falls

[bluegeorge]

Sometimes my cham if I let him out in the sun will just walk off things. Today he walked right off the ledge of a wooden bench and fell on the ground. The other day he was in his fiscus tree and walked right of the end of the branch and fell a good foot to the ground.

I picked him up and felt him and he is moving ok but I am a bit worried that if he keeps on doing this he is gong to hurt himself. Is this normal?

 

[dodolah]

did he seems to deliberately fall? or he tries to climb but fall?
As far as falling, chameleon seems develop an adaptation to soften the blow.
He will flatten his body to slow down his velocity and so on..

Can you post a pic of your cham?

 

[bluegeorge]

He does seem to deliberately fall...he will stop look around and then just keep walking. I watched him walk to the edge of the bench he put one foot out saw that nothing was underneath of him, looked down and just kept going and fell

I took the top picture of him on a ledge and caught him just after I took the photo as he strolled off of it (he would have fallen 3 foot to the floor it I hadn't caught him)....the other photo is after I caught him.

He is 9 months old and just walks off of things...I am now to worried to leave him in his fiscus tree as he walks off the branches.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=4326&c=3&userid=3080

https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=4327&c=3&userid=3080

 

[summoner12]

Im not sure why they do this.

My guy Fred does this when I try to give him a shower.. he just walks blindly it seems off his stick into the water. Sometimes his eyes are closed and sometimes they are open. I don't understand it. I just keep a close eye. He seems pretty fearless of falling. One time he jumped or... like lowered himself via tail from a 2 foot drop to the floor from his Pothos. He looked like Tom Cruise.

 

[dodolah]

Sometime, chameleon jump off the tree when they are freaked out.
The first time, my cham decided to dive from my hand after seeing me holding the gentamicin drop (he hates that bottle since the eye drop therapy).
I wonder if he is clumsy because he can't see well?
Does he hunt ok? or he keep missing?
from your pics, the limbs look fine. I was afraid that it might be MBD. but,
I could not see anything wrong with your panther's legs.

He does seem to deliberately fall...he will stop look around and then just keep walking. I watched him walk to the edge of the bench he put one foot out saw that nothing was underneath of him, looked down and just kept going and fell

I took the top picture of him on a ledge and caught him just after I took the photo as he strolled off of it (he would have fallen 3 foot to the floor it I hadn't caught him)....the other photo is after I caught him.

He is 9 months old and just walks off of things...I am now to worried to leave him in his fiscus tree as he walks off the branches.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=4326&c=3&userid=3080

https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=4327&c=3&userid=3080

 

[jannb]

I've read in books that Chameleons have no depth perception. This is probably true.

 

[Dave Weldon]

I've read in books that Chameleons have no depth perception. This is probably true.

Howdy,

While it is likely that they have impaired depth perception when using their eyes separately, when a chameleon "locks-on" to its prey with both eyes, their depth perception returns.

 

[bluegeorge]

I am thinking its no depth conception....he hunts fine, in fact he rarely misses anything and actively hunts and shoots down prey from all over his cage and he moves and climbs freely.

He is getting gutloaded crix and superworms and silkworms and has his supplements so it shouldnt be MBD.

He has a calm disposition and it takes a lot for him to get freaked out and when he does get freaked out his first reaction is to freeze, hide or climb higher rather than jump.

Its strange to watch, he knows there is nothing under him but he just continues calmly to walk off edges no matter how high.

My only worry is that he is going into a bigger enclosure next week and that he will still walks off branches. Yesterday he did this and fell 2 feet...I am worried he is going to hurt himself

 

[dodolah]

a clumsy chameleon? hmm.. intriguing.
Do you supply him with preformed vit A at all?