Bearded dragons might get issues with their toes due to various reasons. There can be a big range of issues, including curled up toes, black toes, broken toes, toes stuck together, toes falling off and more. In this post, we will discuss what these problems mean, their possible reasons and what to do to help your dragon with toe issues.
Bearded dragon toe issues
- Curling or pointing up
- Crooked toes
- Black and falling off
- Stuck together
- Twitching
- Bent
- Swollen
- Ripped or broken nails
- A nail curling after being broken
How many toes do bearded dragons have?
Bearded dragons have 5 toes of each foot. So that would be 5 toes on both front feet and 5 toes on back feet.
Bearded dragon toes curling or pointing up
If your bearded dragon’s toes are curling or pointing up, there might be few causes. One of the reasons of curled toes is broken toes.
Sometimes, your bearded dragon can have its toes pointed up when relaxing or laying down. If it’s doing it from time to time and walks normally, then there is nothing to worry about. Bearded dragon’s toes are quite flexible.
Another reason why your bearded dragon might curl its toes up is because the surface is very hot. This can happen when your bearded dragon is basking, and the basking rock or platform gets too hot.
However, if your bearded dragon walks like that and has issues moving around, then it could be a calcium deficiency or MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). MBD is caused by lack of vitamin D3 and/or calcium in the diet.
Symptoms of MBD include constipation, soft bones, swollen limbs, reluctance to walk around. If you suspect MBD, please take your dragon to the vet for a full blood count and ionized calcium tests.
Please make sure that you have a UVB tube that is 6-8 inches away from your dragon and choose a T5 Reptisun or other high output UVB tube like this (10.0-12.0).
You will need to house a UVB tube in a hood, and it’s better to use a hood with a reflector like this to increase light exposure and bulb efficiency. Also, make sure to supplement bearded dragon’s diet and gut-load all the feeder insects apart from Calci/Phoenix worms.
You can read all about setting up lighting and heating for your dragon in this post. Also, read about crucial supplementation in this post.
Bearded dragon toes stuck together
If your bearded dragon’s toes are stuck together, that would mean that they healed this way after the bone was broken. In case of bites and broken bones, they can get stuck together when healing and heal that way.
Some bearded dragons are born with stuck toes, so you might ask about your dragon’s history when getting it. Stuck toes should not bother your bearded dragon much if at all.
Stuck toes can also mean that the toes are sticky and got attached to each other. Could your bearded dragon step on something sticky? Or can you see any blood on the toes?
If your bearded dragon has injured its toes and was bleeding, then the blood could dry and stick toes together. Also, your bearded dragon could also be having a problematic shedding. During the shedding, your dragon can bite its own toes and cause bleeding. Blood would dry and toes would stick together.
If your bearded dragon’s toes don’t look crooked or broken, this could be the case. Please bathe your bearded dragon or prepare a soak. When soaking, use a q-tip to gently rub the toes to help them separate. In case there is blood or it looks like a bite/injury, keep applying antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.
Bearded dragon twitching toes
If your bearded dragon’s toes are twitching, it could be suffering from MBD. With calcium deficiency, bones start to leach calcium directly from bones to raise its levels in blood. Muscles also need calcium to contract, so in case of deficiency, they start to twitch.
Other reasons of twitching and spams include low sugar levels in blood, toxin exposure and various infections. Especially, infections of central nervous system, such as meningitis.
Please review lighting and heating in a bearded dragon’s tank as soon as possible (read here). Same goes for supplements and diet. Take your bearded dragon to the vet for a blood test.
Bearded dragon toes falling off
Bearded dragon’s toes can fall off because of:
- Bites
- Problematic shedding
- Toes getting stuck in the doors or between other objects
- Injuries
- Burns – baths that are too hot or touching hot lamps
- Infection caused by bites and other injuries
If the blood circulation is cut off in your bearded dragon’s toes, they will turn black and fall off. In different situations, it’s important to make sure to enable blood circulation to prevent necrosis (dying of the tissue).
Some bearded dragons have especially problematic sheds. After a week or so of shedding, check to see if there is any stuck shed. If your bearded dragon has trouble shedding and has stuck skin, you can even use emollient shedding aid like this to help hydrate the skin.
