Regrowing Toe (Bone looking thing sticking out)

[Adin]

We are replacing the sand (we still need to find somewhere that sells other substrate) and we are looking for a reptile specialist to take him to.

 

[Kaiser]

I've never heard or seen anything like this before, so it's pretty interesting. Hopefully it's not a bad thing, and someone can help you figure out what's going on.

Glad to hear that you are looking to replace the sand with a more suitable substrate. Good, safe substrates include reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, and tile. There may be another that I am forgetting; if so, maybe someone else can remind me. You can find reptile carpet in most local pet stores that sell reptile products or reptiles (e.g., Petco). Non-adhesive shelf liner and tile can be found in general stores, department stores, etc. Otherwise, there are always online stores.

Best wishes to you and your bearded dragon. Hope you can switch out the sand soon, and find a specialist for the current situation.

 

[Adin]

He can move (like his others) his toe now. Not as long nor (completely) covered in skin yet but it is flexible like the others.

 

[jsnsan]

I'm not sure about the toe thing. But did you mean to write that you are only feeding him 3 crickets twice a day?

 

[Tonja]

Beardies do not have the capability <autonomy> to regrow lost tails, toes or limbs. What you may be seeing is the skin atrophying around where the toe was bitten off. Atrophy of the skin will reveal a bone like structure as the skin is being pulled downward closer to the foot and away from the toe. But they do not regenerate lost toes, tails and limbs.

 

[ziggydoodles]

I'm not sure about the toe thing. But did you mean to write that you are only feeding him 3 crickets twice a day?

I'm not sure about the toe thing either, but that 3 crickets thing caught my eye too. When my beardie was that young she was eating about 30-40 crickets a day, not a total of 6.

 

[Adin]

The guy at the local petstore said to feed him 3 "Medium" crickets twice a day although he hasn't been eating very much for a few weeks.

 

[Adin]

Beardies do not have the capability <autonomy> to regrow lost tails, toes or limbs. What you may be seeing is the skin atrophying around where the toe was bitten off. Atrophy of the skin will reveal a bone like structure as the skin is being pulled downward closer to the foot and away from the toe. But they do not regenerate lost toes, tails and limbs.

Everyone has said (usually in a far more simplistic way) something along the lines of this however when we bought him he did not have whatever the thing that looks like a toe is, then a month later (approximately) this appeared.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Just read through your thread. That's so interesting about his toe!
Our female, Lady, is missing a nail on one of her "fingers". The previous owners claim that Brick (our male) bit it off last time they tried to breed them. I don't have any photo evidence of Brick's finger-eating, but today that injured toe is almost full-length and it looks and feels like a regular toe to me. If what the previous owners said is true, then her toe grew back but not the nail. Maybe beardies have that capability when they are younger? :?: Here's a recent picture, the digit in question is on her front left leg.

Just my .02!

 

[Adin]

It would certainly seem so (despite what people are saying), I would post pictures but I just gave him a bath and he is in "beardie buritto".

 

[ziggydoodles]

The guy at the local petstore said to feed him 3 "Medium" crickets twice a day although he hasn't been eating very much for a few weeks.

A young bearded dragon should basically be like a cricket garbage disposal, if you're only feeding him 6 per day and he's not really eating, then I'd recommend taking him into the vet to get him checked out, because that's just not normal behavior. Are you dusting the crickets with vitamins? Also, I just re-read that you had him on desert sand...is he still living on this sand? Because he could be eating the sand (which is super bad for a young beardie) and causing intestinal problems that are keeping him from eating like he should be.

 

[Adin]

We will try to take him to a reptile specialist (closest one is Deception Bay) as soon as possible and yes he is still on the sand (no-one near us sells the reptile carpeting, although we may use tiling). We used to (when he was still on small crickets) feed him 15-40 crickets a day (sometimes 2/3 times a day) and he ate them all in minutes (or seconds) but now he leaves them alone for days sometimes (usually try to take them out if he doesn't eat them).

 

[ziggydoodles]

We will try to take him to a reptile specialist (closest one is Deception Bay) as soon as possible and yes he is still on the sand (no-one near us sells the reptile carpeting, although we may use tiling). We used to (when he was still on small crickets) feed him 15-40 crickets a day (sometimes 2/3 times a day) and he ate them all in minutes (or seconds) but now he leaves them alone for days sometimes (usually try to take them out if he doesn't eat them).

I would get him off that sand ASAP, even clean paper towels would be a better substrate for him until you find tiles or carpeting. Something is definitely not right though, if he's made that kind of switch in his eating habits.

 

[Jtara]

We will try to take him to a reptile specialist (closest one is Deception Bay) as soon as possible and yes he is still on the sand (no-one near us sells the reptile carpeting, although we may use tiling). We used to (when he was still on small crickets) feed him 15-40 crickets a day (sometimes 2/3 times a day) and he ate them all in minutes (or seconds) but now he leaves them alone for days sometimes (usually try to take them out if he doesn't eat them).

Being on nothing is better than sand.

 

[LadyMeridius]

Go to a hardware store that sells outdoor felt carpeting. I buy it as deep as my tank needs and cut it down. 3 reptile carpets for under $8.

Also a craft store will sell small pieces of felt and they will do in a pinch