spine

[iceman214]

my young veilded leon has a bend in the bottom of his spine just before his tail starts can somone tell me if this is normal or should it be straight all way down to tip of his tail he doesnt do anything if you touch it and he seems ok ie feeding/drinking/pooping etc
any advice would be nice

 

[Laragail]

Can you post a picture?

My first guess would be Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)--- But i'm by no means an expert on the subject.

What have you been feeding him?
Do you use vitamin powder ?
do you gut load?
Have proper UVB?

Any husbandry info you can provide will help others give you a clue as to what could be going on.

If it were me, I would take him to the vet. They can tell you for sure weather or not it's MBD.

 

[iceman214]

as im in the uk and have a wooden enclosure he has a few vines and bushes in there a uvb light and a basking light
his diet at the mo is crickets and mealworm both dusted with calcium power and the crickets are gutloaded
he is olso sprayed once a day with four paws vita-spray witch gives him vitamin d3
and he is misted 3 times a day by hand
his basking temp is around 90f
and the rest or the enclosure is around 77f

 

[Laragail]

Hmm....

Like I said before I'm not an expert-- but here's what i do know

he definitely looks deformed to me.

Bone deformities could be caused by MBD like I mentioned before. ie: under-supplementation- not enough UV exposure etc.

They could also be caused by over-supplementation. Two conditions which i have heard of, but am not very familiar with, are Hypercalcemia (?) and Hypervitaminosis (?)

Hopefully some more experienced keepers will be able to tell you more soon.

Once again, I would take him to a vet.
He probably needs an x-ray to know for sure what's going on.

 

[Fate X]

what kind of uvb light are you using?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Iceman,

Is this a new developement or has he always been this way?
Does his casque fell solid, bone-hard or is it a little rubbery?
His tail looks crooked too. It could be from an injury or even a birth defect.
I'm not ruling out MBD but it's also not a blanket diagnosis of every situation like this.


-Brad

 

[iceman214]

my uvb light is a repti-glo 5.0 and was bought new about 2 months ago
and brad we have had him from a very young age and he was like that when we got him
but a was wondering if that could be the cause of him grabbing his front legs with his back ones i put this in an earlyer thread
his casque is solid

 

[Jordan]

I think I understand what you said.

You mean he has had the spinal kinking and tail since you got him?

Do you have other pictures? Maybe some side shoots with legs and back in picture.

Right off the bat I would think MBD as laragirl said whether it was past or present. I had a Jackson I adopted that got effected in the same way. If he had it in the past it is doubtful that his spine and/or/ tail would be able to repair itself. As Brad said there could be some other possibilities.

 

[lele]

I agree with all. it is a little hard to tell from that pic since he is not in a "natural" position such as on a branch. Does he always grab his front legs or just once in a awhile. If it is only occasionally then I would not worry. as for the kink, it could have happened in the egg. I know with bearded dragons it is not uncommon for them to come out with a kinked tail (I have one. it was almost a 45 degree angle and now barely noticeable).

Did you say his age?

To simplify things you can answer a bunch of questions all at once rather than in bits and pieces and this may help. Also, as Jordan requested some side shots would be good as well as him perched on a branch - ?

It might be easy just to answer below each question. I know you Brits (NOT derogatory! If I had no living relatives in the states I'd be living over there! ) do things a bit differently than we across the pond do but the basics are the same

If your chameleon is having problems and you want input from other chameleon owners, be sure to include as much information as possible:

1. Cage type: What size and type of cage (screen, glass, etc.)?

2. Temperatures: What is the basking temperature? How do you measure the temperature in your setup? What is the temperature in the warmest spot? The coolest spot? At night? During the day? You should measure the temperature of the chameleons' skin or the surface of its current branch to get a more accurate reading. Do you leave any heat on at night? What is the temperature in the room at night?

3. Lighting: What brand is your UVB light? How long have you been using it? How long are your lights on each day? Do you leave any lights on at night? Where are the lights? on top?

4. Humidity: Do you have a humidity gauge? What is the range of relative humidity (RH) from lowest to highest? How long does it take to go from high to low? Do you use a humidifier? Do you live in the north or south (or other)?

5. Water: Have you observed your chameleon drinking? How often do you mist? Do you have a dripper?

6. Food: Have you observed your chameleon eating? What is the chameleon's diet? Where do you get your live feeder prey? What are you feeding the feeders? Fresh veggies? Gut load? If you use a commercial gut load what is the brand? If you make your own what are the ingredients?

7. Supplements: What type of supplement(s) do you use? Brand name(s)? How often do you use supplements?

8. Plants & branches: What plants do you have? Are your plants alive or fake? Do the plants provide lots of coverage where the chameleon will feel safe? Can you see your chameleon most of the time or can it hide from your view?

9. Chameleon facts: How old is the chameleon? Do you know if it is wild caught or captive born? Did you get the chameleon at a show? Breeder?

10. Handling: Do you handle your chameleon? How often and how long? What is its reaction to you? Is the cage in a quiet part of the house or is it in a busy or noisy area? Any big stereo speakers near the cage? Is your chameleon alone in the cage? Can your chameleon see any other herps or pets from the cage?

11. Veterinarians: Do you have a veterinarian who KNOWS chameleons?

One last thing: As great as everyone is here (and they are), if there is a medical problem there is no substitute for a trip to the veterinarian.