Claws

[Milli94]

Hi guys,

I current have a panther Chameleon which my local shop came in possession of from a pet shop that closed down.

I was told the previous shop had cut all the Chameleons nails off so he could be used as a show animal!
This infuriated me because the poor thing has minimal grip and can only use his tail to grab things, He's such a sweet tempered thing that always wants to be handled when I come home so I was wondering how long would it take for his claws to grow back.

They aren't cut so far back that their stubs but their are blunt to the point he has to belly crawl along my arm.

 

[nightanole]

I am one of those horrible people who clip the nails, but i just remove the hypodermic needles that some of them grow, not the actual nail. Id say its going to take 90-120 days to grow a nail out 1/8". however that would not explain the lack of grip strength. I mean with a proper setup, there would be plently of bamboo and other course items that would wear down the nails smooth.

Here is a nice worn down nail:

And here is one from a bad cage setup:

 

[Milli94]

His nails are alot shorter than the first picture you posted, the previous shop had clipped a few of the nails too far back and it looks red and inflamed.

His set up has alot of bamboo for him to climb and walk across but when I pick him up he seems to lack strength to grip my fingers, his tail is the only thing he can use right now.

I'm not mad at anyone who clips their chameleon's nails it's just this shop he was rescued from has done a terrible job of caring for him.

Black spots on the skin and some grey patches too, barely any nails and lack of strength in the feet. I'm going to take him to the vets tomorrow to make sure there's no underlaying problems with him

 

[nightanole]

They vary alot in grip strength when on the forearm or gripping your fingers. Ive had smaller panthers with a deathgrips that leave 5 pin holes at every location they walk on, to very large ousts that walk on your forearm like they walk on the floor, and barely grip at all.

Its very possible that the person cut the quick back, and that can make a tender nail till the nail grows out more.

 

[Milli94]

I'll keep a close eye on him he's a body of health problems right now.

Thanks so much for the info it's a big help to me!