Bearded dragon’s shedding can last from a week to two, and around this time, your dragon will be mostly grumpy. During this time, please check all the toes, tip of the tail and around the head area for any skin that is constricting the blood flow.
Whenever you see stuck skin, please soak the area around the toes and rub gently with a toothbrush. Bearded dragon’s skin can take long to soak properly, please allow your dragon to soak for 25 minutes, before scrubbing with a soft toothbrush.
Other causes of bearded dragon’s toes falling off
Another situation when your dragon’s toes might turn black and fall off is when they get stuck between the doors or other accessories. This is why it’s important to open doors carefully. Also, make sure to secure any large accessories so they don’t fall and crush your dragon.
Another big problem is when bearded dragons are housed together and bite on each other’s tail tip and toes. This can also lead to infection and necrosis. Please always keep your bearded dragons separate to avoid any of these situations!
If you notice any stuck shed, please give your dragon long soaks for 30-35 minutes. And if there is any blood due to bites or injuries, keep putting some antibiotic on the toes to avoid any infection. The infection, otherwise, can spread to other toes and will require an amputation.
Bearded dragon’s preferred body temperature is around 98 F (36.6 C), so make sure that water for bathing is in the range of 90-95 F (32.2-35 C). If water is too hot, it will cause serious burns that can cause toes to fall off.
If your bearded dragon’s toes start falling off, then it might need antibiotics to fight off the infection. Please act quickly, and especially if it’s a retained shed. Start giving baths and removing any stuck shed to prevent other toes from necrosis.
Make sure to trim your dragon’s nails if they are too long. Also, make sure not to have anything in the tank that your dragon could have its nails stuck in. Ripping the claw or even a limb can break the toe or the actual wrist etc. You can read about trimming bearded dragon’s nails here.
Bearded dragon swollen toes
Your bearded dragon’s toes might also become swollen if they get broken, infected, injured or if there’s any retained shed. If your bearded dragon’s toe or even the whole limb or wrist is swollen, then it could be broken. You would need to have an X-Ray done to see if it’s broken.
Also, if toes are infected, they will usually have a ‘wet’ look’. If the wound or toe is dry and falling off, that often means there is no infection. And also, if your bearded dragon’s toes are itching or hurting, it’s very likely to bite them and cause an infection.
In some cases, your vet will advise to amputate a toe if there is gangrene (dying of the tissue) because it can quickly spread to other toes. In some cases, antibiotics might help, but the toe is likely to dry and fall off anyways. Your dragon won’t have too many problems living without one or few toes.
Bearded dragon broken off or ripped out nail
If your bearded dragon has ripped off or broken its nail, it’s likely to be bleeding. Put some styptic powder to stop the bleeding. After this, you will need to keep disinfecting the nail and toe until the wound heals.
You can soak this injured toe in the mild solution (light tea color) of Betadine like this every day, and then 2-3 times/week once it gets better. Then, apply some antibiotic ointment, for example, Neosporin.
What to do if your bearded dragon’s toe is injured?
- In any case you see a scratch, wound, broken nail – always disinfect it with antibiotic ointment to prevent infection (which can spread and kill healthy tissues).
- Trim the nails if they get too long to prevent them from being caught in objects.
- Problematic shedding is one of the main reasons of dead toes. Skin that is shedding might get stuck in layers and cut off blood supply to toes. Help with shedding by bathing and scrubbing toes gently if you see retained shed.
- If you suspect a broken bone or toes – take the dragon to a vet. Antibiotics sometimes are necessary in case of infections. Please do it quickly, as infection can spread and kill other healthy tissues.
- Always house bearded dragons separately and make sure not to leave any bugs in the tank after feeding as they might bite your dragon!
- Make sure not to have anything that your dragon’s claws can get stuck in.
Do bearded dragon toes grow back?
No, bearded dragon’s toes won’t grow back. Once your dragon lost a toe or a limb, it won’t grow back, but it shouldn’t affect your bearded dragon’s abilities to move around.
Do bearded dragon nails grow back?
In some cases, your bearded dragon’s nails might grow back if the nail matrix wasn’t too damaged. Often if the nails grow back, they start to curl, so you have to trim them to prevent curling down of the nails.
If a nail was pulled and ripped off, there’s a big chance that matrix was damaged and it won’t grow back. But with slightly broken nails, there is a chance of them growing back.