Update: the darker black scales came off in his Betadine bath today, they lifted right off when brushing with a soft-bristle toothbrush. The skin underneath looks healthy and the tip of his tail feels normal/ pliable... but the area where that bad shed came off looks "nude" for lack of a...
That dark spot is where some thickened/ retained shed came off. It felt a bit squishy and moist on the dorsal/ top part (like when they get that lymph fluid under a really deep shed) and the scales don't look as defined as they should be. I'm wondering if he rubbed or scraped it on some of his...
My 2 y/o leatherback, "Pharoah" had a bit of a retained shed on the end of his tail. It came off after several days of soaking but I am concerned about one area that is dark and edges of the scales seem to blend together. Not sure if it is just a scar or if it could be tail rot. I am paranoid...