Hi, I'm new to keeping bearded dragons and I got my first one last month on the 20th. He's an 8 month old male, and I noticed that the tip of his tail was dark and slightly misshaped. I'm worried it may be early tail rot. He did shed last week. He was housed with other beardies around his age when I got him, I'm not sure for how long though. Here's some other information, in case it would be helpful:
He eats 10-12 medium or large crickets a day and is slowly starting to warm up to salads. His tank is 35x17 (I plan on getting a bigger one when he's older) and its around 90F on the warm side and 75-80F on cool side during the day and there is a felt-like reptile carpet as substrate. Thank you for your help!
I don't see immediate cause for concern. It's possible that a tankmate nipped the tail at one point. Sometimes that will just remain as it is, sometimes the end will fall off and heal over. I don't see signs of infection or damage in that photo so that's good. The darker color toward the tip of the tail is normal and not cause for concern on its own. Look out for crimped and damaged looking skin, especially if it appears to be moving up the tail. If it stays the way it is, then it shouldn't be a problem at all.