crix nibbling on toes

[sddragons]

I AM SO MAD!!!!!!!
I just got a baby leucistic X tangerine hypo and after feeding this morning I noticed a couple of his toes bleeding what looks to be crix nibbling of him. He doesn't eat right when I throw them in with him, he just seems to grab one every once in a while so I have to keep them in with him so he will eat throughout the day but if this is going to happen I sure don't want to leave the crix in with him while he is not eating.

What is the best thing to mend his toes at this point?

 

[KayJay93]

Ouch! I don't know about the toes.. But i hope they heal up well soon!
Do you feed him in his viv? It might be best to feed him in a seperate container if possible, this way you can watch over him and know there's not going to be any crickets left over that can harm him.

Hope his toes get better soon! x

 

[sddragons]

He is not in a viv yet. He still is very young and I just have him in a baby bin for a couple more weeks. And like i said, I just throw a few crix in at feeding time but he shows no interest and just eats one every now and then throughout the day. I never leave any in at night when the lights go off.

Ouch! I don't know about the toes.. But i hope they heal up well soon!
Do you feed him in his viv? It might be best to feed him in a seperate container if possible, this way you can watch over him and know there's not going to be any crickets left over that can harm him.

Hope his toes get better soon! x

 

[whopper]

how big is this "baby bin" and how old is he? i got my guy at 2 weeks and had him in a 40 gal wich he did fine with right away. do you have light for this "baby bin" and if so what are they?

 

[sddragons]

These are 16 quart plastic bins on my baby rack and yes heat lamps and UV over all 16 bins, not that that has anything to do with what happened tho.
I would never put a baby that young in a 40g tank. After maybe 2 months old I will start them in a 20G but a 40G at 2 weeks old could cause a lot of stress.

how big is this "baby bin" and how old is he? i got my guy at 2 weeks and had him in a 40 gal wich he did fine with right away. do you have light for this "baby bin" and if so what are they?

 

[Lovethelife07]

what i do is i let him eat as many crickets as he can in a 15 min time period...*feeding twice a day*
whatever he doesnt eat...i TAKE OUT...so when he lazes around the crickets dont get bored and start nibbling lol thats very bad for the crickets to be in there over a period of time...especially overnight

i found out the hard way my crickets used to bite my beardie and actually took off a few cm off his tail...i wasnt aware because i left him with a petsitter for my vaca but told her just to feed him blah blah blah...he is ok now but just for future reference...dont leave crickets in there

 

[diamc]

What you need to do is pick up some Betadine solution and put it in his bath water, the color should look like weak tea. Bathe him in that but make sure if he is thirsty, that he gets a drink before you add the Betadine. After bathing, blot him dry and apply some Neosporin to his toes. Watch for redness, swelling, discharge as they will all be signs of infection that will need to be treated at a vet for.

Please don't leave any uneaten crickets in with him all day because this is what happens. It will also stress him out causing him to not want to eat crickets anymore. You need to either allow enough time for him to eat his fill, use a separate feeding bin and take him out when he is done or buy some phoenix worms to leave in his tank all day so he can eat when he is hungry. Are you leaving live crickets in the other 16 bins all day too?

[Moved here from the Health forum so it will get more responses]

 

[Nasubi77]

You should only let him have access to the crickets when YOU say it's feeding time. He'll learn to eat while food is available!

 

[sddragons]

I know all about the not leaving crix in there at night thing and I never do. This was a new baby beardie I just got and at feeding time I threw some 2wk old crix in along with my many other babies. He is in a bin by himself and when I went back 10 minutes later his toes were crewed on and bleeding so they were chewing on him right away and he must have not been doing anything to shake them off.
I just stopped feeding crix to him all together cuz he never goes after them right away. I will stick to feeding him my baby dubia's and baby supers. And notice I said BABY supers.

