Suboccular spine stuck out

[LeStat]

Hi,

One of my juvenile clowns has one of its suboccular spines out, it has been this way for a couple of days now!!! Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what could cause this or whether it will eventually retract?

It can just about be seen on the photo below: -

[shari2]

yes, it should retract on its own. if it doesn't, i don't think there's much you can do about it.

might want to see if there's anything causing him to be frightened/pissed in the tank. they'll use them if scared (sometimes get caught in the net if you're trying to catch them), or fighting. anything you know of that could have set him off?

[mickthefish]

just wondering Shari, could they dislocate the spine like they can with the jaw?.

mick

[shari2]

I would suppose so. depends on what and how hard he stuck it into something, i'd guess.

it's hard to tell from the pic, but does it seem to be in normal position or is it hanging out/too far forward? it should follow the line of the face (if that makes any sense) and not be pushed far forward toward the mouth.

[LeStat]

On closer inspection it looks as though the spine could be broken at the base!! There appears to be another (smaller) spine poking out from the same point. The larger spine seems to be in the correct position and has the membrane that connect the spine to the head still. He is not in any apparent distress or discomfort and is happily larking about with his chums as normal. I have tried to video him & take more pictures but none are any clearer than the one above.

I am at a loss as to what to do, suppose I'll just have to wait it out.

Thanks for your comments.

[Emma Turner]

Clowns have 2 parts to the suborbital spine, which is referred to as bifid (forked into two parts).

One of my larger clowns, called Stripes, has always had trouble retracting one of his spines. On some occasions, it has been raised for hours, and at the size he is (11") and with the spine being slightly larger than a cat's claw, we have been a bit worried for the other clowns when they have all been shoaling en mass in anticipation of feeding time.

Here is a pic of Stripes with the spine raised:



Emma

[LeStat]

That's a relief, I thought the little chap had done himself an injury. The spine has now retracted most of the way back in so panic over. Thanks for your help, I will keep a close eye on him from now on to see if he continues to have have trouble with it.