Bearded Dragon's Toe Nails

[BeardedBob]

My first question on this forum is about toe nails. When I first read about them I thought I remember reading about a vein that runs underneath the toe nail, but is that inside his toe or actually in the skin that lines the underneath of his actual nail that I see?

When I have ever cut them, I have only cut the tips. I ask because they have since grown a bit (I used to keep up with them, really!) and it appears that that skin underneath continues to gro with it and he still just has little tips.

So I either need to cut them weekly (or even a couple times a week) or they will continue to get out of hand. I have had him loose an entire nail before and it has grown back, but I am afraid to cut into that skin.

Should I just take him to a herp vet and let them do it?

 

[renich]

The vein is in the nail. It is really important to clip your beardie's nails regularly. If not, they can grow fairly long making it unforcomfortable for your bd. Not to mention, they can become malformed.

It is up to you if you want to take your bd to a herp vet. it is a personal choice.

If you cut the nail yourself, you should invest in reptile clippers. They are available at most pet stores and are fairly cheap.

It is recommended to trim the nail by holding your beardie so there is a light shining behind them. This will allow you to see the vein that runs into their nails. Snip the nail without cutting into the vein. There is a product on the market for dogs and cats to stop bleeding if this vein is cut by accident. you can use the same stuff on your beardie. Or it said that cornstarch works too.

If you do nick the vien, don't panic....just dip the toe in cornstarch and apply a little pressure (repeat if necessary).

Hope this helps!

 

[BeardedBob]

Thanks, it does!

Like I said in my intro, it is actually more difficult to raise a pet that doesn't yelp or scream or anything. One time he must of gotten his nail caught or something because I noticed it was just gone. I have no idea how it happened, I just noticed blood one day in his cage.

It just bled and bled - I wish I would have known about the cornstarch then. He is okay and it grew back (thank god) but I know now that I need to build a little beardie first aid kit - cornstarch included

Now if only my dogs would be silent when I cut their nails and not growl!

 

[renich]

Yikes! He lost a nail? Can I ask what your substrate and furniture are? Is there anything to catch his nail on?

How long ago did this happen?

I'm happy to hear that it grew back! Great news. ;D

 

[BeardedBob]

Sand - I know, I know, but it is there natural habitat, right?

There are a few wood pieces for him to climb on but I checked them thoroughly and saw nothing. I have been thinking of switching to tile because it is what I have read so much about, but fitting them and not leaving any cracks (for him to get a nail caught!) is something i have yet to figure out. Maybe putting sand in between as a mortar would help keep it altogether.

I do worry about it being too slippery then...

It happened several months ago, gosh almost a year (time flies huh!) and you couldn't tell today by looking at him that it ever happened. How resilient my little guy is.

 

[renich]

I have sand too. I've been thinking about upgrading to tile also. Sand is very messy and clings to his walls. Doesn't make for a beautiful home.

I've seen other forum posts on tile as a substrate. I can't recall what they said to use to get it to stick.

Maybe someone out there can help us out?

 

[BeardedBob]

Well I made the switch to tile. I have three large tiles in there right now which cover 95% of the floor. It was suggested to me to lay down paper towels underneath and then the tiles. I really need to figure out what to lay in to cover the small gap between the tiles and the glass along the long side of the terrarium.

Once I figure that out I will start a new thread on using tile as a substrate. So far so good though, my beardie seems to like it a lot. I gave him a whole revamp!