 

[diamc]

If the crickets started nibbling on him after just 10 minutes, the crickets must have been very hungry. Are you gutloading your feeders? Rather than stressing him out by putting quite a few little, jumpy crickets in with him, you might want to try putting only about 4 in at a time. To slow them down, you can put them in a ziploc bag & place in the frig for a few minutes, that would make them easier for him to catch.

Did you do the Betadine bath and apply Neosporin as recommended? Is he only 2 wks old? I hope you didn't get him from a breeder at such a young age. Is he lethargic? Did he eat any baby dubias for you today? Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so if you aren't bathing him, it would be a good idea to start to see if you can get him to perk up and eat better.

 

[Freeie]

Yep i learned my lesson with hungary crickets when i got a shipment of 1000 large i fed them and took a few out for feedings with my hand and got bit. It hurts i could feel where i was bit for about 30 mins. I hope his little toes get better quick.

 

[sddragons]

I did not mention anywhere that I got him at 2 weeks. He was 6 inches when I bought him and I do not buy or sell if they are smaller than that. I am a breeder myself and know what to do with babies. I always gutload my bugs. I breed my own dubia's and supers also. He is fine and eats the other things fine, just doesn't seem to go for crix. He is fat and healthy. So no more crix for him.

My question here was how to treat his bitten toes that's all. Thanks though, his toes are mending now but probably lose a half of one and another nail but he will be fine.

If the crickets started nibbling on him after just 10 minutes, the crickets must have been very hungry. Are you gutloading your feeders? Rather than stressing him out by putting quite a few little, jumpy crickets in with him, you might want to try putting only about 4 in at a time. To slow them down, you can put them in a ziploc bag & place in the frig for a few minutes, that would make them easier for him to catch.

Did you do the Betadine bath and apply Neosporin as recommended? Is he only 2 wks old? I hope you didn't get him from a breeder at such a young age. Is he lethargic? Did he eat any baby dubias for you today? Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so if you aren't bathing him, it would be a good idea to start to see if you can get him to perk up and eat better.

 

[diamc]

We were all trying to be helpful and cover all bases, but I have the feeling that you were offended by our posts. You hadn't mentioned that you were a breeder and had experience with babies. Most of us here have helped lots of new owners and we had no way of knowing what your expertise were/are. So, we tried to give you helpful info, were not trying to be critical of your beardie care.

I would never put a baby that young in a 40g tank. After maybe 2 months old I will start them in a 20G but a 40G at 2 weeks old could cause a lot of stress.

When I read this, I thought you meant that the baby you were discussing was only 2 wks old, my mistake.

The Betadine and Neosporin were suggested to hopefully help as those have both been used before with good results. I hope your baby improves and does well.

 

[sddragons]

Oh I am sorry if I sounded like that. I am not offended by your posts, this is how I learned everything I know to this day. I just never experienced anything like this and was just wondering how to mend his toes. Thanks for all your advice and again I do apologize if I sounded a bit harsh.

We were all trying to be helpful and cover all bases, but I have the feeling that you were offended by our posts. You hadn't mentioned that you were a breeder and had experience with babies. Most of us here have helped lots of new owners and we had no way of knowing what your expertise were/are. So, we tried to give you helpful info, were not trying to be critical of your beardie care.

I would never put a baby that young in a 40g tank. After maybe 2 months old I will start them in a 20G but a 40G at 2 weeks old could cause a lot of stress.

When I read this, I thought you meant that the baby you were discussing was only 2 wks old, my mistake.

The Betadine and Neosporin were suggested to hopefully help as those have both been used before with good results. I hope your baby improves and does well.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yeah, that happens with crickets. They must have been really hungry crickets.
As Diane suggested, just keep the areas clean with the diluted betadine, daily, 1-2 times, & try to keep some antibiotic ointment on the toes to help with any infection that could set in with those bites.
Also, don't put any loose substrate in the tank, just use paper towels so dirt & debris doesn't get stuck on the ointment & get the wounds dirty.

I hope that his little toes are going to heal up quickly.

Tracie