Fallen chameleon. What do I do?

A

Arcturus

New Member
So today I put my veiled out in her enclosure and left to take a shower; when I was done, I went to get her, but found her on the bottom of the cage. I picked her up, and immediately noticed she wasn't acting right or using her back legs. I started to see if she had sensation in them and BAM, the passive cham I love so much actually started to bite. She can move her tail, and tolerate her legs being touched, but there is one spot on her back before her hind legs that is very sensitive to her. It almost feels like a muscle spasm when I touch there.

What can I do for her? Are things broken?
 
Yes, what kind of pictures will help? This is Smiley, but I couldn't remember my password and it logged me out- making a new account was faster than trying to figure out what email I made it with and all that.



How she's keeping her legs.



Left.



Right.



Dorsal.

I feel like an idiot. She was doing so well, I thought she could handle the outdoor enclosure. I left her on a branch not too far from the bottom... She must have gotten adventurous and slipped.
 
Oh my goodness. You chameleon has severe metabolic bone disease. How long have you had your chameleon? She is in bad shape.
 
I have had her a week and she's been on calcium glubonate for a week.
I'm more worried about the back/legs right now.
She also has eye infections and a RI. She's been on meds for those and MBD since the day after I got her.
 
Oh ok so you got her like that. Poor thing. There are many people who come on here and have no idea about mbd until we make them aware of it and I was not sure of your circumstance. Has she been seen by a vet? How old is she? You could have the vet take xrays to see if there are any breaks. Where did you get her from?
 
Yeah I completely understand. My fault for making a second account in a panic for advice.

She first saw a vet last Wednesday , then I took her back last Thursday for the MBD medication and my own thing of baytril. I rescued her from where I work. Chameleons are new to our stores and other associates haven't been trained on chameleons.

I am not sure of her age. And I'm only assuming she's a girl.
 
She looks to be female as there are no spurs on the back of her back heels from what I can see. The males have the spurs. Also coloring can distinguish them also when they are adults or juveniles. The babies are sexed by the spurs. Her coloring is really bad as I am sure you are aware. She has been totally neglected by the previous owner. So very sad. I know they can get calcium injections also when they have mbd. At this point, just try and get her outside for as much natural uvb as possible and give her the calcium. I would get the xrays also so you can see where you stand as far if there are any breaks in her bones.
 
Yeah that's what I was going by, so I've been calling her my little girl. That's the worst part- she was doing so much better... I posted earlier today about how she was improving and her color starting to go green again. https://www.chameleonforums.com/her-eye-gone-130982/

And as per the other posts about sunlight helping her, I started putting her in the outdoor enclosure since she hadn't fallen from anything since the second day I've had her. She got adventurous (another sign of improvement) and I had left her alone for maybe 45 minutes to shower and get ready. I feel awful.

Is there anything that can be done for broken bones? The vet was skeptical that she would even survive the infections, and I had to demand the calcium glub. so that I could give her a better chance if she did survive. Of course I had to go and screw everything up by leaving her alone and thinking she was well enough to hold on. I'm literally in tears right now because I've failed her.
 
Can she move her back legs at all, even when you touch them? Hopefully if she fell she just bruised a nerve and it will heal. I don't see any sudden changes in height of her spine, so hopefully it was not serious. The only way you can know for sure is an x-ray like Carol said.

I assume Smiley and Arcturus are the same user? I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, you have already helped her a great deal and accidents happen. Its amazing you have been able to keep her alive considering the way you got her. Falling wouldn't have been a problem if her bones weren't weakend by the MBD. I would just make sure she can't get too high until her bones have returned to normal. You could put her in a 24x24x48 cage on its side while she recovers.
 
Yes, I forgot my password and the email I signed up with so I made a mad dash to make a new account; needed input ASAP.

She can move her back legs some, but very little. She doesn't fuss when I mess with them, only along one part of her spine above the hip- and oh boy, does she get angry. She started keeping one eye open just so she could give me death stares. Her legs are also hanging more loosely now. When it first happened they were glued to her sides and bent, and she can more and curl her tail and grip lightly with her back feet.

I think it could be a nerve, that's exactly what it feels like when I apply a little pressure to the area- and intense nerve shooting up her spine. It's not crunchy, but it feels like an electric current.

I will buy her new cage and things this weekend as planned, and then deconstruct Nigel's 16x16x48 (connected two cages together) and let her be in the little one. He will be happy with the new one, shorter but wider (3'x2.5') so once I place it on a stand he can be tall.
 
