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Red tegu claws look weird!?!?!

Th34cr0ws

New Member
Messages
15
Hi,
I received a baby red tegu from Ty’s reptiles at the beginning of August 2018. The tegu was very active and energetic. It was eating a lot of crickets everyday and occasionally pinkies and chicken liver. Because I am located in the north eastern climate, it gets real cold around here. As expected, the tegus activity levels drastically slowed, stopped eating by the end of September. So I let him be and reduced that basking light to only two hours a day. His night light is on all the time and the uvb is on daily. I give him baths twice a week to keep up hydration levels and he would sometimes lick chicken liver blood. That’s it. I would rearely handle him bc Ik I need to let him rest. However, this wk when I took him out for his bath, his claws looked crooked, dented, dried up, and cut up. It seems that he has no individual control in each claw and he just uses his palms to get around. For example:
upload_2019-1-5_3-1-4.jpeg

upload_2019-1-5_3-1-16.jpeg

upload_2019-1-5_3-1-29.jpeg

upload_2019-1-5_3-1-45.jpeg


Plz lmk if there is anything I can do. I do not want to lose him.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Yikes, that looks bad. Maybe he isn’t getting enough UVB, I had a friend who completely neglected his iguana (I ended up giving it a proper home) and had no UVB and it looked similar to that, and what are the temps in the cage, with basking light on and off? also only 2 hours seems pretty short, maybe I misinterpreted the post but are you saying 2 hours of light? Or just 2 hours of heat a day, if so I’d argue that 2 hours of heat or light, is not enough. Wait until Walter comments he’s most knowledgeable.
 

Th34cr0ws

New Member
Messages
15
I was told to keep the heating light off during the winter so he can rest. But I just keep it on for two hours a day if he wants heat. However the uvb is on from 7 in the morning to five at night.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Just looked at the images again, send that tegu to a vet ASAP! The bottom pic looks like he/she may lose a thumb. you never told me your temps either, but it looks like MBD. Bump temps back up, leave basking spot on for 7-8 hours instead of two and update once you take him to the vet.

And maybe a new UVB bulb, or another one

Best of luck, hope you take him to a vet! His life is counting on it!
 

Zyn

Well-Known Member
Messages
609
If he’s trying to brumate then let him go down and stay down. Don’t wake him. Sev went down 2 months ago and hasn’t woken up since. The temps
are kept at 60 in my basement no light no extra heat. This is what brumtion is, in the wild he’d close his eyes and sleep in a hole for months.

His claws look dry, with some old shed. Toes do look odd and if this is MDB it’s not new it’d take some
time to get like this. If you keep waking him up and warming him up, you’re screwing with his metabolism. It slows to a stop during proper brumation, as does growth. If he had stuck shed when he went down and stopped growing it should be fine as he’ll shed again as soon as brumation ends.
 

Th34cr0ws

New Member
Messages
15
I read somewhere online once I noticed him not being as active to keep the temps at 69-70. Which I have been doing. Only the red light is on. No uvb or basking
 

Th34cr0ws

New Member
Messages
15
So I have one person telling me to leave him alone but another is saying to bump the temps back up and take him to the vet. I am not sure what to do....
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
If he can’t even walk on his hands, he needs a VET asap. Those hands look extremely deformed and Im positive it’s more than stuck shed, one of the thumbs even looks like it may fall off. Zyns approach is better , so, leave the temps low, but take it to a vet. But keep that UVB bulb on all day as an option.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Someone who's on this forum and is knowledgeable. I don't know, but I think the information provided to you is good enough. Go to a vet and see what they say, its not normal for it to walk on its paws like that.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Update? I would like to know what the vet said, if he was even taken to the vet. If not, I’m really hoping you do in the near future. If I saw my tegu looking like that, I would be freaking out pacing up and down calling every vet in my area! It’d be nice if someone else comments what they think is wrong too. The reason I said bump temps up is because I’m almost positive your tegu has MBD and needs UVB/sun and that would get him to come out of hibernation/brumation. I’m trying to give you a fair warning and be nice about it- but if it does have MBD and nothing is changed/done, it could and will be fatal to your tegu.
 

Walter1

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
5 Year Member
Messages
4,384
Hey!!!

I was out of the country for past two weeks. Back now, waiting on a connecting flight.

Catch up time !!!

First, no tegu should arrive in that shape. The feet were a pre-exising cobdition.

Take to vet who knows herps and presennt vendor with info and vet bill. Or ask for an exchange or return with refund.

Having a lizard in that shape is bad form, and selling it is worse.
 

Walter1

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
5 Year Member
Messages
4,384
Ahh, he arrived good but has acquired the toe problems in your care.

So, get to a vet. In meantime maintain active conditions= 115 f hot spot uv for 12 hrs/ day, ambient in mid 80s, and moist hide in mid-upper 70s. Lotion the toes. Make sure he is fed whole prey, even pinls, but dusted heavily in calcium.
 

nightanole

Member
Messages
54
As someone who rescued a red who had shed problems and lost toes, you have bigger problems than just "humidity" and stuck sheds. As others have stated, soaks and lotion is not going to fix the problem. If you dont get a vet visit soon, you will end up at the next step, which is swelling and bleeding at cracks.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
You have been given a sufficient amount of knowledgeable information, it’s now up to you and your responsibility, to take that poor animal to a vet or the harsh consequences will be on your hands. Not being mean either, but being completely honest. I trust that you do the right thing with the animal you purchased!
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Kinda upsetting to not get an update, was just thinking of this post earlier. . . Hoping that gu’s situation was figured out
 

Th34cr0ws

New Member
Messages
15
Hey,
I am so sorry. I thought I would get notifications but I was not. I was not ignoring you. The vet was no help, he just said to give him baths. And I looked at the vet’s reviews and they were not good. I bumped up temps and every morning I wake up he’s out basking on the rock under the UVB. He has been eating very slowly as he’s coming out of hibernation. I mix raw egg and he slurps on that. That’s it. However, when I received the tegu, it was in excellent condition, so I do not want to blame Ty. I am currently on the search for another exotic vet in my area. I am very greatful on all the info you are all giving me!
 

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