Freddy&Maris
New member
Hello, my name is Mariska and I live in the Netherlands. I own a phelsuma grandis male named Freddy since he was a youngster and now he is 7 years old. Last year he got injured and ever since he keeps biting himself almost every day. I’m getting pretty desperate. Can you please help me?
I contacted serveral veternerians specialised in reptiles but no one knows...
I am very wel informed about these animals and Freddy has a huge terrarium of 1,5 meters long. Also lighting, humidity and food were good and did not change since I first got him in the beginning, now 7 years ago. So all that should be OK and I do not think it is the cause of him biting himself.
It started with a small scrape wound. I don’t know how he got injured in the first place, but I suspect he fell of a loose bamboo branche since there was one laying on the ground of the terrarium when I got home from work. It scared me, because he never had problems before, but ever since that small wound he is biting himself.
How the injury started on June 20th 2016:

July 30th 2016:

I put some homeopathic honey ointment on the scap in order to try and stop him from biting himself. But not much time later he bit off his tail. I know phelsuma are supposed to be able to do this, but this was very aggressive and there was much blood. I saw him do it himself and I could not stop him. His tail definetaly did not just fall off easily like it is supposed to.
Ever since it’s a downward spiral. His tail does not get a chance to grow back because he bites it almost every day. I started putting lidocaine ointment on his stumb, which is a painkiller, but also this does not help very much. Have you ever heard of something like this? Is there anything I can do? He must be in so much pain
October 30th 2016:

This is going on for 1 year now and he clearly cannot heal himself. He keeps biting himself alsmost every day. Sometimes the skin is starting to close, but before his tail can grow back he chews on it again. It never grows past a little stumby. Other than his open wound injury he is doing very well; he eats very good, he sheds his skin super fast just like he always did, he is responsive and active. I really hope someone can help me. My veterian is thinking about putting him out of his missery...


June 9th 2017:

I contacted serveral veternerians specialised in reptiles but no one knows...
It started with a small scrape wound. I don’t know how he got injured in the first place, but I suspect he fell of a loose bamboo branche since there was one laying on the ground of the terrarium when I got home from work. It scared me, because he never had problems before, but ever since that small wound he is biting himself.
How the injury started on June 20th 2016:

July 30th 2016:

I put some homeopathic honey ointment on the scap in order to try and stop him from biting himself. But not much time later he bit off his tail. I know phelsuma are supposed to be able to do this, but this was very aggressive and there was much blood. I saw him do it himself and I could not stop him. His tail definetaly did not just fall off easily like it is supposed to.
Ever since it’s a downward spiral. His tail does not get a chance to grow back because he bites it almost every day. I started putting lidocaine ointment on his stumb, which is a painkiller, but also this does not help very much. Have you ever heard of something like this? Is there anything I can do? He must be in so much pain
October 30th 2016:

This is going on for 1 year now and he clearly cannot heal himself. He keeps biting himself alsmost every day. Sometimes the skin is starting to close, but before his tail can grow back he chews on it again. It never grows past a little stumby. Other than his open wound injury he is doing very well; he eats very good, he sheds his skin super fast just like he always did, he is responsive and active. I really hope someone can help me. My veterian is thinking about putting him out of his missery...
June 9th 2017:
