Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male and a female mali. They were given to us in pretty bad shape. Full grown and in a 10 gal. tank. The females front leg was swollen and then her middle toes fell of. After about 3 months of proper care the swelling went down. so we never took her to the vet. now the swelling is back and worse than before. I have been on every website I can find and I can't find anything on what could be the matter with her. please help!

I'd take her to the vet... sort of sounds like an infection IN the leg. Hopefully the vet can just give you some shots and it shouldn't be outrageously expensive. I had a gecko with a swollen eye that went down (after treatment), came back, and killed him. He was tiny, though, so your uro should have a better chance.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

Another problem I am facing is that I live in a very small town in souuthern TN/northern AL and I have not been able to locate any vets who have ever treated a mali. (p.s. The time in between whe the swelling went down and came back was about 9 months to a year.) thanks!

In a case like this, get the Uro to a vet. In the meantime, keep the temperatures at the upper limit to help the Uro fight off the infection. This problem can develop into septacemia. Vets can usually be found at www.arav.org--under members.
Goodluck

Baileysmom,

It is very possible that your mali has developed gout brought on by her previous conditions and diet.
There are various types of gout and even a pseudo gout. A vet should be able to diagnose if your mali has gout and possibly what type. In the meantime, I would recommend cutting out as much protein as possible and making sure that you have accurate temps until you can see a vet.

Thanks for all the help. I have found a vet about 50 miles from me that has treated mali's before so I will be taking here there this week.