Dark Tail Issue

Hello! Another post, another problem... Sorry!

Anachronos has had a crooked tail ever since the vet visit where they took a sample of his blood to see if he had an infection on his leg (infection went away, no problems regarding that, but ever since the tail has been a little jagged and he's sensitive to touch there). While he's let us know that he's not super-happy to let us stroke him there, it only seemed like a minor annoyance before.

As of probably a week now, he's been getting much more sensitive to touch and the affected area gets darker when he's in a bath or when he's being dominant the odd time he sees our girl by accident. It will actually change colour like his beard, and gets nearly just as intense in blackness (except that the pattern remains).

I've looked into the idea of tail rot, but everything I read or see suggests that the tip of the tail should not be clear, and it is. He can move his whole tail, and besides the kink and the colour he seems to have full use of the tail.

He's shed just that section before so we thought that might be it again, since he isn't going through another piecemeal shedding, but he's never changed colour like that and the sensitivity is much more than ever before. Has anyone else seen this?

Current tail:


Normal tail:


He has had no injury that either of us can determine that would cause a newfound change, his weight is stable, and I'm really not sure what else might be relevant. I was thinking of doing a home treatment for tail-rot just in case, as it's entirely external, but I'd prefer to be sure. Any thoughts would be most wlcome

As of my posting this, he saw a low-flying eagle and decided to get angry at it, then has been prancing around the living room doing a dominance display. Where his tail is now grey in that section, it's darker again to match his beard, like this:

That doesn't look like tail rot to me. Just natural darkening toward the end of the tail which is common and can change with mood like the beard. It's possible there is an area about to shed which can affect the color and sensitivity as well.

Thank you!

I didn't know it was common for the rest of their body to change colour but by bit. The beards, of course, and their bellies (and sometimes back patterns), certainly. This is a first for him section by section.

Greatly appreciate the reply

You can see that he has the markings that allow darkening of "tiger stripes" along his sides the same way as well. It's usually either mood based or just trying to absorb heat/sunlight when they do that.