Reptile & Amphibian Forums

recurring problem with my ackie. I have a group of four healthy critters raised together since birth. However, one has recently been developing a "growth inbetween its toes and on the "pad" of its left foot. Whatever it is, it's black and seems crumble off if when i examine her(i think its a she) and exposes tissue. After i remove it, the hand seems to get better and then the problem starts all over again. the growth causes some pretty intense swelling. they are all eating and acting as usual with no symptoms in the others

75 gallon aquarium with a covered top
50-60% humidity
retes stack with a 130 basking spot
I WAS keeping them on cypress mulch when the problem started but they are now on regular topsoil
plenty of hides
plenty of temperature options

i keep trying to step back and re-examine the setup but i can't find the cause.

This is just a quick guess, that may or may not help you, but according to your description(1 out of 4 animals with recurring problem). More likely than not, it sounds like a form of melanoma, with black extretions, it is probably just a local mutation of the skin cells creating cancerous growth.

My advice, is that you take the animal to the vet and have it removed, don't even pay for a test to see if it is cancer, just have them remove it. If it comes back, then you will have to make some decisions, but more likely than not it won't.

Hope this helps, and g'luck,
Dan

thx, but if that were the case (some kind of cancer) would it just fall off?

i mean it does not take much to remove the growths. In fact, if i were to just soak her for an hour it falls off on its own.

It could be a cancerous growth anyway, not all types are the same. The swelling though makes me wonder if it isn't some type of infection. Both cancer and infection will cause swelling, but being on natural substrate I think could point more towards an infection. It would be best to locate a good vet and have them look at it to be sure.
It doesn't sound likely, but black growths can be from a mold or mildew (weird on a living creature to be sure) but they are also types of bacteria that cause swelling and infection.
Again the only way to be sure is to have it checked out, and I would try to do it sooner than later so it doesn't have to suffer more than it already has.
Best of luck, and let us know what you find out please.