?'s about: unshed bands of skin...and not eating for 2 days.

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Posted by jess b on May 05, 2003 at 17:19:13:

In Reply to: ?'s about: unshed bands of skin...and not eating for 2 days. posted by icequeen on May 03, 2003 at 09:40:34:

Bands of unshed skin on the toes and tail tips of reptiles kept in too low humidity is a big problem- this is usually a shedding problem due to the low humidity. the toe tip you are worried about may or may not be alive at this point. The constricting band needs to come off ASAP. You can try soaking her repeatedly in tepid water, gentle finger massage of the skin, application of aloe vera to soften it--- If you can find a vet that will see reptiles, they can do all of the above, plus they will have nifty tiny suture scissors with a tiny curved tip than can be slipped under a constricting band t cut it. I would not go after it your self with a razor blade, too easy to do more damage to the fragile tissue.
If you 'let nature take it's course', she will lose the toe, and will probably be left with an open wound that can get infected. Nature did not intend for PTS to be captured and kept in captivity under less than ideal conditions- so now that you have rescued her - do the best you can to give her a better life than she has had recently.
You need to look/call/ask around for a vet willing to work with you and your exotics- even if it is quite a drive. Where are you located? Constricting toe bands are not a good thing, but are fairly easy to deal with- use this as an opportunity to get aquainted with your closest vet who can help you with her. You should also bring a fecal sample to have tested for parasites. Find your vet now, so you will know where to go if/when she has a major problem.
Ok- off my soapbox, sorry about that- I feel compelled to write these things when I read about ill exotics who have not been to the vet yet.
Jess b
:I have had a PTS (named Dill) since Easter weekend. She is the one I posted awhile back about that is missing so many toes.
:The question I have is...how do I deal with the couple bands of skin still left on her toes?

:The one I am most concerned about is very tight on her front toe, it bleeds slightly sometimes when she is using her feet aggressively (such as trying to get out of her bath!)but I have not seen any pus like discharge. The nail on the tip of the toe doesn't grow, and is deformed, the tip of the toe itself is much paler than the rest of her foot, and it does appear to be slightly puffy.

:Do I just leave it alone at this point and let nature take its course? Do I try to remove it? If so...HOW?? It's so tight, and she gets really aggitated when I try to touch her feet at all...and I don't blame her!

:How do I prevent this from happening again?

:Also...she hasnt really eaten for the last two days. This morning she nibbled a bit on some sweet potatoes...and yesterday she had a couple bites of cantaloupe melon but other than that it's been two days since she had a really good feed. Should I be concerned? She's been a good eater since I've gotten her...but could that of been just because she was ravenous then, and now she knows there's a constant supply of fresh food, and she's relaxed about it a little bit?

Follow Ups:

This might sound hostile...but its not meant to be.... icequeen 05/05/03 (6)
- In support of Kim... Sherri 05/06/03 (5)
  - In support of Kim... jess b 05/07/03 (0)
  - In support of Kim... Bigtattoo 05/06/03 (3)
    - more? jess b 05/07/03 (2)
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