broken tail??

[zzero]

there is a kink in her tail and she usaully holds it up when she walks but it seems to be unable to bend at the place its kinked.. she fell earlier today but from prob a foot high.. nothing to severe.. if it is broken.. what can i do?

 

[zzero]

cant seem to"roll it up" either

 

[carol5208]

I don't know if it is broke, but hopefully just injured. Maybe someone else that has experience with a broken tail can help u out here. Sorry shel fell. She sure is cutie. They really need their tails, they are like their 5th arm.

 

[zzero]

o im well aware that its like a 5th arm.. sometimes i think her tail has a stronger grip then her "claws".. i noticedd that she had a much harder time balancing while navigateing her plants.. i sure hope its just injured.. not broken.

 

[carol5208]

Gosh me too. I wish I could comment on it, but I am sure someone else will let you know what they think if they have seen it before. I once closed my chams tail in the cage door when I first got him and the end turned black. I thought for sure I had "killed" his tail. I was freakin but it went back to normal after a few days. Hopefull this is just a temporary thing too.

 

[pssh]

It could be broken, especially if she can't move it at all. I would contact your local chameleon experienced vet and see what they recommend. The problem with breaks is thats they can become infected and turn necrotic and eventually cause them further harm and/or damage. Should it become a major hinderance or become infected/necrotic, it will need to be amputated (probably not the whole thing unless the infection spreads.) They can live just fine without their tails.

 

[zzero]

so i took her back to her cage and she seems to be trying to move it.. at the moment she is hanging out on her normal basking branch and seems to have managed to curl it to some extent.. i will keep an eye on it through the night and give the vet a call if it gets worse..
she seems to be able to move it, just not to the normal extent..

 

[carol5208]

where are you located? Don't you turn your lights out at night for her?

 

[Murrdox]

My chameleon Rygel has used his tail to catch himself from falling a few times... he has underdeveloped claws so once in awhile he's slipped.

As a result, he's strained his tail a bit and it has tiny crimps in it, but nothing as obviously bent as the your picture. I'd probably take it to a vet, but even then I'm not sure what, if anything, could be done even if it was a break.

 

[Elizadolots]

Just for clarity, here's how I read the story:

She's had a chronic kink in her tail, can't curl it in the place where it's kinked.

She recently took a fall.

Is that right? If so, I think it's premature to think there's a problem. She may have broken that tail in the egg for all we know. I wouldn't expect it to curl at that point. I suspect she has good "grasping" ability with her tail regardless. I think all chameleons fall occasionally.

 

[zzero]

eliza: not chronic.. just noticed it today.. never was there before.. recently took a fall and cant curl it as much as normal. but still has movement..

carlos: yes i do turn her lights out at night.. im in the lake tahoe area.. it gets pretty chilly in the winter so i currently have her in a glass exoterra cage.. temps are in the mid 60s at night and 70-77 in the day.. i keep it open most of the time for air circulation.. i will most likely move her to a bigger screen enclosure in the summer..

i personally think her tail is just a "sprain" or "strain" but wanted a second opinion..

 

[Jimturner]

Not to seem negative or alarmist, but I've always associated a kinked tail, under developed claws and a weak grip with early MBD symptoms. What is your supplement schedule like? What is your UVB source?

 

[Jimturner]

Juvi chams grow at an exceptional rate. The need for calcium supplements and good gut loading of feeders, along with proper UVB radiation cant be stressed enough! MBD can set in surprisingly quick! I'm not aware of your husbandry practices, just adding to my previous reply.