Unique External Fixation for a Fracture of a Veiled Chameleon's, Chamaeleo calyptratus, Casque
Assoc Reptilian Amphibian Vet 7[2]:8 Summer'97 In My Experience (unrefereed material) 3 Refs

- An eight-month old, male veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, was presented for a closed fracture of the casque, the dorsal crest from the calvarium. The veiled chameleon's casque consists of a tripod of thin bones attached to the calvarium (Figure 1). The inner spaces of the casque contain muscles, which would contract when the chameleon closed his mouth causing the broken casque to fold into a 'S' shape (Figure 2). The angle of the fold appeared to be the result of fractures of the left and right lateral bones. Traditional external coaptation with bandaging or casting might have been sufficient to stabilize this fracture. However, it was likely that any bandage applied would slip off due to the conical shape of the casque. Instead, a small section (15 mm) of the end of a wooden cotton swab was adhered across the rostral fracture site with Vetbond. The device seemed to adhere well to the chameleon's skin and acted as a splint (Figure 3). The fixation of the rostral bone had secondary effects. The stabilization prevented the excessive muscle contracture and its folding effects on the lateral fracture sites. The small size of the splint did not seem to bother the chameleon. The device was left in place for three weeks at which time the wooden splint was removed. The splint was easily removed from the casque along with a superficial layer of skin. A small callus was evident and the bone appeared healed and no longer folded. (Author Abstract)