Does my bearded dragon have tail rot??

[Meganbeaudry99]

I just got my first bearded dragon on Tuesday. He is already shedding part of his tail and I noticed the bottom of it is dark and looks wierd. I’m not sure if it is tail rot or not since I’m new to this but I just want to make sure

 

[AHBD]

Darker tail ends are normal for many beardies. Is there a difference in size where the tail rests on your finger or is that just shadow ? For a better picture can you put his tail on a solid light color but without your finger in the pic ?

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

Darker tail ends are normal for many beardies. Is there a difference in size where the tail rests on your finger or is that just shadow ? For a better picture can you put his tail on a solid light color but without your finger in the pic ?

It’s just a shadow. He doesn’t have a kink where my finger is on his tail. I’m just worried. Don’t want him to be sick. I love him so much already.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, his tail is fine. Glad to hear how you are enjoying the little bugger.....if you want to show pics of his enclosure and a list of everything [ lights especially ] we can help you out if anything needs adjusting.

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

I’m pretty sure I have a 75 or 100 watt basking bulb and I just bought an evergreen pet supplies 100 watt mercury vapor bulb. Had to buy this two days after I got him because the people at the pet store did not reccomend a light that has a source of uvb for him and when i was doing my research about beardies I got upset because if I didn’t look into this kinda stuff I would’ve never know that he needs uvb and he wouldve gotten MBD. I also have a 40 gallon tank 36X18X18 I believe. Put up a background for him and got him some fake plants. He loves basking on top of the flowers, he also like to poop on the too haha. I have a hide for him on his cool side and I’m getting maybe another branch and another hide for him when I get paid this week. Also need to get a temp gun so I know exactly what temp it is for him. I have repti carpet for his substrate.

 

[AHBD]

The set up looks good . Watch that he doesn't try to eat the fake greenery. They may do that as they get older.


I've never heard of that brand of MVB. You have to be careful that they produce enough uvb. Do you have a solar meter or are there any good reviews on that bulb ? Are you in the U.S. ?

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

I bought it off of amazon because I needed one quick and it had one day shipping that wasn’t very expensive. The bulb itself was $35.00 and I had to buy a bigger dome for it. He seems fine and basks in it all the time. I’m thinking of getting the long peti sun 10.0 uvb bulb thing. My only concern right now besides his tail lol, is that he doesn’t really eat crickets. I will put some in there and he doesn’t even go after them. I even tried taking him out and feeding him in a separate place. He eats mini superworms and I’m going to try some Dubai roaches tomorrow. He also love kale and dandelion greens. I’m going to try adding some squash too. I just don’t think he’s eating as much as he should be for his age. But he is shedding on his tail so that could be why. I’m not sure though. Also I’m in the United States.

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

He also sometimes just keeps one eye closed. Idk what that’s about. His right eye. When I’m holding him or he’s laying down just his right eye stays closed and when I move him it opens up. Not sure if he does it in his encloser. I’ll have to watch him. Maybe it’s the light or maybe he’s just relaxing. I’m not sure

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

The set up looks good . Watch that he doesn't try to eat the fake greenery. They may do that as they get older.


I've never heard of that brand of MVB. You have to be careful that they produce enough uvb. Do you have a solar meter or are there any good reviews on that bulb ? Are you in the U.S. ?

Update: I’m returning that bulb because I just found out it’s from Korea or China and I’m going to get the retisun 10.0. Probably why his eye is being wierd.

 

[Reptilelady]

The set up looks good . Watch that he doesn't try to eat the fake greenery. They may do that as they get older.


I've never heard of that brand of MVB. You have to be careful that they produce enough uvb. Do you have a solar meter or are there any good reviews on that bulb ? Are you in the U.S. ?

Update: I’m returning that bulb because I just found out it’s from Korea or China and I’m going to get the retisun 10.0. Probably why his eye is being wierd.

Hi,
Its a good thing you are returning because there are only a few good selections of quality UVB to choose from which are Reptisuns, Arcadia and Megaray. I wouldn't go with anything else. I have had my fair share of pain when I had my chameleon, he ended up passing away due to incorrect UVB lighting. UVB lighting is crucial for diurnal species. It is worth it to spend the extra $ on a quality UVB bulb. If you do decide to go with the Reptisun 10.0 bulb make sure its the T5HO since it will be sitting on screen mesh which can block up to 50% of the UVB.

 

[HippieLizards]

The set up looks good . Watch that he doesn't try to eat the fake greenery. They may do that as they get older.


I've never heard of that brand of MVB. You have to be careful that they produce enough uvb. Do you have a solar meter or are there any good reviews on that bulb ? Are you in the U.S. ?

Update: I’m returning that bulb because I just found out it’s from Korea or China and I’m going to get the retisun 10.0. Probably why his eye is being wierd.

Hi,
Its a good thing you are returning because there are only a few good selections of quality UVB to choose from which are Reptisuns, Arcadia and Megaray. I wouldn't go with anything else. I have had my fair share of pain when I had my chameleon, he ended up passing away due to incorrect UVB lighting. UVB lighting is crucial for diurnal species. It is worth it to spend the extra $ on a quality UVB bulb. If you do decide to go with the Reptisun 10.0 bulb make sure its the T5HO since it will be sitting on screen mesh which can block up to 50% of the UVB.

Hello,

Also make sure it's that kind of bulb and a tube bulb. Coil/compacts are useless and can hurt their eyes.

Also your beardie's tail looks perfectly healthy.

-HippieLizards.

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

The set up looks good . Watch that he doesn't try to eat the fake greenery. They may do that as they get older.


I've never heard of that brand of MVB. You have to be careful that they produce enough uvb. Do you have a solar meter or are there any good reviews on that bulb ? Are you in the U.S. ?

Update: I’m returning that bulb because I just found out it’s from Korea or China and I’m going to get the retisun 10.0. Probably why his eye is being wierd.

Hi,
Its a good thing you are returning because there are only a few good selections of quality UVB to choose from which are Reptisuns, Arcadia and Megaray. I wouldn't go with anything else. I have had my fair share of pain when I had my chameleon, he ended up passing away due to incorrect UVB lighting. UVB lighting is crucial for diurnal species. It is worth it to spend the extra $ on a quality UVB bulb. If you do decide to go with the Reptisun 10.0 bulb make sure its the T5HO since it will be sitting on screen mesh which can block up to 50% of the UVB.

Hello,

Also make sure it's that kind of bulb and a tube bulb. Coil/compacts are useless and can hurt their eyes.

Also your beardie's tail looks perfectly healthy.

-HippieLizards.

I just bought this Zilla slimeline desert fixture. Has a 50 uvb t8 flourescent tune bulb and came w a fixture with it. The only ones that they had the pet store for some reason.

 

[HippieLizards]

Get rid of the zilla brand. They are Petco/Petsmart's own cheap Chinese knock off brands and have been proven to do more harm than good. Make sure to not use the bulb that came with the fixture at all.

The Reptisun 10.0 T5HO tube bulb or the Arcadia bulbs are the best ones out there. For getting the Reptisun check on amazon. For getting the Arcadia bulb I beleive you get them from light your reptiles but im not positive.

 

[Meganbeaudry99]

Should I just return that one and order one the reptisun online. Will he be ok for a day or two with out uvb?

 

[CooperDragon]

A day or two should be fine. You're definitely better off with a T5 in the long run so I would replace it if you can. If you need to use that fixture just be sure to remove the clear plastic cover in front of the bulb and you can use a T8 18'' ReptiSun 10.0 bulb with the fixture. It would need to sit 6-8'' up to be effective though (no further).