"dead" tail tip?

[BeckysBeardy]

hello, i got my first bearded dragon about a month ago. hes a baby. he shed for the first time about 2 weeks ago, and i noticed a dead looking tip at the end of his tail. its blacker and harder and narrower then the rest of his tail. im not sure if it has spread up the tail a little bit, or if im just being paranoid. i cant tell. here are some pictures (sorry theyre blurry theyre from my phone) what could it be?

he has a rock decoration which is actually from a fish tank but we were told it would be fine as long as i cleaned it (which i did). he curls up in the hole in the center all the time so im thinking maybe he could have hurt it on this? but i dont think so, it didnt seem like this at first.
(heres the rock)

 

[Amy2]

Hi, Congratulations on your baby! As far as the tip of your baby's tail, it does look like something could be wrong, but I don't think you should worry about it just yet. I do have a couple questions, if you wouldn't mind answering them...
What type of UVB are you using? Coil? or Tube bulb?
What are you using for a basking bulb? What is the basking temp?
What are you measuring the basking temps with?
Do you bath your beardie? How often?
How often do you feed your beardie?
Do you supplement with vitamins?

Thank you for answering these questions...It will help us help you if we know these answers.
One other thing I wanted to mention, I noticed in the pictures that you have what looks like wood chips down as a substrate? I believe those are not recommended as a substrate because they may ingest them and become impacted, or the sharp pieces could do damage to their intestinal tract. I know it can be expensive to try and change out substrates, but as an alternative, you can use anything that cannot be ingested such as, contact paper, tiles, paper towel, newspaper, or reptile carpet. Plus it will make it much more sanitary for your baby. Just a little info for you.
I am happy you have joined bd.org, I hope you have looked around the site. There is so much information about practically anything you could want to know about.
I hope I have helped some, and I am sure others will be along shortly....

 

[TJeno]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of chippings are those, and how big are the chippings? Where'd you get them? I only ask because I'd like to use something similar.

 

[Esther19]

Any type of loose stuff is not good at the bottom of beardie tanks. Not sand, not wood chips. They might eat it and get stopped up and unable to go to the bathroom. The ragged wood chips can also tear up their intestines. Newspaper or paper towel is a cheap, easy substrate. I would suggest tile later on when time and money permit.

 

[vampy]

It's hard to say from the pics, but it looks like when he shed, he didn't shed the tip of his tail. You have to watch out for this with every shed, and the same thing with his toes. Give him a warm bath for 10 minutes or so, making sure his tail is under water, and then rub it between your fingertips or rub gently with a toothbrush to get the retained shed off. If it's left too long and more and more sheds build up he will lose the tip of his tail, and if you're unlucky it will progress to tail rot and he'll need antibiotics to clear it up, and may well lose more.

If you notice the area turning black and spreading up the tail, you'll need to take him to a vet. If he loses sensation in it and doesn't move it when you pinch it gently, then it means he's probably going to lose the tip and you'll need to keep a really close eye on him to make sure it doesn't start going black.

 

[BeckysBeardy]

hiya, thanks very much for replying.
answers for Amy2:
it is a tube light i think (long and thin so i assume so haha)
as for the basking lamp, im not sure as i brought a set from pentangle. i wasnt told about measuring temperatures. how do i do this? and what are ideal temps?
i bath him once or twice a week.
he has veg in the morning (which he doesnt eat) and a few tiny mealworms with that every few days. he wont normally eat in the morning so has crickets in the evening when i take him out.
he has a calcium supplement dusted on crickets.

as for the substrate...i have heard about the impaction thing and was told that it has been treated so if he tries to lick it it will stick to the tip of his tongue and he will have to shake it off. he tried once and hasnt tried since haha x
i just brought it from pentangle.


thanks very much...will keep an eye on it x

 

[anc90]

hiya, thanks very much for replying.
answers for Amy2:
it is a tube light i think (long and thin so i assume so haha)
as for the basking lamp, im not sure as i brought a set from pentangle. i wasnt told about measuring temperatures. how do i do this? and what are ideal temps?
i bath him once or twice a week.
he has veg in the morning (which he doesnt eat) and a few tiny mealworms with that every few days. he wont normally eat in the morning so has crickets in the evening when i take him out.
he has a calcium supplement dusted on crickets.

as for the substrate...i have heard about the impaction thing and was told that it has been treated so if he tries to lick it it will stick to the tip of his tongue and he will have to shake it off. he tried once and hasnt tried since haha x
i just brought it from pentangle.


thanks very much...will keep an eye on it x

The best way is a temp gun ,or those nice indoor/outdoor temp gauges sold at wal mart or local hardware stores.

Meal worms are very bad for beardies as they have a hard shell that is hard for them to digest which causes impaction. The wood chips are treated with what? I would get those out as soon as possible,I would not trust what ever they have been treated with making my baby sick. Reptile carpet,tiles,and non-adhisve drawer liner are your best bet.

 

[Amy2]

Hi Becky,
Thank you for answering my questions If you look at the tube light, on the end there should be a name stamped on it like ReptiSun or ReptiGlo...if you have a chance to look at it and get back to us as to if it says something like that, that would be great. The recommended tube lights are the ReptiSun 10.0 or the Arcadia 12.0...not positive on the Arcadia..I think it is only available online somewhere, hopefully someone else can help out with that if you want that info...The ReptiSun 10.0 is available all over though.

Anyway, yes, the mealworms are known to cause impaction and don't contain much nutrition. Crickets are more nutritious, as are phoenix worms, horn worms, dubia roaches, and butter worms. However most of those have to be purchased online also. Veggies are good for beardies, but usually they like them mixed in with their salad. Do you ever give your beardie salad? My beardie likes mustard greens, turnip greens, and collard greens...They are fairly cheap to feed also. Wal*Mart sells them for 98 cents for a huge bunch, which feeds my guy for a week or more. Just a thought, if you wanted to try em.
For the thermometer, I use one from Wal*mart...It has a long wire with a probe on the end and it measures the inside and outside temps. that way you can put the probe on the basking area, and the thermometer on the cool side and you will know how hot his basking spot is and how cool the cool side of the tank is just by glancing. They run about 12.00 or so. As far as the basking temps go.. it depends on whether it is for a young beardie or an adult...how old is your beardie?
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask... It is good that you supplement with calcium, how many times a week do you use it? Do you use multivitamins too?
I'm sorry for all the questions...it really helps to know though in order to give you the best information.

 

[Amy2]

Oh, I see your beardie is a baby...sorry. The ideal basking temps are between 100 degrees and 110 degrees, no more than 115 degrees.
Baby beardies should have calcium supplemented 5 x a week and Vitamins 2 x a week. They should ideally be bathed 2 -3 x a week to keep hydrated due to basking in high heat, unless you know they drink from a water dish or they eat their greens that are sprayed with water.