Is this a retained shed?! (Still need help!)

[Dreamwritten]

Hey all,

So, I always noticed Slim's feet were a bit different, but now that he's staying still for me and letting me hold him I'm noticing a bit more detail...

His right foot seems to be a bit different than his left. His left resembles his back two, slender and uniform, but his right looks a little lumpy, as if someone tied off his fingers and cut the circulation:

This image is a little exaggerated--it's not SWOLLEN, it just looks that much bigger because the foot in question is elevated toward the camera and the other one is lower and further away. But I took it like this so you can see the foot in detail and compare it to the one in the background.

Is something wrong, or is it just a little birth defect?

Also, his little toes seem to be pretty lax... they don't curl under him or anything, but they feel very floppy/rubbery. Could it be MDB?

I've only had him for about 2 weeks now so I may just be being paranoid. I just want to troubleshoot as much as I can early on so I understand this little guy!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....he was probably bitten by his cagemates before you got him, or possibly had a little retained skin shed that cut off circulation slightly. It looks like they are healing without much swelling. As far as developing calcium deficiency, just make sure you are dusting the food with calcium powder 4-5 days a week and have good lights. What type and brand of lights do you have ?

 

[carlisv]

If he's your first beardie you'll get used to their weird toes. They can be completely floppy and strewn in all directions, even bent under their feet, and they couldn't care less. Their toes don't curl upwards naturally, but every other direction is fairly normal.

 

[Dreamwritten]

Thanks guys!

Hi there....he was probably bitten by his cagemates before you got him, or possibly had a little retained skin shed that cut off circulation slightly. It looks like they are healing without much swelling. As far as developing calcium deficiency, just make sure you are dusting the food with calcium powder 4-5 days a week and have good lights. What type and brand of lights do you have ?

I have a 150 watt day bulb, 150 watt night bulb and a reptisun 10.0 uvb tube.

What exactly is a retained shed? How do you prevent it in the future?

And yes, I'm dusting his crickets several times per week, feeding him veggies and phoenix worms, and keeping him hydrated with a bath about every other day and some water in his tank (I monitor the humidity though, no worries).

 

[Dreamwritten]

I figured it looked like a retained shed, but I don't know what that is or how to prevent it.

 

[Dreamwritten]

I think his foot/ankle look a bit more swollen today, and it seems as if the circulation is being cut a bit. I still need help with this. I just gave him a warm bath, scrubbed a bit with a toothbrush and used organic unscented lotion on his foot/ankle area. I'm going to watch him throughout the day to see if he compensates for it at all by not using it, tucking it under, etc. The arm part also feels a bit thicker/more tender than the same part on his other arm. Do you think something could be wrong? If it is retained shed, how do I go about getting it off if it's stubborn ??

 

[AHBD]

Can you post a new picture, one close up of the area also a front view with both of his legs showing so as to get comparison ? You can continue what you're doing , but be very gentle with the toothbrush....be sure it's baby soft bristles or you could irritate it further. You could also apply antibiotic cream instead of lotion, that way it still stays moist but also has medication in case of infection.

 

[Dreamwritten]

Here's a picture of the foot in question. I couldn't get a good one of both feet at the moment. It looks shiny because it has bacitracin on it.

I don't know what to do

 

[Dreamwritten]

I'm almost inclined to say it's looking worse by the day, but I don't think it's because the condition is actually getting worse.. I think it's because he's getting ready to shed those areas, so they look particularly pale/unappealing. I'm hoping this shed will make it easier to scrub whatever might be retained shed off.

 

[kawa798]

It looks like a shed to me too. The dark indented fingers look a little worrisome though. A retained shed is when some of the skin, for some reason or another does not separate from the newly formed skin beneath it. I think it usually happens on the tip of the tail. It can cut off circulation which isn't good. How is he doing now? I'd say keep soaking him in a warm bath for 15 to 20 minutes every day until you know exactly what it is. I think the only way to help or prevent retained shed is bathing them often when they are about to shed and during the shed. Between baths you can use something like T-Rex bio-mist Reptile Skin Conditioner or a similar product. You just spray it on the area needed to be moisturized. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Dreamwritten]

It looks like a shed to me too. The dark indented fingers look a little worrisome though. A retained shed is when some of the skin, for some reason or another does not separate from the newly formed skin beneath it. I think it usually happens on the tip of the tail. It can cut off circulation which isn't good. How is he doing now? I'd say keep soaking him in a warm bath for 15 to 20 minutes every day until you know exactly what it is. I think the only way to help or prevent retained shed is bathing them often when they are about to shed and during the shed. Between baths you can use something like T-Rex bio-mist Reptile Skin Conditioner or a similar product. You just spray it on the area needed to be moisturized. Good luck, keep us posted.

thanks so much! yeah, ive been bathing him daily, massaging and gently scrubbing the areas with my fingers and a soft bristled toothbrush, and applying bacitracin to lock in moisture and prevent infection. so far, so good! he wont stay in the bath longer than ten minutes, but my efforts seem to be doing some good. the areas look less swollen and just better in general. ill try to post a close up tomorrow to compare.

ill also post a pic of his tail tip, too.

 

[Dreamwritten]

His foot looks so much better! I managed to scrub off some of the retained shed in the bath today (gently of course, and with a q tip, so I wouldn't rip off any premature shedding). His toes look much better and his paw looks a lot less constricted. I'll try to get a picture up later. Thanks for all your advice!

EDIT:: It's looking better! This is blurry, but you can see the redness/swelling/constriction has gone down considerably.