Smiley said:
Yeah that's what I was going by, so I've been calling her my little girl. That's the worst part- she was doing so much better... I posted earlier today about how she was improving and her color starting to go green again. https://www.chameleonforums.com/her-eye-gone-130982/

And as per the other posts about sunlight helping her, I started putting her in the outdoor enclosure since she hadn't fallen from anything since the second day I've had her. She got adventurous (another sign of improvement) and I had left her alone for maybe 45 minutes to shower and get ready. I feel awful.

Is there anything that can be done for broken bones? The vet was skeptical that she would even survive the infections, and I had to demand the calcium glub. so that I could give her a better chance if she did survive. Of course I had to go and screw everything up by leaving her alone and thinking she was well enough to hold on. I'm literally in tears right now because I've failed her.
Click to expand...

You did not fail her, you are doing all that you can for her.
 
My little girl

Please do not beat yourself up. It was so brave of you to take her on and try to bring her back to life. It is hard when our pets get sick. I think you are doing the best you can. Accidents happen, and you can't be there 24/7. I hope she improves. I will say a prayer for her.
 
Don't feel guilty, you have done so much for her! Be proud of what you are doing and as above accidents happen. I trust she will be fine.
 
A little update.

Tonight I gave her a nice, long soak (cupped in my hands) to help loosen up her muscles. Then, after a while I moved her spine under the running water to apply minimal pressure- she didn't mind. After that, I put small amounts of pressure along her back legs to check for recoil. There is one spot that is tender near her left ankle and it is quite swollen, but looking back at the video I took of her walking the night I got her, most- if not all- of her leg deformities were present then. I suspect this is a past fracture/break. When pressure is applied there, she opens her foot and I can feel smaller nerve firings (feels like an electric current buzzing, if that makes sense). Both her forearms are tender, but she's always moved those.

Finally, I began to check her back with my fingers. First on one side to check for sensitivity (there was minimal recoil), and then I pressed both sides (between thumb and forefinger) and expected a bite or at least a gaping mouth. There was none. I was very relieved to see she wasn't in anywhere close to the pain that she was in previously. She still had the nerve firings up her spine again, but not as extreme. Like a phone going off on vibrate. This also happens on it's own, without me touching her. What is this? And I know she wasn't not (double negative) biting or making a fuss due to lethargy, she's been holding her front end up, gaping when she gets too hot, and even dragging herself around some.

Her tail is reactive, and she is moving her left hind leg more, and grasping with her right hind foot again. After her soak and exam, I had her sit in my hand underneath her heat source— my goodness, she turned greener than I have ever seen her. This is what I needed to see.

Tonight, while driving home from buying the new set up, I was terribly sad, and began thinking, "at what point does making her suffer through all of this become cruel? Should she recover from the MULTIPLE things wrong with her, what would her quality of life be like? She's been through enough misery," and was about to make a post asking you guys your opinions on that topic... Not because I want to give up on her, but because seeing her in pain and knowing how f-ed up her entire life has been thus far makes me cry, and I don't want to prolong her tragic situation if it is too much for her, especially when the prognosis is so dismal. If you guys genuinely feel like she can pull through and live a good life, I am so on board for pulling all the stops. If you think that she's honestly suffering to no good end, that is a truth that I need to hear, as well. I want to be fair to her and respect what is best for her, if that is the case.

Little improvements, like tonight, are encouraging and I'm elated right now at the difference between the fall when it happened two days ago, and now.


Extra green due to flash.


No flash.


Thermoregulating.


Her eyes will bulge out sometimes :eek: and she insists on plunging her eye right into my finger and rubbing her eye around it. She is also still gasping for breath every now and then. Is this remnant of the RI? She did it before the fall, and if anything it's the same as before or less.


Less exuberant color, but detailed side view.

 
You have such a good heart, whilst it is hard now with your persistence can you imagine once she has recovered and is leading a happy life how proud you will be. All your hard work, love and care is making her lead a better more comfortable life. I take my hat off to you and take a "bow" to you for what you are doing for her.
 
First off, it is absolutely amazing that you are trying so hard to help her. The lack of care that caused these problems is heartbreaking. I feel so bad for her.

That said, she's in really poor shape. If she survives, she will never be 75%, much less fully recover. Currently, she's suffering. If it were me, I would have her euthanized. It would be very hard for me, but I think it would be the right thing. However, you are with her day to day, and you know her ups and downs. Whatever you decide, you have my admiration for trying so very hard to help this poor little girl.
 
I hate to see chams in this condition.
I know you are doing everything possible for her, and she is finally in good hands.
You can stop the MBD from getting worse, but, sadly, cant fix what is already done.

Even if she doesn't make it, you should know you provided her with good care, and a nice home.

Do you have her on liquid calcium?
 
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