Chameleon fell - what to watch for

[SueAndHerZoo]

I probably don't have to tell you how badly I feel.... my poor guy just fell about 5 feet onto a hardwood floor. I opened his cage door with a roach in my hand to feed him and didn't realize he had one foot on the cage door. When I opened it, I heard him plop to the ground, landing on his legs, thank God. He seems fine but what should I watch out for? What are the signs of a broken bone? Internal damage? Ugh, I'm going to spend the day staring at him. He seems fine, came rushing over a minute later to receive an apology superworm. I'm definitely more traumatized than he is!
Sue

 

[Beman]

Swelling and poor/abnormal movement.. Unfortunately with chams if there are broken bones there is nothing a vet can do to mend them. If he has had crappy supplementation prior to you then he is higher risk for MBD issues even if it is not visible. Which means fractures can happen more easily. Put a padded carpet in front of the cage just in case another fall happens. Then at least they do not land on hard wood floors.

 

[Ayantis44]

Hi,
Chameleons can usually handle falls really well. Most of the time if there is something wrong, you will know. Look out for abnormal movement, poor balance, poor apatite, etc. Chams sometimes vomit after falls, but they are usually fine after. Keep a close eye on him, but I think you will be fine, especially since he didn't hit his head.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I’m so sorry this happened to him and you! I hope he’s okay. It’s funny how we blame ourselves and it is harder on us most of the time than it is on them.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I probably don't have to tell you how badly I feel.... my poor guy just fell about 5 feet onto a hardwood floor. I opened his cage door with a roach in my hand to feed him and didn't realize he had one foot on the cage door. When I opened it, I heard him plop to the ground, landing on his legs, thank God. He seems fine but what should I watch out for? What are the signs of a broken bone? Internal damage? Ugh, I'm going to spend the day staring at him. He seems fine, came rushing over a minute later to receive an apology superworm. I'm definitely more traumatized than he is!
Sue

Sounds like he's fine. I agree that if anything serious happened, you'd notice.
In the rainforest they can fall 40 ft. or more and walk away.

https://petsdojo.net/how-far-can-a-chameleon-safely-fall

Placing a pad on the floor couldn't hurt.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Sounds like he's fine. I agree that if anything serious happened, you'd notice.
In the rainforest they can fall 40 ft. or more and walk away.

https://petsdojo.net/how-far-can-a-chameleon-safely-fall

Placing a pad on the floor couldn't hurt.

Thanks for the reassurance - he does seem fine today - acting normal (whatever "normal" is for a chameleon!)
Sue