Toe Problem With New BTS

[Briannanikole]

Okay, so here goes my list of questions and a little backstory. I went to a reptile expo on saturday for the sole purpose of bringing home a baby BTS. Instead I came home with a rather sizable sub-adult/adult. Everything is going good after I get him home, then after a couple of hours I noticed he wasn't using his front left leg. Upon further inspection it looks like maybe he cut his toe on something? I'm not sure what to do about it. Also, any ideas on ID? I was told it's a sunrise x sunset.

[Susann]

That is a very swollen finger and limb. I am afraid I would take it to a vet to make sure nothing is broken... The swelling goes beyond just the finger and wrist and that makes me a bit nervous.

[kingofnobbys]

I agree .... a vet needs to see your BT .... please don't hesitate as he looks like he's in considerable pain and the toe / finger is black and badly infected.

He needs at the very least antibiotics to get ontop of the infection before it become a lifethreatening systemic infection,

Do you know how this injury happened ? not sharing the tank with another BT is he ? If he is I think you need to separate as they can be very vicious towards tankmates (even kill their tankmate).

My George had an checked history as a juvenile, his sister cornered him in a hide (was originally using converted cardboard boxes) and give him a nasty bite in the head, took a couple of biug head scales off and I had to apply betadiene to the open wound for several weeks while the injury healed.... this was my cue to separate the pair.
And being very rambunctious he somehow broke his left arm one day in his rearing tub , had to be reset and he had to ware a caste to immobilize his injured arm (upper bone) and looked very funny with his arm poking straight out from his chest , didn't slow him down.

[Briannanikole]

I have no idea how the injury occurred. I just know it occurred saturday night after he got home. He's in an enclosure by himself. The only think I can think of is that maybe he got poked by a piece of cypress mulch. I'll start calling vets this morning. I posted in another group yesterday and everyone there said it looked like a piece of stuck shed on the toe.

[kingofnobbys]

I have no idea how the injury occurred. I just know it occurred saturday night after he got home. He's in an enclosure by himself. The only think I can think of is that maybe he got poked by a piece of cypress mulch. I'll start calling vets this morning. I posted in another group yesterday and everyone there said it looked like a piece of stuck shed on the toe.

Doesn't look like a stuck shed around the toe to me.... chances are he got the toe snagged somehow and injured it and his arm in the panic trying to feel himself. Kind of looks partly degloved .... is a nasty injury.... are you doing any in home treatment ?
ie applying betadiene (1 part betadiene / 3 - 4 parts salien or boiled water) soaks using a sterile surgical swab , or giving him luke warm dilute betadiene (in water) baths to try to keep the wound from getting more infected ?

I never did figure out how George broke his arm as a juvenile, shouldn't have happened if the breeder gave adequate dietary calcium and UVB which I suspect he didn't (never did see his breeding set up , the baby BTs were brought out in a tub for me to choose from while I sat in my car and I chose the two who seemed the most interested in me, George and Mildred literally climbed out of the (underbed type) tub onto my lap "pick me ! Pick me !) while the rest showed no interest in me , and even tried to get away from me).

Hope the vet can sort out the issue without needing surgery .

[Briannanikole]

We have a vet appointment this afternoon. The only thing I can think of is that he scraped it on a piece of cypress mulch, as he did it when his tank was practically empty. I've been using a reptile safe antiseptic on it. And he's using the limb more now. All the scales and skin are intact except for the cut on the outside of the toe. But I'd rather him see the vet just to give me piece of mind or a definitive care plan moving forward. The only swelling he has now is the affected toe and a little bit in the palm of the hand. I'll keep you guys updated with what the vet says.

[Janella]

Definitely keep us posted on what they find wrong with your guy. Glad you are taking it in. It definitely looks painful.

[Briannanikole]

So we went to the vet, they gave me some oral antibiotics, as well as a medicated foot soak, and he was given a good prognosis. We did the foot soak, and started the meds, so my next task is to get him to eat. He's been drinking regularly, but shows no interest in food at all. Are there any tried and true favorites to get them to eat?

[Janella]

You can try snails. Most skinks go crazy for them. Also Gobbler Cobbler or Chow Down Chowder canned dog food by Natural Bala are favorites. Hope that helps! Also definitely read through the feeding section. There is alot of great suggestions. Glad all went well with the toe and he got a good prognosis. Thanks for the update. Good luck with him

[kingofnobbys]

So we went to the vet, they gave me some oral antibiotics, as well as a medicated foot soak, and he was given a good prognosis. We did the foot soak, and started the meds, so my next task is to get him to eat. He's been drinking regularly, but shows no interest in food at all. Are there any tried and true favorites to get them to eat?

