Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When PTS lose toes is it usually from low humidity? I know with my Argentinian tegus that when I acquired them they had lost a few toes and had some that they lost right after I got them because of buildup of old sheds because their substrate was not damp enough. They (tegus) don't really have to have high humidity if the substrate is damp, but they aren't arboreal. So what about the PTS? I was thinking it might help to put some damp moss or cloths in their hide box where they sleep. Has anyone tried this? -Lucy
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Lucy
www.smalldragons.com

I haven't tried it, but it sounds worthwhile. Perhaps you could offer them a choice of a 'dry' hide and a moist hide and see which they use more often.

Hi-
I have had a PTS for about 7 years now. When I got her, she was in bad shape from a pet store. I convinced them to sell her to me for about $20 so I could take her to the vet. She had what appeared to be retained shed skin around her toes causing them to swell and fall off. Upon closer investigation, the vet and i concluded that retained shed skin was not the cause of the toe loss or the constriction around the digits. We sent out a few toys that were affected for biopsy and they came back as granulomatous inflammation with cell distruction. basically, what was happening was an inflammatory response to something in her body around her toes. These inflammed cells would then "burst" and cause a swelling in the digit. The area where the digit attaches to the foot would appear constricted in contrast to the swollen digit. Antibiotics did nothing, topical, oral or injectable and soaking the feet did nothing. Amputation was the only answer and still remains the only answer when this has happened. In the past 4 years, I think I have only had to remove 1 more digit. She is missing 3 toes off both fronts and 2 halves of toes off the backs but she does very well.
Over time, I have found a correlation between shedding and the inflammatory response. To remedy more toe loss when there is a flare up and she is abotu to shed, I soak her daily and mist her cage several times a day. I have also put triple antibiotic ointment or something in a similar petroleum base on the affected digits. This seems to keep a constant moisture on the toes and help shed the skin easier. when all these things fail, I manually remove the skin. To do this, I soak her first iin a warm bath and then carefully using tweezer, I remove the skin. She hates this so I have to wrap her in a towel and watch out for those jaws but this takes no time at all and helps her keep her toes.
I have never tried damp moss or cloths for extra humidity. i would worry abotu the moss only b/c these guys are so curious they may try to eat the moss. Moss does not pass easily through a reptiles gut. At the place I used to work we removed moss from more then one reptiles stomach. Often, on autopsy of a deceased reptile that was experiencing anorexia and wasting, the stomach would be full of pet moss. As for a cloth, it might not be a bad idea if you put it in a shallow container with a bit of water to keep it moist. As long as you clean it daily and wash and disinfect the cloth when it is soiled I would give it a try.
Sorry for the long-winded reply but I hope i helped!