Odd tail coloring

[kateslone]

The back half of my beardie's tail has become darker than usual over the past week or so, and it is very limp. He's very sensitive about it, though he hasn't snapped at me, he moves his tail away very quickly and moves across the tank if i touch it or touch the area where it begins to get dark. His beard also turns completely black, something he usually only does when he sees my leopard gecko. He is in partial shed right now, but I don't believe that's what it is.
His main lamp is a Solar Glo(125 watt if i remember correctly) and his UVB is a compact(60). He eats an average 15 superworms per feeding(sometimes more sometimes less) and his food is dusted twice a week. His daily staple is turnip greens / collard greens(depends on the week) and he'll occasionally eat bell peppers and watermelon. He's a year and seven months old, and I've had him for a year and a half. I'll post a picture asap.

 

[kateslone]

 

[Gormagon]

Black bearding and, the sensitivity would be concerning. Maybe a visit to a good herp vet is in order.

That uvb is a compact coil right?
Those are known to cause many issues.

 

[kateslone]

Ah, alright, I'll replace it with a tube asap. I'll try and get him to a herp vet asap as well, any idea what it could be causing the sensitivity?

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, you might try soaking him in warm water and gently stroking downward on his tail with a toothbrush. If there's any dirt/poo it will come off and you'll see the true condition of his tail. In the mean time, can you post a close up of just his tail ?

And the Repti-glo 125 is a mercury vapor bulb which produces uva AND uvb. It's an all in one bulb I've used with good results for my dragons. If it's over 10 months old you should replace it though [ uvb loses strength ] , but you can still use it as a heat bulb then along with a good uvb linear [ tube ] uvb.

 

[kateslone]

In reference to the comment on the repti-glo bulb, it's only about 4 months old, and I've also replaced the compact bulb with a tube. He isn't as sensitive about his tail today. He's acting normally besides skipping dinner which he decides to do every couple of days anyway.

 

[SHBailey]

The photos look like he might have a band of retained shed constricting his tail. A daily soak in warm water (as AHBD already suggested) will help keep the skin soft and help it come off.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, there is some retained shed there on his tail. You should be able to get that off without too much trouble. They are very sensitive on their tails & the skin tends to be thick there where it sheds, too.
Which tube bulb did you replace the compact/coil with? The Solar Glo should be fine for awhile, it is a pretty decent bulb. It doesn't have real strong UVB but it is safe bulb & has good heat, too.
The tail definitely doesn't appear injured thankfully.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[AHBD]

I agree with the others, there is not any heath issue there at all, just a small harmless patch of skin. As for his black beard, that is probably because he is a young mature male and this is the breeding season.....many of them become more like they would be in the wild, the urge to mate is there and they are not really interested in human interaction.

 

[kateslone]

I replaced the compact with the reptisun 10.0. Thank you all for your help! He seems to be in a much better mood now.