broken ribs?

[marxous]

im soo sad, i just realized today that my cham looks like it has several broken ribs on one side. they are not rounded like the other ribs on the other side of her body... she is only about 4-6 mos old and i think it happened when i took her into the shower the first time. I made sure that the water was going to be the right temperature and adjusted it with a thermometer before i took her out of her cage. When it was time to get her i took her, and the vine she was on and brought her into the shower stall. Then before i knew it she jumped/fell off the branch. I tried to grab her, and managed to touch her, but this only caused her to rotate even faster in the air while falling. She must have hit the floor from just under 4 feet... She is still eating very well, this must have happened 3 or 4 days ago, and she is still moving around as if nothing happened. there was no change in attitude, only this damage. If the fall didnt cause this, then i bought her like this and didnt realize she was like this at the point of sale.

Do you guys think that she perhaps was born like this, or the damage is from the fall??? I bought her from super pet in vancouver, and she is still under their warranty... i dont know whether to bring her back or see what they can do, i know that they have a 15 day "if you kill it we'll take it back" policy, i dont know what they would do under this circumstance...

Im just looking for thoughts on the matter... thanks guys... im sorry i let my cham jump on me .. shes exploring her cage as we speak, and i love her, but im thinking the damage will lead to a shorter life span, and thus would be wise to take her back.

 

[Sal]

and i love her, but im thinking the damage will lead to a shorter life span, and thus would be wise to take her back.

If you really love her, then take her to a vet... if you care anything for her, why would you want to give her back instead of taking care of her properly??

 

[Jordan]

Marxous do you have any pictures of your chameleon's side. It is more then possible to break their ribs but highly unlikely. Most chameleons will puff up with air as they fall and then allow the air to expell when they hit the ground. This acts just like an air cushion. Thier ribs are extremely different then are own. Between the backbone and the sternum a human has one rib that connects the two. A chameleon has two ribs as aposed to are one. This allows for incredible flexibility.

Check out the x-ray

Regardless of what I have just said if you are concerned or it looks serious take your chameleon to the vet immediately.

 

[marxous]

If you really love her, then take her to a vet... if you care anything for her, why would you want to give her back instead of taking care of her properly??

if it is broken ribs, there is nothing i can do anyways, its not like there is an NEW AND IMPROVED!!! "Super Chameleon Broken Rib Cast" that i can buy for $20.00

in addition, there have been no other negitive signs. She is at least more actuve than before, and is showing no signs of pain even when i lightly brush my fingertip over the area.

 

[marxous]

okay, here are some photos... i can not stress enough to everyone though, she is moving around great, eating great, and nothing seems to be bothering her... its just slightly un-sightly.

The first photo is her facing the other way so that you can not see the injury. The following photos are her moving accross the enclosure (in chronological order, should look like a slide show ).
Also consider all the positions she is in, and consider that she has a high degree of range of motion. I would say in fact, that there is no loss of motion.

thanks everyone, and please dont tell me that i really have to take her to the vet... because for an injury such as this, there is nothing a vet can do.

Marxous do you have any pictures of your chameleon's side. It is more then possible to break their ribs but highly unlikely. Most chameleons will puff up with air as they fall and then allow the air to expell when they hit the ground. This acts just like an air cushion. Thier ribs are extremely different then are own. Between the backbone and the sternum a human has one rib that connects the two. A chameleon has two ribs as aposed to are one. This allows for incredible flexibility.

Check out the x-ray

Regardless of what I have just said if you are concerned or it looks serious take your chameleon to the vet immediately.

 

[marxous]

Here are the photos if htis works...

...there we go, got em up!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Hard to tell from the photos, but I can't really see anything visibly wrong.
I'm not qualified to diagnose any problem nor have I seen the animal in real life.

-Brad

 

[Will Hayward]

Nah I definetly see something. Its work the vet visit.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Really Will? Maybe I just can't get the images large enough.
I agree though, if there is any question that something is wrong it's definitely worth the trip to the vet, regardless of whether or not you think the vet could do anything for her.

-Brad

 

[marxous]

Hard to tell from the photos, but I can't really see anything visibly wrong.
I'm not qualified to diagnose any problem nor have I seen the animal in real life.

