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I had to take my baby vieled out of her cage to clean it, but as usual she ran away at the site of my hand. I had to keep trying to lead to climb on my hand, and when she finally got on I was moving my hand take her out. She tried to grasp something but couldn't and lost her balance and fell and hit the hard bottom of the cage. The fall was about 10 inches, and I quickly picked her up gently and examined her. She seems ok but she seems a little shaky and clumsy. When I approach she scurries away to the opposite side of the cage though so she can move. Is this trauma or injury?

Hi,
I think your chameleon should be just fine. She was probably just a little shocked and frightened afte the fall, and its normal for a chameleon to run away from something thats larger than them, like a hand. A 10 in. fall shouldnt do too much damage. I have a baby veiled also, and it once took a 4 foot fall and hit the bottom of the cage with a THUMP. I was sure that he didnt make it, but to my suprise after a day of recovery he was doing better than ever! Good luck!

Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

If you watch the cham when it falls you may notice that it has inflated itself with air. Also, a small cham has little body weight to stress little legs and joints. So, unless it falls a long way onto a hard floor usually a fall is not serious. Chams fall in the wild too, often from heights or to escape predators. Some are known to let themselves drop off a branch if they are touched while asleep to fool an intruder that they are just dead leaves. There are stories about full grown 24" melleri crashing down from tall trees, bouncing, and walking away as if nothing had happened. I had a male deremensis who would sit quietly on a hand seemingly calm, but waiting for the most dramatic moment to thow himself off my hand...at the vet's office, or when I was walking on a hard floor, never over the carpet. He gave me a few gray hairs and drove me nuts!

>>If you watch the cham when it falls you may notice that it has inflated itself with air. Also, a small cham has little body weight to stress little legs and joints. So, unless it falls a long way onto a hard floor usually a fall is not serious. Chams fall in the wild too, often from heights or to escape predators. Some are known to let themselves drop off a branch if they are touched while asleep to fool an intruder that they are just dead leaves. There are stories about full grown 24" melleri crashing down from tall trees, bouncing, and walking away as if nothing had happened. I had a male deremensis who would sit quietly on a hand seemingly calm, but waiting for the most dramatic moment to thow himself off my hand...at the vet's office, or when I was walking on a hard floor, never over the carpet. He gave me a few gray hairs and drove me nuts!
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
?.? Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula (no name yet)

Phew thanks, it fell again when I showered him. He loved the shower BTW

Don't get too relaxed about falls, though. She could still get hurt - especially on a hard bathtub floor. Be cautious

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
?.? Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula (no name yet)