Claws

[SaltyEyes]

Hey, so I have a quick question about my 1 1/2 yr old veiled chameleon. After his latest shed, I noticed he was missing a claw on his back left food. I assumed it was simply pulled out, but there was no open whole- instead it seemed to have simply skinned over. I tried soaking it in extra water to see if maybe some skin was hiding the claw, but nothing appeared. The next day, i noticed that his left hind foot was now missing two claws, in the same manner as the first one- no wounds.

I have searched everywhere for an answer to this, yet I have yet to find one. i always feed Ogre (my chameleon) crickets well dusted, so I don't know about calcium deficiency. I have had him for well over a year, and he has never had any other heath issues, nor does he have anything else wrong now. In fact, he seems happier than ever. should I be worried? any help?

 

[Kat77]

What sort of screen are you using on your enclosure? Sometimes chameleons little claws get caught in holes that are a teeeeeny bit too small and simply pull out. That is what I could think of...anyone else?

 

[SaltyEyes]

the screen has wholes about a 1/4'' x 1/4'' wide. Seems a little small, but he is still relatively small too (about 7 1/2 inches minus the tail). And as I said, in the past, he has never had an issue before this past month. However, I'm not ruling it out. That's why I first checked for cuts where the claw could have pulled out. Do you think that the claws would grow back?

 

[BocaJan]

Mu male chami lost two on his front claw at about the same age. He still gets around just find. I always thought they might grow back, but nada....

 

[Kat77]

Well as they get heavier the screen can become tougher on their nails. I'm sorry, you mean the holes are 1/4"x1/4" openings? That doesn't seem that small! I've never built my own cage and don't know what sort of screen that is. Correct me if I'm wrong people! Can you show me a photo maybe? I could definitely tell you if I saw a photo. I could swear one of my friends who was trying to teach me how to build an enclosure said 1/4 inch screen, but could be way wrong.

 

[Kat77]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/screen-type-12409/

Salty, I just came across this. It sounds like 1/4 inch should be good. Hmmm...then I am not sure about the nails. I hope someone else has some ideas!

 

[SaltyEyes]

thanks for that info Kat. I'm still searching for any more info on this, but i have to admit, I'm getting a little frustrated. I feel like a total newbie, although i have grown up with animals all of my life. Any info would be appreciated. I will put a picture on as soon as he gets finished eating- he gets finicky if I mess around his cage during the "hunt"

 

[Kat77]

You're just being a good chameleon mommy(I'm assuming you're a female, sorry if you aren't!). From what I know, even though it isn't GOOD for the cham, a few lost toenails wont hurt him. As long as he doesn't lose ALL of them! Maybe (even though a lot of people don't love them) you could get a Reptarium. Its possible that a screen that works for most chams wont work for all of them, and toenail loss that is caused by the cage screen wont happen in a reptarium. I use them and I think they're just fine!

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptarium-Cages