-Brad

how can you not see something wrong??? the last photo, the rear ribs are essentially inverted, or collapsed. but also as you can see she has full mobility and the other side looks perfect. its only when she breathes deeply or stretches out when you see it the most. . .

if she is not showing any signs of bad health in her behavior, and the vet will not b able to correct the problem... at least not with out surgery... is there really a real purpose to bring her in? and like i said, i might have bought her this way!?

 

[Kazza]

She doesn't look right in that last picture at all, i'd get her to the vet immediately whether you're returning her or not, she at least deserves the necessary treatment whether you plan to keep her or not.

Maybe you could sort something out with the store regarding the vets fees? It just doesn't seem right giving up on her because she's hurt and what will happen to her if you take her back - i can't see the store paying for vets fees to put her right before selling her on to the next person.

Just my personal opinion though

 

[Jewel]

I don't understand why you hesitate to take her to the vet. Would you go to a doctor if you fell in the shower and your ribs were possibly broke? How do you know she is not in pain? I could not stand to see an animal hurt and not do something to help it. One day I was out and I saw a dog that was shot in the leg and left for dead (we live in a rural area) so I put him in my car and took him to a friend of mine that was a vet and I paid her over $500.00 to help this poor animal get well again and this wasn't even my dog. People have to realize there is a lot of expense involved when purchasing a chameleon and if you are not willing to provide the proper care for these chameleons or any animal for that matter than you should not purchase one to begin with. I am sorry if I am blunt but this is a living creature that deserved to be treated with respect.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Marxous,

Now that you point out the area I do see what you're talking about. Again, I maintain that it's hard to tell things in a tiny picture.
However, you have had and observed her for awhile and you're saying maybe it was this way when you got her? How could YOU not see something wrong if this is the case?
I'm inclined to believe this is not the case and something happened in that fall.
She needs to go to the vet. What is the harm in that? Why are you hesitating? Inconvenient? Don't have time? Money?
When you decide to assume responsibility for the life of another living creature....who you, earlier in the thread, said that you love.....what do you expect us to say? Assuming you know alll the options possible and asking us not to tell you to take her to the vet does not absolve us of our responsibility to tell you what we think would be best.

-Brad

 

[roo_71]

Well something does look off. I am not sure a vet could do anything for broken ribs … as mentioned there isn’t really any procedure that I am aware of that can help – but I am certainly not a vet.

I would at the very least call a vet and see what he/she has to say.

As for the fall, I don’t need to tell you to be careful and if the cham is new to showering then it may get jittery and do some bomb drops onto the tub floor which is obviously chunky badness. So I suggest grabbing some bubble wrap to line the floor of the tub just in case it falls. Eventually the cham MAY adjust to showering but in some cases they never do. My female carpet is a good example … never took to showering so I stopped.


-roo

 

[marxous]

ok, so i called many vets and found one that specializes in exotics, i am supposed to see her later on today... she said she has to see my cham before she can make any suggestions... hopefully everything will be okay :s.
Thanks for everybody's thoughts. The reason i was hesitant to take her to the vet is because i live on a university campus, and the nearest vet that specializes in exotics is about 2.5 hours away by bus. So i finally arranged a ride with a friend who can drive me there, saving about 1-1.5 hours in public transit.

 

[Kazza]

That's great, let us know how she gets on.

 

[Sal]

ok, so i called many vets and found one that specializes in exotics, i am supposed to see her later on today...

I am very pleased to hear this. Keep us posted..

 

[Hannah]

i have a chameleon who has the exact same thing. it looks like your chameleon has more broken ribs than mine, but i would be very interested to hear what the vet tells you

 

[marxous]

The vet told me that the ribs appear to have been broken, and asked me what her diet was like, i mentioned that i just got her, but i feed her silk worms, crickets and wax worms. She said that perhaps she wasnt getting enough calcium or couldnt snthesize it well enough when she was being kept by the pet store. Thus, if she took a fall her bone structure may have already been brittle. She mentioned that the bones are still in place and that she is healthy and is happy to see that she is active, and that i'm fortunate that the ribs have not suffered a complete break and that they are still in place. I was told to make sure i take extra good care of her, and make certain that i provide her with lots of calcium and to watch her closely, and if it gets worse to come in again immediateally. however she wants to see her again in 2-3 weeks.

 

[Hannah]

oh thats good! the vet didn't recommend putting her down!!