Tail Nip Concern

Hi All,

Looking for some thoughts from you knowledgeable folks on my baby BD's tail please . He/she arrived from the petstore a couple of days ago and is alert, eating, pooing, doing all the good stuff.

As you can see from the pic, he/she (kids are still deciding on a name ) has had a tail nip which, thanks to this site and research, I understand is common.



So my request is in relation to what looks like the un-shed scales at the end of the 'live' part of the tail. I've read about beardies having bloodflow issues from un-shed extremities and am not sure if this needs any specific attention.

Would really appreciate any advice.

Looks like this could be an area of retained shed or scarring due to the nip. It is very common for dragons to have this issue. I had one dragon lose a tip due to retained shed, and I have another with a similar looking tail from a nip.

In the one dragon that I have with the nip like yours, at two years old she still has her full tail, it is just permanently narrower at the nip site,but does not bother her at all. There could be a possibility in the future of her losing that part.

The best thing to do would be to keep that area hydrated as much as possible. You can put a little olive oil on the area and massage it in, as well as doing your regular baths. If there is any retained shed, the oil and baths will help with loosen the skin. Do not poke at it or pull anything off.
If over time the areas looks the same it is likely just scar tissue. However, you may start to notice that the tip may start to get dry and shrivel and feel like the consistency of wood. If that is the case the end of the tail has lost it's blood supply and will eventually fall off (I had this happen once when bathing my dragon). Again do not pick or pull at it. If this does happen you are going to want to ensure that that end of the tail stays extra clean, with Betadine being applied at least twice a day (Betadine to be diluted with water to a weak tea consistency), and apply triple antibiotic cream without pain killer added twice a day as well. Ensure the tail not being dragged across any poop as much as possible.

Good Luck.

bayoupig5":1luxhmfp said:

Looks like this could be an area of retained shed or scarring due to the nip......

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for both the info and the reassurance. I'll oil him/her up and keep an eye on the shed.

I really appreciate it.