huge fall!

[lil lito]

My 6 month old chameleon just jumped off a 5 foot fence and landed on a cement slab! He saw a cat and got scared. He seems completely unphased. I had him out of his cage watching him closely for about 2 hours and he was acting completely normal. He has great grip and nothing seems to look different at all. Is that even possible? How worried should I be right now? If he were in pain would he be showing it?

 

[laurie]

You may be lucky and he has no problems. Chams jump to the ground as a way to run from predators. They are able to inflate their bodies to some degree. Often this will save them injuries. Just keep an eye on him and I would keep him in a cage when outside, to protect him from getting hurt, dog, cat, bird, etc, and you from having to worry as much.

 

[DanSB]

It is certainly possible. They are designed to jump out of trees to escape predators.

I personally would make sure all limbs are moving and functioning correctly. I would then make sure it is shooting and eating normally. Then I would watch for irregular stool / urates. Any black could indicate internal bleeding. You won't know if he is in pain, they hide it well. But just watch for irregularities.

I personally wouldn't be super worried if he is otherwise healthy and in good shape.

 

[DanSB]

You may be lucky and he has no problems. Chams just to the ground as a way to run from predators. They are able to inflate their bodies to some degree. Often this will save them injuries. Just keep an eye on him and I could keep him in a cage when outside, to protect him from getting hurt, dog, cat, bird, etc, and you from having to worry as much.

I was typing when you responded!

I will add Laurie has a lot more experience than me and is definitely worth listening to!

 

[laurie]

I was typing when you responded!

I will add Laurie has a lot more experience than me and is definitely worth listening to!

Dan, give yourself more credit! I give you lots of credit, and you explained in depth what to do and look for, I was lazy, so you gave the better advice.

 

[lil lito]

You both gave good advice. I've been watching him very closely for about 5 hours now and he seems totally normal. But I will keep watching him. Thanks for the help

 

[Kiwiflage]

My guy has fallen several times from the top of his 4' cage when her tries to get on the screen but he always goes unscathed. Always worries me, but they seem to do better than I had thought as well. Good luck with him!

 

[laurie]

I have 12 baby quads divided in 3 screen cage that are 16 x 16 x 20. The babies are one month old and go up on the top of the cage all time. I have never seen any of them fall but it sure does worry me. I gave up years ago trying to keep babies off the top.

Here they are
https://www.chameleonforums.com/official-baby-quad-update-thread-117883/

 

[Lancecham]

If there was any major physical problems as a result of the fall, you would have seen them by now. As Laurie mentioned, keep an eye on him for the next several days for anything unusual.

 

[lil lito]

Hey, thought I'd post a little update. I hate reading posts like this and then the person doesn't give any final outcome. Anyway, my little dude seems absolutely fine. I've been watching him extremely close and i can't see anything even remotely concerning. In fact, he almost seems better than he was before the jump. He eats like a champ and is active as ever. Maybe he got a little rush of adrenaline and now he feels more alive lol. Thank you all for your help and advice. It really helped me relax a little. Now to get over this new fear I have about bringing outside.

 

[Carlton]

To put this in perspective...there was a legend about Meller's chameleon that said the females would throw themselves off the tops of rainforest trees, falling to the ground and bursting open to release their babies and walk away.

Biologists have documented adult chams (possibly fighting with intruders) crashing down out of the rainforest trees overhead, hitting the ground and walking away unconcerned. They are pretty tough guys if they have the time to self inflate and land correctly.

 

[lil lito]

Wow that's crazy! They're like the super heros of the jungle

 

[Daddio53]

I was just writing to see how he was,but gladly you said he is okay. I see someone already said it would be a good idea to keep him in a cage when he's outside.Let me add to that. This summer I have watched one of 4 neighbor hood hawks (2 Coopers and 2 Kestrels) swoop down and nail some of the Doves that frequent my feeders. So far there have been 13 birds nailed by hawks. A chameleon would fall right into their meal size, and it would all happen in a split second. Just imagining that should be warning enough. When you take on the responsibility of caring for an animal, you need to do all you can to protect that animal. Chameleons need the UVb rays, and direct sunlight is the best source. Don't be afraid to take him outside, just make sure he's well protected. I made an outdoor cage from Hardware Cloth for about $4. It just took some snipping and bending to get it all together.

 

[lil lito]

Thanks for the advice. Believe me, when it comes to my pets, I'm a bit on the over protective side. I was actually standing right next to him when this happened. Hard to explain the situation but this cat ran and jumped over us from a second story balcony. I still bring him outside but I'm incredibly nervous the whole time. I'm trying to figure out a way to not put him in a cage while he's out there. I might try to make a large screened off area. He likes to wander around and always wants to come out of his cage. I want him to be able to free roam when he wants to.