My Bluey keeps biting his feet. Please help.

[Leaf]

Hello, I just registered an account here. My blue-tongue skink was born in June 2003 and I bought him when he was only a few weeks old from a breeder. He is a Northern Blue Tongue.

Anyway, recently he has been biting his legs. When I got to inspect his legs, his soles (the bottom palms to his feet) look they look a bit swollen underneath, and differently colored (a brownish red). Sometimes he just randomly starts scatching the ground below him with one of his feet.

My questions are:
1. Is this a symptom for a disease?
2. Is there anything I can do to help him?

Thank you for your time. I will gladly submit more information about this problem and my skin if it is needed.

[Linnea]

I cannot say anything about the biting, at all. it is unkown to me. wait for the more experienced skink owners.

Have you checked for mites? itching can drive anyone crazy.

the soles are always a bit red and puffy and the scales are quite a bit smaller.
and, scratching in the ground is normal for skinks to do, they love to dig and such. im not sure if this is what you are describing?

you may want to post photos while waiting for more answers

[Leaf]

I cannot say anything about the biting, at all. it is unkown to me. wait for the more experienced skink owners.

Have you checked for mites? itching can drive anyone crazy.

the soles are always a bit red and puffy and the scales are quite a bit smaller.
and, scratching in the ground is normal for skinks to do, they love to dig and such. im not sure if this is what you are describing?

you may want to post photos while waiting for more answers

No, him scratching the ground is different now. When he scratches the ground to dig, he usually has his head tilted downward and does a different motion. Now when he starts scratching randomly it seems as though its a tick or something is annoying him.

[Richard.C]

has he got any loose skin still on his legs,sounds like he might be trying to remove stuck shed perhaps,check just his toes to,as sometimes they can struggle to remove it and will need an hand

[Leaf]

has he got any loose skin still on his legs,sounds like he might be trying to remove stuck shed perhaps,check just his toes to,as sometimes they can struggle to remove it and will need an hand

I checked for that , and even washed his feet. He is still biting his legs. One of his toes for his back foot looks like he bit off the scales to it and looks kind of bloody.

[Richard.C]

hmmmm,odd behaviuor,are u able to get a pic of his feet

[Leaf]

hmmmm,odd behaviuor,are u able to get a pic of his feet

I will try to get pictures of his feet. However, he squirms a lot and runs away when I try to touch them so getting a picture of the soles to his feet is going to be tricky. Also, I don't know how to upload pics on this site.

[Richard.C]

haha,yes they can be hard to restrict for pics,with uploading pics,click post reply,not quick reply,then scroll down and theres an upload pics link

[Richard.C]

oh and even just a pick of top of feet,toe area,maybe even the whole skink

[Coomassie]

It is obviously a sign of discomfort. The question is what kind of discomfort, as it could be itchy, pain, etc). Maybe try a warm bath to see if that will at least help with the discomfort that he is feeling. Also, probably wouldn't hurt to have a vet check him out.

Just another thought, what does your setup look like, especially what substrate are you using? Perhaps the substrate is irritating his little feet. Maybe replace it with paper towels for a while and see if that helps?

[Leaf]

Here are two pics of his feet. He absolutely made it difficult for me to get a good look at them, but this as good as I could get it. You can see in the first picture that his palm looks bloodied yet when i tried washing it there was no blood coming off, it looks internal.






Please click on them to get a much better view.

[Richard.C]

hes a nice looking northern,interesting,his foot looks like theres no shed still there,even the toes,though the top of the left toe looks funkyish from the pic,that i can see,maybe an extension from the base of the foot,if it isnt shed skin retained im not sure what it is,is it just that foot?

[Scotts1au]

eek does look like a vet job to me. I'm guessing some form of haemolytic bacterial infection - possibly a strep. Your bluey needs urgent attention, and complete bedding strip down and antibiotics. Good news is that if it is a Strep it should be readily treatable but may result in septicaemia if left too long.

[Katrina]

Good pictures and good luck. If you don't mind, I'd be curious to hear an update after the vet visit. Hope he heals quickly!!

[Leaf]

The problem is that a vet visit is probably extremely expensive for an exotic lizard such as a blue-tongue skink. How expensive would a visit and medication be?

[Fatal_S]

A visit here is about $60, medicine about $30, special tests around $40. Better than buying a new lizard.

[Katrina]

The problem is that a vet visit is probably extremely expensive for an exotic lizard such as a blue-tongue skink. How expensive would a visit and medication be?

If he needs to go to the vet, that shouldn't be a consideration. In my experience, vet visits usually cost about $60-$70 Canadian, antibiotics range from $20-$50 depending on what type - so not very expensive at all, although test / cultures will be more.

[Richard.C]

just try to see a vet whom also specialises in reptiles

[Leaf]

Any suggestions on where to go for a vet? I live in northwestern New Jersey.

[Richard.C]

um,im not sure,im in australia,ml may know,being a jersey boy and all,is there a section in here listing reptile vets