About a reptile

Question
We have a veiled chameleon That for some reason keeps using his back claw and holding his front leg both on the same side and for some reason he won't let it go and he has been falling and still holds on to it he won't let go for nothing. I have been helping him let it loose but he keeps doing it.So I was wondering if you might know why he might be doing that. Thank you,Chris

Answer
Hi Chris, I have seen that behaviour occasionally with chameleons but never had any indication that it is related to illness in any way. They will just grab their own front leg while climbing instead of a vine or branch and somehow not realize it. Their instinct to hang on ( ironically, so that they don't fall!) is so hard-wired that they don't let go even though they can't move and can end up falling. Instinct will cause their little reptile brains to cling to an idea even though it may not make much sense. They may lack the level of self awareness that allows them to think "hey, that's my own leg, not a branch! " I guess it's a little like a dog chasing his own tail.
I can only suggest adding extra vines and climbing branches so that when he is searching for footing he might grab those instead.