So a few days ago my son's beardie's tail skin started to split; unfortunately it looks like this has happened for some reason before his shed is due to take place. He has no other spots turning opaque and looking like they're going to come off anywhere else, and as you can see in the image it looks like the skin is split up the side right to the point where the skin goes back to normal from the opaque/'loose' looking skin that's normally the consistency during shedding.
I'm really unhappy to note that it also looks like it's causing him some sensitivity issues. Ever since this split has formed (we've known about it for about 2-3 days now, and I think that's when it must've developed being as he's been out every day and we didn't see anything like that before), he's been protective of his tail a bit, and if something does touch it, he does this weird wiggling motion with it, almost the same as they do with their tails when they're swimming, but at a slower pace. I'm thinking it's got to be somewhat sore for him, at the very least, as I've never seen him engage in anything like this before. I don't know if it's getting worse for him, or what, as I've also seen him doing it when he's basking up in his hammock now and nothing has touched the tail at all.
Last, but not least, I'm wondering if this may not be signs of a calcium deficiency. It appears that we had run out of calcium for awhile, but it slipped my son's mind to remind me to pick up more (and I didn't think about it when I was helping with the beardie at all until this happened, either). I don't think he had any supplementation to a diet mostly of pellets (I know it's bad, I'm working on getting him back into more produce and live food again) and kale for awhile here. Yesterday we got him calcium and some crickets again and he's been loading up on them heavily dusted with the calcium powder today.
Does anybody have any idea what may be going on definitively here, or know what I should do? I was thinking of taking him in to the vet today, but I've still got a few hours left before they open, so I'm hoping to find out if I really need to do that or not right now, as it's an expense that I can barely afford what with covid has done and everything.
Thanks for any feedback that you may have, guys, it is greatly appreciated!