humidity - 40-60%
Plants - No live plants
Location - Canada