Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have an adult male veiled cham that was born January-February 2003. I got him in August of 2003. He was the runt of his clutch and is still small for an adult male. He was born with "club foot". I am not really sure what that is, but the breeder I bought him from said he grew out of it.
The reason for this post is his feet have always looked funny. He is missing a couple nails and in their place are black nubs. A couple of the nails on his left hind food are under developed. Some more of his nails are upside down, crooked, and black underneath. He does however have a few normal looking nails.
Should I do anything with this? He seems to get around okay, but he has fallen a few times. I would really appreciate any advice and feedback. Thank you very much, Josh

As for the missing claws, they probably won't grow back. If those toes are not swollen or look infected leave them alone. As for the crooked or upside down claws, are they still "attached" or are they possibly partly pulled out? If they are attached (he has some control over them) they are probably deformed and there won't be much you could do. If they are just hanging in the skin they might be or get infected at some point so watch the toes for swelling. Are the toes themselves black or just the claws? If just the claws probably nothing to do. If the toe itself is hard, swollen or black you'll need a vet to check them and possibly antibiotics for systemic infection. All chams fall at one time or another. In the height of the typical cage they probably can't hurt themselves...they are pretty good at filling with air when they feel themselves falling and this breaks the force of their fall. Give him lots of travel routes in the cage so he can climb all over it easily.