bearded dragon and he is having problems shedding his tail

[mandiehoskins143]

my name is mandie hoskins i have an adult bearded dragon and he is having problems shedding his tail, and i dont know what to do, he has about 1 1/2inches of hard skin on his tail, what do i do please help me.....

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello Mandie and Welcome!
So your beardie is having a tough time with some shed on his tail. Are you bathing him at all? Try giving him a warm water soak and with a very soft bristled toothbrush, gently rub the area of shed on his tail. You can also put some aloe vera(100%) or cocoa butter on the area to help soften it up as well. Don't put your beardie under his basking lamp while you have the aloe or cocoa butter on his tail. You can also put either of those on his tail at night while he is sleeping. I have heard that gently wrapping the tail with a moist papertowel at bedtime is good too.
Repeat the baths a few times a day until the shed comes off.
How does his tail look otherwise? Have you noticed any blackening of the tail from the unshed area down to the tip?

 

[mandiehoskins143]

i didnt really understand the last question, but his tail is a dark color, almost black but all four feet are the same color and i beleive its discolored from his sand, i can take pictures of him and send them to u some how, so u can take a look

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

I'm sorry, I should have explained what I meant. A retained shed can cut off circulation to the remainder of the tail causing it to darken.
Pictures are always great! Here... this wil show you how to post pics on here viewtopic.php?f=30&t=37103&start=0#p279888
Have you tried bathing him yet?

 

[mandiehoskins143]

yes i have been bathing him 2 to three times a day about 10 to 20 minutes and the end is starting to crack and fall off, and i dont know what th do about the falling end

 

[mandiehoskins143]

this is a pic of his tail that i am worried about

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Mandie.. thanks for posting a pic of your beardies tail. The pic is not real clear so I am having a hard time seeing the skin. Is there a build up of skin on that portion of his tail or is the end of the tail just dark and stiff? When you say it is breaking off, are you talking about the skin or the actual tail?
Has your beardies tail always been crooked or did he injure it?
What brand and type uvb are you using?
How close can your beardie get to the uvb?
Does your beardie get any calcium or vitamin supplements?
How old is your beardie?

If indeed it is the tail that is starting to break off, then it is probably necrotic and he may lose that portion of his tail.
Can you get him into a vet? If the tail is breaking, then it would be wise to have a vet remove the dead tissue.
Please let me know how your beardie is doing today.

 

[mandiehoskins143]

yah i dont know what is going on, i made him a vet appointment, and so u guys know, he is eating really good, and he is very allert, and he is running around like nuthing is wrong, i am just wondering if it is just over shed

 

[mandiehoskins143]

i found these pictures on this sight, and this is exacty how his tail looks, and this is a differnt bearded dragon.......

 

[mandiehoskins143]

i took phaty into the vet today and got his problem taken care of, basically the doc sayed was the way he runs around his cage is that he hit or damnaged that part of his tail, it wasnt mbd, or reatained shed, so i am pretty happy, at that

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

That's great that you got him into see a vet. What did the vet recommend for your beardies tail? Does it look like he might lose that portion of his tail or did the vet say it may heal up?

 

[mandiehoskins143]

he sayed that it will heal but it wont grow, because because he is full grown, but other wise he said to quit feeding him crickets, mice, pinkys, and ext. just feed him mealworms, but he sayed i have been doing everything right with him and he is very very healthy, other than him breaking his own tail, and thank u for helping me get through this stressful, time with my beardie.........

 

[mandiehoskins143]

but he didi say it will still shed , i forgot that part

 

[mandiehoskins143]

but he didi say it will still shed , i forgot that part

 

[mandiehoskins143]

i was wondering if you can give me a list of what i can feed him daily, and treats