Retained Shed is Making Me Crazy

[Raging]

So I received my dragon from the breeder on Wednesday. Before purchasing, I asked if any nips, missing parts, etc. would have been listed in the ad. They said yes. Okay, great.

But when I unbox my dragon, this is what the end of his tail looks like. I'm not sure what this could be. I assumed either a nip or retained shed. I still love him either way, of course. I'm leaning towards retained she because his tail and legs were in shed a couple of weeks ago.

What should I do about this, and is there anything besides a darkening of the rest of his tail I should watch for?

I attached some pictures below.

 

[Brezzy99]

Have you tried soaking it? Did you ask the breeder about it after you got him?

 

[Raging]

Soaking is going to happen tomorrow. I've been trying to only handle him minimally to reduce his stress but his body is shedding now so I'm sure a bath would help in more ways than one. I put a bit of olive oil on it to soften it in the mean time.

I asked the breeder about it as soon as I noticed it. They hasn't noticed anything odd, which makes me further believe it's retained shed.

 

[Brezzy99]

Hopefully it is just retained shed. The humidity is low in my house so I mist my youngest one. I gave her a bath for the first time today and she loved it.

 

[Raging]

So my little guy has some retained shed on the end of his tail. I have been putting olive oil on it and he's had two baths since Saturday. I also gently rub it with a baby toothbrush.

I have no experience with retained shed- so how long does it usually take for it to come off? Is it always really obvious when it is gone?

 

[Raging]

Bump

Anyone with retained shed experience would be great I am seriously terrified that he could lose some tail.

 

[Raging]

I've already tried asking about this in health and I got no replies, so I'm trying here now. I would really love some advice, as I am really starting to freak out a bit.

All right, so I got my bearded dragon a couple of weeks ago, and he's been doing wonderfully. He eats like a pig, has great energy, color, etc.

However, right before I got him, he shed his legs and tail. He had a bit of retained she don't he end of his tail. I know this is a pretty common problem, and I have been trying my best to fix it. I have been giving him frequent baths, rubbing the end of his tail with a baby toothbrush, and rubbing olive oil on it to soften the skin. The olive oil makes him smell like bread and then I get hungry.

Here is my problem- I have a little bit of beardie experience, but no retained shed experience. So I can't tell if I am making any progress at all.

These are pictures from the first night I got him:








These were taken right after his bath today:










I really can't tell if it's getting any better at all. I always thought it was really obvious when the retained shed came off. Someone told me that if it hasn't come off by now, it's not going to, and I should give up. I'm not sure what to do.

 

[BlueMorpho]

I'd help if I could, but unfortunately I have no experience with it. Hope someone answers soon!

 

[Taterbug]

How long ago was the last shed on the tail, and how old is the dragon? Is it just one shed worth? If he is still shedding frequently your best bet may be to make sure it comes off on the next cycle.

In order to loosen it you want to get moisture under the dead layers and just soaking it and oil won't work since it's skin. Natural shedding does this, and retained sheds can be related to humidity or dehydration. You may be able to have a vet remove it, but I'm not sure.

Tater had some stuck shed, but I'm not sure if my efforts got it off, or if he had started shedding the tail naturally and his improved husbandry helped him shed properly. For him it was very obvious when it came off. He'd already lost a few inches of his tail to the layers of built up shed, and the piece that did come off was thick like a piece of card stock.

 

[Tonja]

All I can tell you is to keep up with the warm baths. Emily injured her tail and I have to be diligent with her sheds as she retains some. I keep her tail soaked in a cup during shedding time, I hold her with her tail down in a cup of little warmer than normal bath water for about 15 mins. I also apply pure cocoa butter to her sheds for an extra boost of moisture to help it shed. Once its good and soft I take a baby fine toothbrush and work as much off as possible, then stop when she starts squirming. I continue this till the shed is gone. If its still stubborn I will take some pure aloe and a washcloth and work it into her tail gently and more will come off. This works for Emily and may work for you. Make sure what you are seeing is retained shed and not normal scales not shedding as the tail tip is usually darker than that of the rest of the tail. If you can actually see layers of retained shed, you can call a vet to ask for advice on how to remove it if its extremely stubborn.

 

[Taterbug]

That looks a little like it might be scarring, or sheds that have been stuck for a long time and starting to constrict the tail. I can't quite tell. It looks like it's missing a couple scales, like maybe he was bitten? Since it's only the very tip, even if it does die and fall off he won't loose much tail, and unless it gets infected it won't be a problem.

Hopefully he will start to shed again soon, that's your best best at getting it off, keep a close eye on it and make sure it comes off. If it's an injury it may have trouble.

 

[BlueMorpho]

Double-check your other thread, too; there's a few replies.
Unfortunately sometimes there is a bit of a wait for response in other parts of the forum.

 

[Raging]

Thank you for all the responses! I'll continue to keep a close eye on it.

This is my other thread, I have some pictures posted there:

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[Raging]

His tail looks like it will be going into shed again soon- maybe that will do it.

 

[diamc]

[I merged your 3 threads to make it easier for you to follow and to help members know what advise you were already given. It also keeps the forum neater having only 1 thread about a particular subject]