Ackies Missing Toes?

[sassysnake]

Ok, so I have a female 2 yr old yellow ackie, and I have been considering getting a male recently in hopes of future breeding. However, almost every ad I check out, and on visiting my local reptile expo last weekend I have noticed a trend. Animals are almost always advertised with toes missing, and "only a couple of toes missing" seems to be a selling point! What is it that causes the toes to fall off these little monitors? I know the whole story about shedding a circulation, but is this also a sign of bad care? I have had my female for almost two years and she doesn't have any toes missing, not even a claw, and she uses her claws for digging and climbing, which she really seems to enjoy. I feel really sorry for animals that I see that have missing toes, and I am wondering whats up with this and if I should just steer clear of animals with missing toes if it is a sign of bad care....... any advice?

[treeboa34]

hi there! i see this problem a lot over here in the uk! Although they like it hot they still require some humidity which can be provide by creating a humidity shelter within the vivariuma simple moss box will help and it does work! There are adverts saying toes missing and some folk dont tell you they have toes missing whick isnt good when you travelled three or four hundred miles to find out the fact! what im saying is is easily avoided by providing a bit of humidity!

[TailsW/Scales]

Missing toes can come from a number of things. Mainly from the toe getting caught in something. It's not just a humidity thing. Missing toes are from the same issues as tail tips missing in monitors. They just get tunnel vision in whatever it is they're doing and their little toes get caught in things.

It can also lose a toe from the toe getting broken and damaged and then falling off. To me, not choosing a monitor because of toes missing is not giving a good healthy monitor a chance to be your pet /breeder. It's just a cosmetic thing.

[sassysnake]

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't really as concerned with the way they look other then instinctively feeling a little sorry for them (sorry, but that natural for me, I also want to care for them just as much, especially if they look like they need a little extra tlc) I just wanted to make sure that they weren't coming from a bad home or anything. Your right, I am looking for a pet / breeder and they don't have to be perfect to be my pet, but as I said I don't have any experience with missing toes with my girl and wanted to know what it meant / what caused it. Anyways, thanks for the advice, I think I have found a male / female pair (male only has a couple missing toes ;) to make a breeding trio, so hopefully my girl will have some company soon! Thanks Again!

[sassysnake]

p.s. Treeboa34......
6:18??? Extremely jealous of the collection! Those animals are one of the most gorgeous snakes I have ever seen and I am hoping to own some in future (once I don't share a 12 ft dorm room with my 6 ft enclosures, lol). If you happen to have any pics to endulge the less fortunate that would be amazing!

[treeboa34]

no probs Sassysnake heres my photobucket thingy there are pics of my animals and set ups treeboa34 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd225/treeboa34/)

[treeboa34]

yeah back to the ackies i realise its cosmetic and shouldnt matter if they have toes missing but to arrive at a persons home to find the lizard only has three toes in total is disappointing when they could have told you! carpet fibres can also be responible for toe and claw loss on birds and lizards so people should be aware of that point! Iggys are the ones that i come across with toe loss because carpet fibres have gotten caught around their toes and its not easy to get off plus most people dont realise until its too late!

[Herpkid101x]

Missing toes arent really bad but they arent good(the lizard probably doesnt like it!) Some reasons for the missing toes are bad sheds due to low humidity and the constriction of the toes from leftover skin, the toe getting caught in something (like tailsw/scales said) and another thing some people dont know. This reason is from crickets, sometimes when crickets are housed in the lizards cage they might suffer from sort of sickness or what ever(i dont remember) due to low amounts of protein so they eat the toes of the lizard (also sometimes the lizard tries to bite the cricket but misses and bites their own toe off!) Hope this helps

[TailsW/Scales]

Missing toes arent really bad but they arent good(the lizard probably doesnt like it!) Some reasons for the missing toes are bad sheds due to low humidity and the constriction of the toes from leftover skin, the toe getting caught in something (like tailsw/scales said) and another thing some people dont know. This reason is from crickets, sometimes when crickets are housed in the lizards cage they might suffer from sort of sickness or what ever(i dont remember) due to low amounts of protein so they eat the toes of the lizard (also sometimes the lizard tries to bite the cricket but misses and bites their own toe off!) Hope this helps


Drat!!! I forgot about biting crickets. My word it's been a long time since I owned anything small enough to eat a cricket. I fed my Ackies mice most of the time even as babies. But even they did get crickets I would only put in two crickets per monitor at a time and ensure they ate them all to avoid and buggy chewings.

Great reminder on the crix HerpKid

[Herpkid101x]

ive been doing my hw lol

[sassysnake]

Ok, thank, that helps a lot........ I didn't think a cricet could take a whole toe off. I have a container that I put my cricets in that has a hole cut out just in the center of the top. My monitor can get in, but they rarely get out. Every once in awile a smart cricet gets out, but my girl has such an appitite that she pretty much eats them all out of the container and hunts down the extras. I hardly ever see her leave food, and if she does I take them out a throw them back in the keeper..... seems to me if cricets are eating the toes off your animal you might want to do something about it as an owner.....

[sassysnake]

p.s thank for the pics, treeboa, gorgeous snakes! ;) are the dark ones with the grey and black just really dark garden phase? they look different.... your orange babies are beautiful

[Herpkid101x]

tthe crickets dont eat the toes of my leos ive just read about it and heard of it

[TailsW/Scales]

One little cricket would take a long time to eat the toe off but five or so ...... it really doesn't take them as long as you might think. And it's not that the owner would see it as crickets are nocturnal. Also monitors don't really have a lot (if any) feeling in their toes. So the monitor may not even realize it until several bites have been removed.

[Herpkid101x]

the crickets usually start off by annoyin it by bitein its toes and sometimes the gecko notices and tries to bite and misses and probably gets its toe. thats what happens most of the time