Beardies tail and feet are turning black/gray, please help!

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ZekesMom

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Not sure what this would go under but:
I’m a new beardie owner and I’ve had Ezekiel since March 1st of this year. I didn’t do THAT much research before hand but made sure to know the basics and made the mistake of having sand for the first day, he’s fine, and I immediately changed it to carpet once finding out it can be harmful to babies. I think he’s about 2-3 months old I last checked his length about 2 weeks ago so he may have grown but he’s in between 6-7 inches. Anyways, I’m already very attached to him and absolutely love the looks of judgement he gives me! I want to give him the best life possible.

TO THE ACTUAL PROBLEM SORRY FOR BABBLING

So, I’ve noticed that his tail (and now today his legs as well) is turning black. I know for a fact it isn’t tail rot I’ve been paranoid about it since I got him but his tail is fine other than starting to turn black. I’m assuming this is because of temperature reasons, as I only have a basking light, a heat lamp, and a night lamp that is blue (I know, shouldn’t have colored light at night. Petsmart didn’t help me with any of this so I had to try to figure it all out on my own). I am getting him a UVB strip, ceramic heat emitter for night time, a light timer, and a new and better basking light since this one is only a 50 watt. I try to monitor his lights myself but it can be challenging if work makes me stay past 7 and since school for me starts at 7:40, his lights come on at 7. But I try to keep it 12 hours on and off with the night light on at night. When it’s time for lights off I wrap him in a towel (soft kitchen towel) and he goes right to sleep. I feed him dubia roaches, and crickets sometimes as well as a wax worm here or there but he doesn’t seem to care for those much. I offer him kale and cabbage almost daily but he doesn’t care much for it either. I dust everything with calcium! He gets berries very rarely, and sometimes bell peppers but not often. I need to get him different types of foods but he doesn’t really care for new things! He also gets bathed pretty regularly with 1-3 times a week, for 15-20 minutes. I also brush/clean him with a soft toothbrush. Sometimes a little more than that if he’s shedding or hasn’t pooped.

I don’t know how to post pictures but I want to post a picture of my setup, him before black tail, and him now.

Sorry for this lengthy post! I’m just worried and the worst scenarios are coming into my head!

He is in a 50 gallon terrarium!

Thanks in advance!
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
103882-2185365828.jpg

This was him a day after we got him. He was in a 10 gallon tank (again, no one told us anything), just to start him on.
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^^^this is him today in his bath.

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^both of these are also today. Yes, he did doo doo in my boyfriend’s hood. :lol: :mrgreen:

That being said, he poops/urinates pretty regularly. That turd was a very large one which made me happy but my boyfriend? Not so much :lol:
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It's possibly just shed related. He looks OK in those photos. Can you post closeups of his hands/feet and tail?
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
He sure is a cutie. I agree that closer pics would be best to give advice on anything. CopeeDragon knows his beardies ?
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
I’m currently at work but I will get some once I get home and put him to sleep. Also, he just shed his tail this past week and his back looks like it’s lost color which could be due to shedding!! But I’m just worried about him. He doesn’t eat as much as he used to, he used to go crazy for crickets and such and he now only eats like 3 dubia roaches at a time he basically runs away from them after he’s eaten a couple, I always offer him Buffet Pellets in the morning as I usually don’t have time before class to cut him up lettuce (by lettuce I mean kale or cabbage oops) and wait for him to eat the roaches but he hasn’t really touched the pellets in days which is weird for him he always ate them all by the time I got home.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Shedding can affect their appetite and mood. I'll bet that's what's going on but will be happy to take a closer look just to be sure.
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
103882-784424972.jpg

Just got home, here is his tail. You can see at the base of his tail how it’s more of a vibrant red color, his whole tail was that color.

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And here are his feet. It’s probably normal but I’d hate to brush it off as normal and then it be something else!
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
103882-6477751531.jpg

And here is his setup, his basking spot is the hammock, and I take the water out at night. Even though he doesn’t move from his blanket burrito that I cuddle him to sleep in
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
It looks like he's getting ready to shed and that's why his tail and feet are darker. Same thing happened to my Tampico at that age, and it turned out that she was shedding also. They tend to shed in sections and not all at once.

I see your tank setup. Do you have a tube UVB bulb in there, or is it a coil next to the basking light?
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
So he did shed his back today but his tail is still dark and so are his feet. I know they shed in sections but he just shed his tail less than a week ago. And no I don’t have a UVB strip, I am getting one tomorrow as well as various other things to improve his quality of life :)
 

ZekesMom

Member
Original Poster
One of the bulbs I have (basking bulb I think) is supposed to also give out UVB but I’m getting a UVB strip and a new basking light.

And thank you CooperDragon!
 
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