Veiled Casks

[dmrich]

Veiled Casque

Hello All

I recently heard that Veiled Chameleon with bent casques have a lack of calcium and that they have MBD. My question is this true? or are all chameleons just different and that it is simply a variation in the casque.

My own veiled does not have this problem (he has a very straight casque ), but I was thinking of buying a female soon and wondered if this was a reliable way of spotting MBD.

 

[petkel]

Hello All

I recently heard that Veiled Chameleon with bent casks have a lack of calcium and that they have MBD. My question is this true? or are all chameleons just different and that it is simply a variation in the cask.

My own veiled does not have this problem (he has a very straight cask ), but I was thinking of buying a female soon and wondered if this was a reliable way of spotting MBD.

I know someone personally who has a cham with a bent casque and he brought the cham this way knowing that this cham had suffered from a calcium deficiency at a young age, and decided to take this cham out of the owners hands to look after it properly..he doesn't have a calcium deficiency now but the bent casque can not be reversed but stays like this even though the cham recovered and does not have it any more but not he has recovered the cham is fit and healthy and has no problems and the bent casque does not affect him in any way..hope this helps
here is a link https://www.chameleonforums.com/mbd-526/ also google has alot of information on it too.

 

[PedroANDAshley]

Yes the casque can bend if the cham has MBD.

But casques can differ in look from veiled to veiled.
It's pretty obvious if its mbd though.

If you post a pic we can deff. tell you if its mbd or not

But the most obvious sign of MBD is the bend in the limbs on a cham.

These are some server cases :
https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-mbd-looks-like-38000/

 

[dmrich]

Thanks for the responses - as I say my male is fine as I have had him from a young age and have always supplemented his food with calcium. The reason why I asked was to avoid buying a chameleon in future that has/had this problem, if it could be easily spotted in the condition of the casque.

Thanks again!

 

[pssh]

Not all bend casques signify MBD. It's would be better to touch the casque to see if it's flexible or relatively stiff. The legs are also a good indicator as well as the jaw. Some veileds with MBD have misaligned jaws.

My veiled has a slightly curved casque and I can assure you he has no calcium deficiency. There are others who have veileds with bent casques that have no deficiencies.

 

[Metric]

Yeah my Veiled has a strange angle to his cask, but no MBD, the easiest way to identify it is the jaw and limbs, If the lower jaw extrudes past the top jaw that is more than likely MBD, kind of like an overbite

also the limbs should look like they have a 90 degree angel |_ <-- like that, where as a limb with MBD looks more curved (_ <--- like that.

those are the best ASCII references i can make lol.

 

[Mr Wilson]

I'm sorry, but I totally read the title as "Veiled Cakes" and thought to myself "well, that's a new feeder."

Wow...

 

[dmrich]

Thanks pssh and Metric some useful advice there, apologies Mr Wilson - didn't mean to get you excited , I ofcourse mean 'casque'

 

[kinyonga]

Signs of MBD can include but are not limited to...
Flexible casque or jaw, bends in the legs and arms, lack of trunkal lifting, lazy tongue, lethargy, sitting low in the cage, etc.

 

[littleliz]

What are other reasons for deformed casks other than MBD. I have a young 4 months old male veiled with a deformed cask. He came from a clutch of 20 others who were all perfect. The deformaty was not evident until his cask started to grow. It is slightly twisted but looks normal from one side. The other side has a small indentention which gives the appearence of him wearing a dwarfs hat and is obviously the reason for the slight twist in the symotry of his veil. Almost as if one spot on the side didnt grow and everything else continued growing. It is not like a scar or rash or burn! Just an indent. He appears fit and healthy in every other way, with straight limbs, nice colour, good hunting skills and feisty personality. I doubt that it will cause him problems but I am curious as to the possible cause? having only ever seen abnormal casks in sick chameleons.

 

[kinyonga]

I don't know what causes it other than MBD, but many of the cases I've heard of did not involve MBD, so there has to be other reasons. Maybe its similar to scoliosis?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Other possible causes might be related to genetics or early life injury

 

[DavidBuchan]

The other side has a small indentention which gives the appearence of him wearing a dwarfs hat

Lol..........if he's been supplemented properly and is active, with no feeding problems or other signs of mbd then he's almost certainly fine......
I think mine is developing a slight curve now too, a bit later than yours, and not like a dwarfs hat yet!

 

[kinyonga]

Might be like some camel's humps flop over and some whale's fins too?
I wouldn't worry about it if the chameleon is healthy otherwise.

 

[littleliz]

Thanks for the replies guys ...Ill go and look up scoliosis! I have no way of knowing his genetics other than mum and dad (both have perfect casks) but I suppose it could be. He really does seem fine in everyother way so it may just be one of those things that we never get a conclusive answer to. Either way he is wonderful just as he is

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

Might be like some camel's humps flop over and some whale's fins too?
I wouldn't worry about it if the chameleon is healthy otherwise.

i was going to say something like that, i've heard this occurrence was found only in captive whales. and is definitely a deficiency of some sort.

this could also be a result of a past burn perhaps, i have seen deformities from burns that have healed.

sorry if i missed it, but do you have pics? dont over worry yourself unless it is drastically noticeable. no veileds have perfectly straight casques. but does not nessesarily mean it is unhealthy

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

They think whale's fins flop over due to lack of space to swim rather than a dietary deficiency. Since they're not always fighting currents, and may be swimming in circles it doesn't maintain its strength. It's a theory, we don't know if that's then only reason or not.

My veiled has a bend in his casque. He had questionable husbandry before I got him, but the bend occurred several months after he was in my care - and he was getting all the good stuff at that point. Lots of people have mentioned theirs have one too, but it's not always MBD, could just be natural variation or a problem in the past that eventually catches up with them. Check for other signs of MBD though as it could be caused by it in some.

Chamsinmyhouse - the OP's cham isn't affected, he was just asking.

 

[littleliz]

In all fairness yes it is very noticable. I am not overly concerned because I don't feel that it will impede him in anyway...ofcause I could be wrong! after all I don't think anyone really knows what their cask is for? His spine is straight. His limbs are straight. He has no problems hunting and catching things with his tongue.

I only have a photo of him from the good side of his cask. I will try and get a better pic and post it here so you can all see what I'm talking about though. Thanks for all your comments.

 

[kinyonga]

Apparently it occurs in the wild whales too...
"Killer whales can live to at least 80-90 years, and Floppy Fin has been seen in the Hebrides many times over the last 20 years along with Nicola and Aquarius and the others"...
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/scotland-orcas383.html#cr

"Floppy Fin: Floppy Fin was first photographed in 1992 off Mull and has also been regularly sighted. True to his name, his dorsal fin 'flops' over to the left, again making him instantly recognisable"...
http://www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk/get-involved-sponsorship.asp

http://www.experts123.com/q/why-do-some-killer-whales-dorsal-fins-flop-over.html