ribs possibly broken in baby veiled

smj

New Member
the right side ribs are concaved and when he puffs his body out the ribs look like they dont move at all. he appears to be acting normal other than his weird cracked ribs. i am afraid that there is nothing a vet can do to help him and if he is this young and suffering i feel bad keeping him alive and in pain. i need advice on what is wrong with his ribs, if anything, and what to do.
 
I guess it is possible for him to have broken his ribs. I would think it is pretty unlikely though. These are cartiledge and extremely flexible. The chameleon's ribs differ greatly from what you would think they look like.

skeleton.jpg

If you can get a picture of the area I am sure some can at least give you a determination as to whether it is normal or abnormal. I would say you are right that the vet will probably do nothing. I know they did not do crap for my broken ribs. It would be extremely hard to because of breathing and the area.
 
Well I would add on (because I forgot) that the chameleon's ribs are capable of sucking in towards the body and a pushing away from the body. They are also capable of moving up and down. They are also capable of seemingly moving independent form each other (side to side).

When my male veiled puffs up sometimes I can see them collapse back in on him. I think that in my case he is puffing up to much and lacks the inside muscle support to hold them in steady. It also depends on how he is standing when he does it. This is not like and everyday thing for him. Really only when he is aggravated.
 
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it could be normal i guess. it looks like the ribs are about to break out of the skin. little bumps right above where the ribs zig zag. the ribs form a sideways v and right above where they connect it looks like there are some uneven bumps protruding. it is closer to the top of his body than the bottom. i think i am going to have to send him back to the breeder i purchased him from.
 
it could be normal i guess. it looks like the ribs are about to break out of the skin. little bumps right above where the ribs zig zag. the ribs form a sideways v and right above where they connect it looks like there are some uneven bumps protruding. it is closer to the top of his body than the bottom. i think i am going to have to send him back to the breeder i purchased him from.
Howdy,

Take a look at Jordan's skeleton photo. You can see the zig-zag rib bones. It is unlikely that you have broken rib bones unless you saw something "crunch" his bones. Skinny babies/juveniles often show rib bones :).
 
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