Dislocated finger on baby beardie??

[Bear333]

Hi everyone! I've been reading on this site for about a year and I finally got my baby beardie, I've have had him for about 3 1/2 months now I haven't ever really noticed him having any eating problems or becoming hurt, but his finger might be dislocated!! I was gone for one day with my friend, and when I got back his finger was completely bent sideways right in the middle of his finger! :shock: He looked in pain I had my dad come and try to relocate his finger into the right position, and it worked! However, less than 2 hours later it was bent again! So my dad relocated it again, but the next day (today) It was back in the same bent position. I'm thinking he keeps jumping around in his cage and bending it instead of letting it heal. He's completely fine otherwise, eating his crickets and salad, and scurrying all over his cage. His lighting is correct, and he's still my lovable little guy :wink: I just am wondering what to do! Should I move him into a smaller tank (he's currently in a national geographic 50 gallon), should I remove some of his climbing items, etc. Please help! I'm getting worried that this might become permanent Thank you!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Poor guy! That is a hard one, since they are so active. Do you have any pictures you could show?
You could try to move things around so he doesn't have to climb so much. You can also use some toothpicks, sized down, etc, & some gauge & athletic tape to make a tiny splint to hold it into place for awhile so it will heal.

Tracie

 

[Bear333]

Here's his finger a couple days ago



This is him in his terrarium up on his basking spot. As you can see he's not putting any weight on his right hand.

The splint was a good idea, but I'm afraid he will try to shake it off because he can be very fidgety! I did take out a couple of his rocks that he likes to sit and climb all over, and I'm thinking to changing his basking spot to a towel so he doesn't have to use his ramp to climb up...



This is his enclosure. It says 90 degrees because it was early in the morning and the light was still warming up. It's usually 105 degrees Fahrenheit at his basking spot. I hope the pictures helped!

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Is there any chance he got his claw stuck in that wicker basket material and had to tug free? That may have dislocated his finger

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree that temporarily moving things down so everything is easily accessible is a good idea. You may want to try taping the finger to hold it which may help if it's dislocated but may not do much if it's broken. It may be worth a vet visit for an x-ray to see what's going on under the surface and to have it set if possible. Overall it's not likely to cause a big issue in the long run though if it heals up without infection.

 

[Bear333]

Here's his new "temporary" setup. I'm hoping all the towels will make it more cozy and just make him want to sleep and not run around using his injured foot! I just took his cave from the cold side and put it on top of a towel, then layered the cave with ANOTHER towel, so he has space to bask and hide, but also a smaller chance of getting his finger more injured.

This is how he stands on his foot when he's basking, and when he's running he either picks his entire foot up or kind of drags it along in a weird position. But none of this keeps him from exploring! I will try the homemade splint, but if I mess up I won't try again because I will probably hurt him (by the way, his name is Bear :wink: ) Any more suggestions on trying to stop him from using his foot too much? Thanks

 

[EllenD]

I would suggest getting him to a certified reptile vet for an x-ray, simply because he's still young enough and still growing, they may be able to correct it. Otherwise it's going to either not heal correctly and he'll always have the issue, or even worse, it may not heal at all. Dislocations, broken bones, etc. can and do become badly infected internally if they aren't taken care of properly so they can heal correctly.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, it doesn't look infected ....you might straighten it, wrap it in gauze with all toes pointing forward and a small piece of surgical tape around if he'll let you.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He looks so sweet! That temporary change in his tank should help.
Definitely try to splint his finger, it might really help out for him. You could get him to a vet for x-rays & they might be able to mobilize it better, but not sure.
I am glad to hear it hasn't slown him down.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Bear333]

Hey everyone, you all are being soo helpful! Bear is doing ok, however I've been noticing a couple changes... He's sleeping a lot, and his finger is not getting any better! I straightened his finger and tried to splint it, but it went right back in the bent position and he scurried out of my hands, and then he puffed at me! This has never happened before, so I was very concerned that I hurt him. I gave him lot's of loves and head scratches to apologize♥ I don't know how to tell if his finger is infected or not, but here are a couple pictures:







I am tight on money at the moment, and am currently trying to find a non-pay veterinarian in the area. Today, I had to wake him up at 3 pm to feed him, and he went right back to sleep! I placed him on his basking spot so he could warm up, and keep active. I know beardie's can have a day off if they want to, but this just hasn't happened today. He may be in shed, but he's not scratching himself, and there's no signs of his skin peeling off (as I can see). I'll try to give him a bath tonight. Thanks so much guys!

 

[EllenD]

Again, find a reptile vet that takes payments or apply for CareCredit online. He's still young enough that if you get him PROPER TREATMENT it may still heal correctly. If you let it go any longer he may become permanently disabled, develop severe arthritis, or much, much worse, it could be infected, which would explain his lethargy and lack of appetite. A systemic infection will kill him.

You're not going to find a "non-pay" vet, let alone one that knows what they're doing with reptiles. But you can find one that will take payments, or they all take CareCredit. You need to do it ASAP as it's not improving but getting worse. I was hoping it would heal correctly without any issues, but you've tried that, it's been a week and he's getting progressively worse, so you need to think about what that might mean for him...Plus he may be suffering greatly, which isn't fair to him at all, it's cruel. Only prescription pain meds will help a serious orthopedic injury like he has, especially if infection is setting in.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Bear, I know you said you have the proper lighting, but can you list what the exact type + brand of lights you are using ? With the uvb on top of the screen at that distance it may not be giving enough uvb down in to the tank. Also how are you taking the temp in the tank ?

I was thinking too that the towel you have in there might actually be snagging his nails, it might be best to just keep a small rounded log for basking. The finger doesn't look like it's infected and the good thing about beardies is that they don't develop infections in their wounds very easily so hopefully there is no infection there. I've had a couple beardies that had a broken/twisted toe in the past + they were not affected at all, that type of injury rarely affects them very much. It could be that he's not feeling well from that but I suspect he may be snagging it on the towel and I also wonder if his lethargy is related to his uvb being so far away + on top of the screen.