Thank you both for your responses. I just received this little girl yesterday, and she is breaking my heart. Apparently, her first owner was a child who didn't realize the damage he did. The previous owner was very knowledgable and very responsible, but he could not afford a vet. He did the best he could with the correct lighting, food and supplements.

Honestly, tho, she looks just awful. She has several ribs sticking out, so I presume they are broken. All of her joints are "knobby". Now, I don't care about deformities and imperfections---I'll never try to breed her, obviously. But I care VERY much about pain and I just can't stand to see an animal suffering. I don't know enough about chams to know if she is suffering or not, but I do know that it looks like climbing is a laborious task for her. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep on my shoulder. Also, last night I put her on a branch, and she stayed there the entire night. I had to move her this morning, and she still hasn't climbed on a perch. Is this normal behavior for a cham?

I'm taking her to a vet today for a work-up, but what I really want to know is, is she suffering? If so, can the pain be helped by calcitonin injections, or whatever treatment the vet recommends? I know she'll always have deformities and special needs, but will she experience pain from them for the rest of her life? Would the kindest thing for her be to think about euthanasia, or can she live a pain-free life?

I would appreciate anyone's honest thoughts about this. I just can't stand to see her suffer, but then again, maybe she's not...

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