How do I keep my Iguana's damaged toe from falling off?

I have had my Ig for about 5-6 months now and have spent a lot of time care and effort in keeping him happy and content. But recently I noticed that my Ig had gotten much more aggressive when I held him. So I checked him for any injuries or signs of irritation . I noticed that on his left foot his middle toe looked for lack of a better word mangled. The toe has a large cut at the joint and I could have easily pulled the whole thing off. I'm not sure what I should do, at this moment and time I really can't afford a vet as much as I love him. So I put some corn starch on the wound and then treated it with antibiotic ointment. To immobilize the toe so he could not do anymore damage I put a gauze over it and taped it up with medical tape. I checked he cannot move the toe at all. But my worry is that if I try to save the toe am I risking him more to gangrene? Would it be better to let the toe fall off on it's own or try to save it?

Well it's just strange because I have him under 2 24 inch UV tubes, one ceramic heater, 2 heat lamps. I thought that all of that would be enough to prevent MBD. All of his temps in his basking area are correct, humidity etc etc. Maybe it was just a fluke I mean his is still very young and runs from me a lot still. If I let it fall off on it's own through won't he be in danger of dry gangrene?

The most common cause for toe loss for most reptiles is shedding. The toes often have a difficult time shedding - this can be from many different causes (none of which are MBD), but most often it is from low moisture (humidity) or lack of abrasive branches/rocks to remove the skin as it sheds.

Toes may also be injured due to crush or twist trauma severely enough that the tissue dies. The toe may remain viable looking, green and filled out, but may flop around uncontrollably with the iguana moves. At other times, the toe may start turning black and collapsing down, becoming brittle or hard.

These toes should be amputated. This will prevent the spread of any infection and will eliminate the risk of the toe being caught in something and literally being ripped off. Iguanas do very well minus a few toes, and often times removing a source of infection will speed overall recovery.

Another common reason cited for the loss of toes through tissue death and autoamputation is that free roaming iguanas get carpet fibers wrapped around their toes. The inelastic fibers fail to stretch as the toe grows, engirdling it, and eventually the blood and nerve supply are cut off, with that part of the toe farthest away from the body dying. Human hair may cause similar problems, especially with older and larger iguanas whose scales on the bottoms of their toes become quite rough and flared.

What many people fail to realize is that it is more common for retained shed on the toes and tail to cause a similar engirdlement and tissue death. Check the toes and tail frequently, after bathing the iguana and when trimming the claw tips every two weeks, will ensure that nothing gets trapped around the toes or tail long enough to cause any damage to the iguana.

My recommendation would be to soak the foot in warm water, use a mild antibacterial soap (small amount in the water). Or you can use Band-Aid antiseptic Wound Wash (no tears for kids). Rinse, pat dry with paper towel, and apply a topical triple-antibiotic ointment. Repeat this daily. There is no need to wrap his foot - that might cause more harm in the long run. If the toe is mostly severed now, there is little chance it will heal to the point where it doesn't fall off eventually.

If you want to have it amputated now, see your vet.

Good Luck. :)
~Morgana

if you cannot get him to a vet let it fall off on its own. do not pull it off. sometimes calcium deficiency is a cause or no uva uvb lighting to creat d3 this helps in calcium absorption. go to the website below and make sure you have everything right. it is probably to late to save the toe but you can help with the others. I have a frilled dragon I got from a pet store and since they are very expensive it sat at the store for 9 months. with nothing more than a 40w incandesent bulb for heat. no uv at all. I was able to save about 13 out of 20 toes. all had deformety and was in poor shape. it took me 3 months to get him back to good health. now on his left hand all he has is a middle finger and a thumb it looks as though he is always flipping you off. so I took a picture of it down to the pet store and showed them they didn't care. so I do not go there anymore and I told all my herp buddies to not go there. they are now closed and out of business. did I do that? I like to hope so.

you need a vet. BOTTOM LINE.
If that toe gets invected your iguana might lose more than a toe. Gangerene will kill your iguana. borrow money from someone and get him to a vet. If you are not prepared for emergencies you should not keep pets. There are so many reptiles that die in captivity because of situations like this. If your iguana was your child, would you wait till juniors toe falls of, try to save it yourself or seek medical attention?????