Oh my .... oral antibiotics taste terrible .... when I had to give Lucky his oral antubiotics he soon learnt to recognize the antibiotics bottle and syringe with the plastic catheter tube and he made very hard to get the tube into his mouth (at the corner of the lips) .... and he was only a little water skink about 5g at the start of his treatment --- he was a two person job, one person to hold him and stop him from wriggling and turning around to try to make access to his mouth impossible , the other worked the syringe plunger after the catheter tube was in place in the corner of his mouth and on his tongue (the vet nurse made it looks all so easy ---- but she was giving him first dose so Lucky didn't know what was coming (boy oh boy did he perform afterwards for a few minutes though .... huge YUCK !!! reaction and tantrum , oh my did he hate that little plastic tube !!! He wanted to kill it !!!

A big BT is going to be a real handful , an adult BT is a very powerful / strong critter !!!
Even when I hid the bottle and syringe he always knew what was going to happen.....

... I hope you have a helper on hand to assist - I think you're going to need it.....

I'd have a yummy treat or two handy give him after he has his yucky nasty medicine to take that nasty taste away and to make it all up to him ..... believe me they are quick learners.

I'll have to remember that approach to antiseptic / antibiotic foot soaking ---- never even occurred to me to use a spirit nip glass .... What are you using for the foot soak ?

[kingofnobbys]

You can try snails. Most skinks go crazy for them. Also Gobbler Cobbler or Chow Down Chowder canned dog food by Natural Bala are favorites. Hope that helps! Also definitely read through the feeding section. There is alot of great suggestions. Glad all went well with the toe and he got a good prognosis. Thanks for the update. Good luck with him

garden type snails ( make sure they are purged and not been baited) , silkworms .... silkworms are always a winner with my BTs (and other pet lizards).

Beauty of silkworms is they contain a natural antiinflamatory (Serrapeptase).

[Briannanikole]

So we went to the vet, they gave me some oral antibiotics, as well as a medicated foot soak, and he was given a good prognosis. We did the foot soak, and started the meds, so my next task is to get him to eat. He's been drinking regularly, but shows no interest in food at all. Are there any tried and true favorites to get them to eat?

Oh my .... oral antibiotics taste terrible .... when I had to give Lucky his oral antubiotics he soon learnt to recognize the antibiotics bottle and syringe with the plastic catheter tube and he made very hard to get the tube into his mouth (at the corner of the lips) .... and he was only a little water skink about 5g at the start of his treatment --- he was a two person job, one person to hold him and stop him from wriggling and turning around to try to make access to his mouth impossible , the other worked the syringe plunger after the catheter tube was in place in the corner of his mouth and on his tongue (the vet nurse made it looks all so easy ---- but she was giving him first dose so Lucky didn't know what was coming (boy oh boy did he perform afterwards for a few minutes though .... huge YUCK !!! reaction and tantrum , oh my did he hate that little plastic tube !!! He wanted to kill it !!!

A big BT is going to be a real handful , an adult BT is a very powerful / strong critter !!!
Even when I hid the bottle and syringe he always knew what was going to happen.....

... I hope you have a helper on hand to assist - I think you're going to need it.....

I'd have a yummy treat or two handy give him after he has his yucky nasty medicine to take that nasty taste away and to make it all up to him ..... believe me they are quick learners.

I'll have to remember that approach to antiseptic / antibiotic foot soaking ---- never even occurred to me to use a spirit nip glass .... What are you using for the foot soak ?

He did good with the antibiotics yesterday... but the last reptile I had to give antibiotics to was injections on an 8foot boa rescue... so my little skink was much easier. Lol. I think the foot soak is a clorhexidine from the vet. It said keep away from eyes and mucous membranes, so I thought that meant I had to soak just the foot. I have horses and when they get a hoof problem, you try to get them to stand with a foot in a bucket, so that's where the idea came from

[kingofnobbys]

maybe the stuff he's getting tastes ok ,... if not and it's nasty tasting, he may not be so easy to give his oral medicine to with the rest of the doses .... they do remember things like yuck that's nasty.

[Briannanikole]

maybe the stuff he's getting tastes ok ,... if not and it's nasty tasting, he may not be so easy to give his oral medicine to with the rest of the doses .... they do remember things like yuck that's nasty.

The vets office said they flavored it, but just in case, I fill one of the syringes with the pangea diet with insects and give him that. Now, when he sees the syringe, he bites onto it and waits for it. It's a little comical. just to update with how he's doing, I think he's feeling better, he's more active and interested in food. I was starting to get concerned because he wasn't eating, but he ate about half a tablespoon of dog food last night, and 1/4 of a hard boiled egg this morning. And he's using the injured hand to walk around more. I hope this means things are improving from here on.

[Janella]

Awe, I hope he is improving as well. Keep is updated.

[Briannanikole]

Just to update everyone, we finally lost the toe. But now I have a lively, energetic skink who explores his cage and scarfs down dinner every night. He's also using the affected hand, and the swelling is almost nonexistent. We still have another week of meds, but I think we're going to see improvement from here on out.

[Janella]

Sorry the toe was lost, but it sounds like it was for the best. I am glad to hear that your baby is feeling better. Good news!