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I always noticed that my baby cham had a little different tail but I thought he would grow out of it. Well its been 3 months and its still there. I would take a picture but I don't have my diggy cam it kind of looks like this:

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Lol, if you would bare with me. He uses it fine, in that he can curl it up when he sleeps and curl it around branches. But is this unusual? Does this mean its broken? Also the area around that part of the tail is sometimes darker in comparison to his body.

n/p

What do you think it is?

really interesting that you would post that, i just had a baby veiled crawl out of the egg with the exact same thing! she's fat and healthy, and i noticed it right when she was born, she uses it like a monkey (or a chameleon) just fine but when she curls it up it looks sort of funny. could this be egg malnutrition going back to the female or something?
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n/p

I think the kink is something more serious. I noticed this today and yesterday. My cham's tail after the kink is turning a darker color and he cant curl his tail past the kink (unless he is sleeping). I'm afriad this may be the result of a injury and that bloodflow is being cut off from reaching the end of the tail because of the kink, this could be BAD news! I dont want my cham's tail amputated! See if you pros can put 2 and 2 together from this information:

1. He can curl his tail, but not past the kink
2. The kink itslef is a little darker
3. He can curl his tail all the way when sleeping, although the curl does not like "tight" and they are gaps between curls.

Something serious? Leave it be?

I would suggest a trip to the vet. This is a case of better safe than sorry!

I've heard of some percentage of a clutch showing kinked tails. It sure could be a genetic defect, but could also be a result of embryos lying in a certain position in the egg at a critical stage of development. I bought a cbb fischeri from the Kammers who had a very slight kink that eventually straightened out with age. The breeder saw several babies with kinks. They were 1st generation babies so inbreeding was not an issue. It could be something with the way the eggs developed. They all straightened as they grew. BUT, none had coloration problems past the kink. I don't know if you can do anything about the kink itself, but possibly an xray could show if there is a major spinal injury or defect that would lead to problems in future. If the tail dies past the kink you would have no choice but remove it. I don't know if wrapping the kink gently with vetwrap could help it straighten out and protect the blood supply. Might be worth a try.

I talked to my vet, and she says it is nothing to worry about. She too has seen these cases, and the darker end of the tail means he suffered from some sort of trauma. She says it cannot be serious because he can coil the portion of the tail past the kink which means bloodflow is still occuring and the nerves are still active.

THANKS EVERYONE!!

>>I talked to my vet, and she says it is nothing to worry about. She too has seen these cases, and the darker end of the tail means he suffered from some sort of trauma. She says it cannot be serious because he can coil the portion of the tail past the kink which means bloodflow is still occuring and the nerves are still active.
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>>THANKS EVERYONE!!

Based on how it looks and the discoloration, I'd agree with your vet, looks like trauma. This type of injury is common when keepers accidently close their tail in the cage door which is what I suspect happened.

Chris
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Chris Anderson
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Actually, I'm unsure how this happened. He is in a repitarium so I dont think that is a possibilty. I think it was a self-inflected wound.

Jeffrey - didn't you say he recently took quite a fall? Could it have happened then? Just a thought, as I am not sure if that sort of injury would happen from a fall. Luna lost half her tail as a hatchling and she uses it fine; well, sometimes it just twirls around looking for something to grab onto - I try not to laugh and make her feel self concious. She did it at the vet last week and he cracked up - so much for her sense of dignity! Anyway, if your's does have to be amputated don't worry much - it will just make your cham that much more special

lele and twirly Luna
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

Poor little Luna! I felt so bad about it. I was riddled with guilt. At least I found her a good home with a loving "Parent"
I just had a beardie born with a tail kink. The parents are not related and the kink is straightening out as it grows.
The baby was huge so I have been wondering if it did get cramped in the shell.
I do produce animals with normal tails too..... Really I do.
I think Lele may be buying this baby from me. LOL I laugh but I am not kidding.

...kinky boy!
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

i have seen the kinked tails in mostly cooler temp species, ficheri most commonly. These people incubated their eggs at a higher temp than I incubate my veileds at! Most of the clutch was kink-tailed. No apparant calcium problems, nothing, just kinked tails. Higher temps seems to cause the embryo to develop faster, and sometimes less straight. Or so the theory goes.

Seems to be a developmental issue, and not a nuritrional or genetic one.

I agree Eric. Makes sense, as the species we have been seeing it in are not inbred with very few clutches from anything other than F1 or possibly F2 generations. The breeders working with these less common species would not carelessly breed close relatives either.