My leo's has a funny finger

[supersonicgecko]

I just recently got two leopard geckos who are maybe just a couple months old. i think one of my gecko's crushed it's finger under the hide rock and now its all black and curled, he's more skidish now and sometimes when i grab him it bleeds a little. I noticed this the day after I got my second gecko. I think they get along but i need some advice.

 

[supersonicgecko]

thank you

 

[LadyGecko]

The toe/finger may have dead skin/old shed wrapped around it and it has cut off the circulation or it may have ripped of the nail

I would contact a vet and bring this baby in to be seen asap
Can you post a pic of the toe?

Also-putting 2 new geckos together can be a health risk to both babies
I would suggest that you get another tank -uth etc and and place one of the babies in it to separate them

Good Luck with your geckos
Sandy

 

[Stevie]

Probably a piece of shed that made the finger necrotic. Most likely the digit can't saved. You can wait 'till it falls of, but I would remove it myself. If you don't have any experience with that, ask anyone who can show you. That way you prevent the necrosis to spread. Looks very sad to the gecko, but if the gecko is in good health it shouldn't be a problem. You should check the gecko very careful after each shedding if no pieces remain on (especially) the limbs to prevent this from happening again! Quarantine the animal is in my opinion pointless, because it's probably not a very severe (read: stressful) injury and it's most certainly not transmittable to the other animal.

Greets,

Stevie

 

[LadyGecko]

Stevie

I was not suggesting Quarantine because of the injured toe- but simply because quarantine is one of the basics of good reptile keeping
and should be done when bring in any new animal into your home

But since you brough it up-why not quarentine the leo with the injury?
It certainly would not hurt it and if there are any dominace issues already present-this would take that stress away from the injured gecko

If you have no experience with keeping Leos and have a health problem-why would you not consult a vet?

Just wanted to clarify because I wasn't sure if that is what you thought that I meant

Sandy

 

[malt_geckos]

I would go to the vet. I wouldn't even attemp to remove the toe if you are new to this. And keeping the one with the necrotic toe away from other animals is great for it right now to reduce the stress on the animal.

 

[Stevie]

Stevie

I was not suggesting Quarantine because of the injured toe- but simply because quarantine is one of the basics of good reptile keeping
and should be done when bring in any new animal into your home

But since you brough it up-why not quarentine the leo with the injury?
It certainly would not hurt it and if there are any dominace issues already present-this would take that stress away from the injured gecko

If you have no experience with keeping Leos and have a health problem-why would you not consult a vet?

Just wanted to clarify because I wasn't sure if that is what you thought that I meant

Sandy

Both quarantine and consulting a vet wouldn't hurt! I just said what I posted, because the person seemed new to the subject and I was just calming a bit. If someone want to go the vet and quarantine the animal, that great!

Greets,

Stevie

 

[supersonicgecko]

Thanks for the information. I'm gonna take him to a vet, but also when he does shed again what should I do so this don't happen again. By the way I should have posted that his hand with the funny finger also has other fingers that are half missing, or they could be the claws. maybe lost them at the pet store?

 

[david13]

whenever after he sheds...check places where the shed is still there. If there is, take it off using a wet Q-tip and tweezers or something..you could also give him warm soaks for 15 minutes or so to help loosen up the skin.

The problem is that when your leo sheds, he doesnt get all the skin off of his toes and it stays there, it then cuts the circulation off of his foot and he loses his little toes.

Welcome to GF

 

[malt_geckos]

do you have a moist hide in the cage?

 

[supersonicgecko]

what should i do for a moist hide i don't wanna put something in there that he's eat and kill him. any good suggestions

 

[supersonicgecko]

is there anything i can notice before a finger starts to lose its circulation

 

[Stevie]

what should i do for a moist hide i don't wanna put something in there that he's eat and kill him. any good suggestions

I don't want to start a big discussion over here. I just want to expres my worries and anger about the entire 'sand-is-bad-debate' when I see that it scares people this much and makes animals suffer. To afraid to put a moist hide in the tank because of impaction....Great job! I'm not looking for any replys on this, I just have to get this of my chest....

@ SuperSonicGecko: Just use coco peat or different kinds of moss to create a moist hide. It's also possible if you use paper towel as a substrate (as I can imagine) to put more paper towel in an little box and make that wet/moist (works perfectly for my quarantine enclosures). Just make sure that after every shed all the loose pieces of skin are removed and the circulation will just be fine! And let people scare you, your animal doesn't get impacted just like that, it takes a lot!

Greets,

Stevie

 

[david13]

I use sifted sphagnum peat moss..it is called

 

[Rejoice in the Lord]

I keep damp paper towel in my small male's humid hide, and sifted peat moss in my adult female's humid hide.

The paper towel does need to be dampened more often than the peat moss.

I have not had problems with either one.

 

[fallen_angel]

We have a small leo that had some shedding problems on his foot. He had broken the foot too the first day he hatched, but it is healed now. He still stands with his foot in the air sometimes, I think that may be something he will always do.. but anyway, I think his shedding problems on that foot are definitely due to him breaking it. I soaked him several times for 30 minutes each time, and put a humid hide for him to lay in. He tends to stay in the humid hide all night long and sleeps out in the dry hide during the day.

Moist paper towels were always a problem for me because they never seem to really heat up that much. So basically, I decided to put some wet coco fiber in the bottom of a deli cup, which I then covered with several layers of paper towel and made sure he wouldn't be able to get to the coco fiber. It was such a thick layer, so I then added some more warm water to it. The cup has stayed much warmer than just paper towel alone.. When I first put him inside, he didn't leave the container until the next day, it seems to be working well. I am going to check on his shed again in a few.

 

[fallen_angel]

He/she's doing great, the skin is gone

 

[supersonicgecko]

Thank you all for the info. Lupe is doing great now. unfortunately the only place for me to go for a reptile specialist is more than an hour and a half away. his toe fell off clean. I guess i got lucky that nothing worse has happened. thanks again