QuestionHi im a small hobby breeder and one of my girls had babies about 3 weeks ago, all was well until this morning when i noticed that one of the babies has something wrong with its front right toe ( the one furthest to the right ) it looks as though the nail is growing upwards and it looked all red and irritated. It was not like this before I examined all of them 3 times when they were all 2 weeks old ( there now 3 weeks ) her toe was not like this before. I was wondering if you had any idea what i should do? it dosent look like its bugging her, its not a genetic defect and it dosn't seem infeted. Do you think i should seek a vets help? How much do you think it would cost to take her in ( once shes weaned )? do you think i should see a vet A.S.A.P?
AnswerThe fact that it's red makes me a little concerned about infection, or that possibly it was bitten by mom or one of her littermates and is injured inside. If it is clean and looking similar to the rest of the foot in coloring it can probably wait until she is weaned. If it is swollen, red, or hot you will probably need to take her to a vet before she is weaned. You will have to make a call on whether Mom will tolerate this or not and decide from there. If nothing else, you can rinse it with a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water and put some neosporin ointment on it to help make sure no infection sets in. I have had a couple of hedgehogs now live long and happy lives with unusual toes, so as long as there is no infection she should be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
