# Lost a nail :(



## Gedy (Oct 5, 2011)

Just yesterday I was playing with Spunky and let him free roam around my room...everything seemd normal.
Today I picked him up after his meal and he lost nail ! I'm verry sure he had all his nails yesterday and he didn't shed for over a month and that went smooth.
He doen't eat everyday anymore, and sometimes sleeps two/three days in a row so he might be slowing down for hibernation.
But how come he just lost his nail  ? Is there something I could do to make it grow back better ? There is no blood on it or anything, but it looks sad and I feel realy bad for him.


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## Rhetoric (Oct 5, 2011)

Sometimes the nails grow back it depends where it was lost at. Gary had a toe nail that never grew back, I think it got caught in something and ripped it right out. Guru has had a broken nail but it came back eventually. Just keep an eye on it. I don't know of anything you can give him to help it other than a multi vitamin. For human nails the important vitamins and minerals are B, C, A, E, D, calcium, zinc, iodine and iron.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 5, 2011)

_As long as the nail bed itself hasn't died or wasn't removed due to something else then it should grow back. Sometimes they get caught in things and they crack or break off while struggling to remove it. If it was just cracked then you probably wouldn't notice until it came off._


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## Gedy (Oct 5, 2011)

Thank you guys  i will try to improve it with some supplements, and hope for the best.
Any thoughts on were it might get caught ? because I want to prevent it from happening again


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 5, 2011)

_When they're free roaming it's hard to tell unless you stay on top of them. But most common places with cages is screen tops, tracks and places around door ways, all the little nooks and crannies when trying to get out of their enclosure._


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## dragonmetalhead (Oct 5, 2011)

Lizards have very delicate toes and it's not uncommon for them to get caught on all sorts of things. Wire mesh is a particularly bad culprit. Claws/talons are different from nails because they have a bone underneath the keratin sheath known as the ungual; as long as the ungual is still there the claw will regrow. If the ungual is missing or overly damaged, the claw won't regrow. Having 19 out of 20 claws won't impede your tegu too much, I think. I know a fellow who adopted a tegu who has no front toes whatsoever (he was the victim of majorly bad husbandry ) and he moves around perfectly fine.


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## m_cunningham (Oct 7, 2011)

I have a 2 year old red and he lost 2 nails in the spring. I was worried as well. But to my surprise i noticed about a month and a half later it was well on its way of growing back. Like everyone has said its probably just a broken nail.


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