My baby's tail fell off!

[alee]

I purchased a pair of ankaramy babies (2.5 months) and they arrived last Saturday 12/4. I noticed the tail of one of them had 2 kinks but did not think much of it at first. I was getting nervous after a few days since I did not see her roll her tail all the way up at all since she arrived. I contacted the seller Tuesday, and from the pictures I sent her, she thought it looked like dry skin and advised me to rub it with water or mineral oil to get the dead skin off. I tried a few times and the "dead skin" did not come off. I did not think the spots looked like dry skin, they looked like old scar to me. I emailed her again but she told me to keep rubbing it with mineral oil and wait for the next shed. Well, part of the tail fell off today. I am so upset. What should I do? Other than the tail, she seems fine.

 

[facelesdoll]

please post photos of it here. this should have been done before any attempts at solving any issue especially when it didnt look like dry skin. they can survive fine without portions of their tails.

 

[pssh]

Apply an non pain relief antibiotic ointment/gel to protect the open would. Sounds like the baby had her tail nipped before she came to you. I would definitely watch her closely and contact the seller and get an exchange or refund or credit or something! I don't think anyone should sell babies with defects/injuries without warning the customer! Usually nip tail babies are discounted because they are 'imperfect.'

Posting a picture would be a good idea though.

 

[facelesdoll]

exactly

 

[missmelissann21]

what an awful day!

if you plan on keeping the babies, i highly advise you take the both to a vet asap. you need to know what you're working with here so there are no more "surprises." plus, if too much of the tail fell off it can greatly effect the baby's development! most reptile specialists do check ups for $50-$70 so it's really not all that much money to spend to make sure they're going to be alright.

(ps-most vets can also tell if the cham had a pre-existing condition... meaning you can figure out if the seller is full of sh!t, lol)

 

[Mr Wilson]

please post photos of it here. this should have been done before any attempts at solving any issue especially when it didnt look like dry skin. they can survive fine without portions of their tails.

To be honest though, she sent the pictures to the breeder, who should have known better. It's not like she attempted to fix it without notifying anyone, ya know? Not trying to sound like a jerk, but wouldn't you have contacted your breeder first, too?

 

[alee]

I was having problems posting this thread, I did not know it actually posted.
Thank you for all your advise. The baby is doing fine other than her tail. She is active, eating, drinking; and her poop and urate look good. The breeder (I believe to be quite reputable) offered to replace her, but did not ask for me to ship her back. I of course will take good care of her. I don't want to send her back. The breeder said they are very careful in packing their chameleons for shipping, which I do not doubt. I really wonder how she injured her tail. I am actually not sure if it's a female, but the base of her tail is thin compared to the other one I purchased. I know when they are this small, you really do not know for sure.

Here's a picture of how the tail looked 2 days before part of it fell off. It did not look broken as you can see in the pic.

By aleeludovicy at 2010-12-17

1 day before it happened-

By aleeludovicy at 2010-12-17

 

[Syn]

I would have expected it to blacken before falling off. Are you sure it was not caught on anything? Yes it looks like it was broken, but..

 

[Mr Wilson]

All I can say is accidents happen. It could have happened when she was with the breeder before shipping. They could have accidentally closed her tail in the cage or whatever they keep her in and didn't even notice it, you know?

Just think of it this way, she's got personality

 

[alee]

I would have expected it to blacken before falling off. Are you sure it was not caught on anything? Yes it looks like it was broken, but..

I noticed the 2 kinks when she arrived last Saturday. I thought the tail did not look broken because she was able to move her entire tail, she was just not able to roll it up all the way. The end part shriveled up yesterday and fell off.

All I can say is accidents happen. It could have happened when she was with the breeder before shipping. They could have accidentally closed her tail in the cage or whatever they keep her in and didn't even notice it, you know?

Just think of it this way, she's got personality

Yes, she's got lots of personality, and she is the cutest thing too!

 

[Jamelon]

Its awesome that you are keeping her all the best in the future!

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Looks to me to be exactly what it looks like when a tail is closed in a deli cup

 

[bimac6]

She'll do just fine
My panther has a shortened tail and you can barely tell since he's grown up. I barely notice it.
I always say it gives him more character

 

[alee]

She'll do just fine
My panther has a shortened tail and you can barely tell since he's grown up. I barely notice it.
I always say it gives him more character

Wow! He is beautiful!

They just asked me to send her back at my cost, and I have to also pay for shipping for the replacement. Does this sound right? They sent me a cham with an injured tail and I am out how much money for shipping? I am not happy at all. I asked her what she would charge for a baby with a broken tail, it would just be too much stress for the poor little thing.

 

[Stanly]

Wow! He is beautiful!

They just asked me to send her back at my cost, and I have to also pay for shipping for the replacement. Does this sound right? They sent me a cham with an injured tail and I am out how much money for shipping? I am not happy at all. I asked her what she would charge for a baby with a broken tail, it would just be too much stress for the poor little thing.

Maybe just ask for SOME money back and you keep her?

 

[e30nate]

do their tails not grow back like other reptiles?

 

[moviemanmania]

No, their tails to not regenerate full length. Even common anole lizards don't fully regenerate their original length. For annoles and iguana's they can use their tail as an escape mechanism. For chameleons, their tale is a necessity as it's a prehensile tail which they use to help move and hang on.

If you keep her, ask for half of the money you paid for her back. If you send her back I would ask for a refund on just her and pay to ship her back. If they insist on sending a replacement back then have them pay the shipping.

Is it possible that the other chameleon nipped the other's tail during shipment? Or were they shipped in separate containers.

 

[missmelissann21]

Wow! He is beautiful!

They just asked me to send her back at my cost, and I have to also pay for shipping for the replacement. Does this sound right? They sent me a cham with an injured tail and I am out how much money for shipping? I am not happy at all. I asked her what she would charge for a baby with a broken tail, it would just be too much stress for the poor little thing.

that is seriously what the seller said?! oh, i'm ticked for you! what an awful seller. i bet if you gave the baby back she would just mistreat it... reputable seller my butt!!!!

you should report her for being a jerk. a cheap-o and a jerk.

 

[Psi]

They just asked me to send her back at my cost, and I have to also pay for shipping for the replacement. Does this sound right?

No, that doesn't sound right to me.
There is some issue with when you contacted them about the problem though.
Had you sent them a picture of it when it arrived and informed them of it, they should send you a healthy animal as that's what you paid for.
The waiting ... could be a issue sadly.

They sent me a cham with an injured tail and I am out how much money for shipping? I am not happy at all.

I would be mad as well.
But I would have demanded a healthy animal when that one arrived.

I asked her what she would charge for a baby with a broken tail, it would just be too much stress for the poor little thing.

That's not really the point, most likely they'd just use it as a breeder as it will likely still be able to live a healthy life.

 

[Syn]

Looks to me to be exactly what it looks like when a tail is closed in a deli cup

Yes, it does.