Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a juve tegu from our local swap - he's eating well and learning to trust us. His enclosure has cypress bedding and he likes to burrow beneath it during the day.

In the PM hours - we remove him to feed & to get social. Every other day I notice a nail gone. One rear leg is missing a nail, now the front leg is missing a nail. I read that they dont/wont grow back.

We havent trimmed his nails - cause he is still so petite. Should I take out the cypress & use the fluffy fiber pulp bedding we use for the snakes? (Carefresh bedding )

Do I need to take him to a vet - is this an indication of a serious issue? Any feed back would be great!

That's interesting.

I don't think I would use any fluffy bedding unless I was certain it wouldn't cause impaction. My tegus would probably think it was something to eat or play with.

The first two things that come to mind are shedding and digging. If retained skin has constricted the end of the toe, it will cayuse tissue death and the nail will fall off. Constant digging at the enclosure wall (as in trying to get out of a glass tank) can also cause nails to be worn down to nothing, as can getting them caught on screen or other objects.

I would check the environment first, figure out what your tegu is doing during the day, and make sure the humidity is at least 60%, even up to 70-80%. Check his feet for dry stuck sheds. Nails may regrow, it depends on were the damage occurred. If the end of the toe and the nail bed are damaged, it will not regrow. If just the nail after the bed is gone, it will regrow.

No other animals or anything in the cage?