Kink in the tail

[BlueSky]

Hey all,

I really hope this is just me being a paranoid first-time cham mom again, but I just noticed this little kink at the end of my boy Jabba's tail.

I just noticed it yesterday, and a friend said it may have happened suddenly, since she had not seen any problems about an hour before we discovered it.

I didn't notice any changes in his movement--he can still balance and use his tail to hold things just fine. I'm just very worried because a fellow cham owner said the terrible decline in her chameleon's health started with a kink in the tail too (though hers looked much more serious.)

So is this normal? Is this something I should take to the vet?

Thanks so much
--Blue

 

[carol5208]

Well it's not normal but, I don't think it is anything you have to worry about or run to the vet about. It is possible he caught it on something. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[Andee]

Did you just get him? He may have gotten caught in a door or something when he was little. My boy Ryker has a very small kink like that but further down his tail and had to do when I caught his tail way earlier in life. It taught me a lesson the hard way but am now super careful about doors and tails. His bruised but didn't have any other issues and now he has just a small kink.

 

[BlueSky]

I've had him for about 6 months now, and I've never noticed this before.

Now that you say that though, I had him in a critter keeper that day, and I may have smashed is tail in the lid while I was closing it once! Now I feel really bad. I'll definitely keep an eye on it, but if you guys are saying it's not worth a vet visit just yet, I'll definitely take your advice. Vets are so expensive!

 

[Andee]

Just keep a look out for any discoloration below the kink. Bruising around it is fine but if it is more localized below it and is turning black like dead tissue then start worrying. As for vets being expensive, yes they are. If you work or have some sort of steady income my favorite way to do it is make a vet fund that I put a small amount of a pay check in every time I get paid (5-20 dollars is what I usually do, sometimes I am lucky enough to do 50 dollars.) trust me it definitely adds up ^^

 

[BlueSky]

That's really awesome advice, thanks! Looks like I should really start doing that, just in case!

 

[Andee]

When I was getting a regular pay check I could easily get up to 300 dollars in 6 months. It's always good to have a vet fund in case something happens ^^ trust me even 5 dollars can make a huge difference

 

[BlueSky]

Thanks guys, I do feel a little better now. 2 days later and it still looks the same, no discoloration or change in his behavior. I'll still keep an eye on it though.