Reptile & Amphibian Forums

here is a pick of my 1 yr old ne schneider, and she got a tail infecton and a toe infection( not pictured), what should i do.
she just shed yesterday and she had some problems but i helped her , and now her tail tip and one toe have a black-green crust over some of the scales.

she had a toe infection when i adopted her, and her toe fell off, and i treated it with betadine, but is there any way to prevent her tail and other toe from falling off?

should i wait till next shed, or take her to a vet.

ive never taken any of my lizards to a vet before and would not know where to find one, because the most serious thing they have had was that they were emaciated when i got them, but now they are fine.

if anyone can give me advice, please, i beg of you!

It's kinda hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like something called tail rot. it's when bacteria that grow on lizards (harmless to people) accumulates, gets under a scale and then the scale falls off. This problem then spreads, leaving black areas and scabbing in it's wake. If untreated, the appendage falls off or the lizard dies.

here's what I did: I took tap water in a spray bottle. I sprayed down the whole cage and both lizards at least twice a day (I soaked the cage good I did!) The lizard(s) won't like this, but make sure the lizard gets a good blast (especially on the area). The problem should heal itself next shed, leaving a scar that eventually goes away.

My skinks have survived 2 bouts with this, and yeah it's from an environment that is "less than perfect" (in other words clean it every day or it might happen) it's not a big deal unless you let it get to the point where stuff falls off.

It was difficult to tell much from the picture, but what you're most likely dealing with is some form of gangrene. This means that for some reason the tissue on your lizard's tail is dying. The two most likely candidates for causes are a small wound that became infected (wet gangrene), or an injury that reduced or completely blocked blood flow to that area of the tail (dry gangrene). In either case, it is vital that you get your lizard to a vet.

First, it is practically impossible to correctly diagnose the problem over the internet.

Second, wet and dry gangrene, and the extent of the necrosis will call for different treatments. And the problem may be something else entirely (ie, a fungal infection).

Third, without the proper treatment your lizard's life may be at risk. With wet gangrene the infection and necrosis will continue to spread if left untreated. Eventually this will result in septicemia and then death. With dry gangrene there is (hopefully) no infection present and the gangrene may stop spreading on it's own, but the affected area will still need to be amputated or will fall off on it's own. This leaves the area open to infection.

So in either case your lizard is in need of medical attention either just for antibiotics, or for amputation and antibiotics (assuming you're dealing with gangrene and not something else).

The suggestion that another poster made that you simply spray the wound with water will at the least have no effect, and at the worst will cause the infection to spread faster. Bacteria thrive in warm moist conditions.

If you are in the United States you can find a herp vet by going to arav.org, herpvetconnection.com or anapsid.org. If this fails just start calling vets in your area and ask who has experience with herps. You'd be surprised at how many vets simply don't advertise their herp experience.

Let me know if you need more help beyond that, and please keep us updated.

-Z

im not sure, but this looks like its dry, its kind of like a scab, but im not sure what to do with it. i do not feel it neccesary to go out to the vet, considering that i am in the northeast, and the nearest herp expert is miles away from me, and heat packs dont keep the lizard warm enough, and i am afraid of taking her to the vet in this cold. i am using a bedatine solution daily, to disinfect the area, and if you have any other ideas that will help me please share, but i dont know when this weather will die down

If you have a car or can borrow one you should be able to move the lizard with minimum stress. Put the skink in a small carrying cage with a hot water bottle. Wrap the cage in a blanket and quickly move it to a well heated car. Do the reverse on your way out of the vet's office.

Where precisely on the tail did the rot start, and how quickly, and in what direction has it spread? Does the area seem at all shrunken/shriveled? Does it feel "hollow"?

Keeping the area clean with Betadine or Nolvasan is a good first step. You might also move her to a hospital tank to help keep her environment sterile. Use newspaper as a substrate and use only glazed ceramic, plastic or glass dishes that you can easily clean. Provide a plastic hide that can also be cleaned easily. Clean everything in the cage frequently and change the newspaper as soon as it becomes soiled.

Increasing the temperature to the top end of the heat range will also increase the skinks metabolism, making it easier for her system to fight infection. If you do this make sure that the humidity doesn't drop too far as a result.

That's about all you can do on your own. Please get her to a vet as soon as you can though.

-Z

it is at the tip of the tail in 5-6 scales but it has not spread, and it is no longer black, after i started treating it with bedatine, it has turned green, but is still crusty so im not sure if its gone.

i called the vet, but they wont have any free apointments till monday, which is crappy, and there is no emergency vet hospital nearby, so ill hope and wait.

Monday's not an unreasonable amount of time to wait for something like this. Good luck.

-Z