Tail rot? New owner.

[BogoDragon]

Is this the start of tail rot?
Got Bogo a week and a day ago. He has gone through she'd but was going through it when I got him.

This was taken two days ago after warm bath and soft brush with baby tooth brush.

This was taken today after Betadine and Neosporin just in case he needs it.

 

[EllenD]

Welcome to the forum! I don't see any signs of "Tail Rot", which is an infection in the tail that kills all of the tissue along it's way and eventually spreads up the tail towards the body. I don't see any open wounds or retained shed that would cause the circulation to be cut off.

First off, know that most Dragons have a much darker last quarter of their tail than the rest of their tail, and many people mistake that darker color for a problem. As your dragon gets older don't be surprised if the last quarter of his tail gets darker and darker in color. The difference between this natural darkening and a problem is that "Tail Rot" turns the tail pitch-black, and it then shrivels up and usually falls up, and the deep black necrosis continues to spread up the tail. Your dragon has none of this going on.

It's not uncommon for baby dragons, especially right after being in a pet shop or breeder's in the same tank with their siblings, to get tail nips from the other babies, which can create little kinks, wounds, etc., and sometimes even a bit of a calcium deficiency will also cause kinks in the tail. All I see on your Dragon's tail is a little normal darkening at it's end, and maybe the remnants of an old nip or kink in the tail, but it looks like it's totally healed and not an issue. He may always have a little kink at the end of his tail, but only become alarmed if an injury/wound or right after a shed the end of the tail turns very, very black, shrivels up, gets hard, and looks like it may fall off, or if you see the blackness spreading up the tail. Then he needs to see a Reptile Vet ASAP, usually either antibiotics or an amputation takes care of the issue.

Your Dragon's tail looks fine from the photos to me...

 

[BogoDragon]

Welcome to the forum! I don't see any signs of "Tail Rot", which is an infection in the tail that kills all of the tissue along it's way and eventually spreads up the tail towards the body. I don't see any open wounds or retained shed that would cause the circulation to be cut off.

First off, know that most Dragons have a much darker last quarter of their tail than the rest of their tail, and many people mistake that darker color for a problem. As your dragon gets older don't be surprised if the last quarter of his tail gets darker and darker in color. The difference between this natural darkening and a problem is that "Tail Rot" turns the tail pitch-black, and it then shrivels up and usually falls up, and the deep black necrosis continues to spread up the tail. Your dragon has none of this going on.

It's not uncommon for baby dragons, especially right after being in a pet shop or breeder's in the same tank with their siblings, to get tail nips from the other babies, which can create little kinks, wounds, etc., and sometimes even a bit of a calcium deficiency will also cause kinks in the tail. All I see on your Dragon's tail is a little normal darkening at it's end, and maybe the remnants of an old nip or kink in the tail, but it looks like it's totally healed and not an issue. He may always have a little kink at the end of his tail, but only become alarmed if an injury/wound or right after a shed the end of the tail turns very, very black, shrivels up, gets hard, and looks like it may fall off, or if you see the blackness spreading up the tail. Then he needs to see a Reptile Vet ASAP, usually either antibiotics or an amputation takes care of the issue.

Your Dragon's tail looks fine from the photos to me...

Thank you so much I was nervous he was starting tail rot and k have yet to find a vet around here willing to take us in yet so I figured it was time to ask another owner.

 

[EllenD]

Yeah, I don't think a vet visit is at all necessary at this point at all. Again, he has a little kinking in the end of his tail, which is not unusual. There is no open wound, no retained shed, and no necrotic tissue at all, just normal darkening at the end of his tail. The kinked area at the end of his tail is probably due to a past injury or bite that healed on it's own, and is quite common. Just be aware that if he ever does get a tail injury (such as getting his tail stuck in something, like a tank/enclosure door, or a cricket or other insect bite, etc.) that results in an open wound, or he ever has a shed that leaves some retained skin left around his tail, then make sure that you keep the wound extremely clean and medicated with either an Antibiotic cream or some raw, unpasteurized honey, and if you see ANY black tissue developing (again, not the normal darkening of the last quarter to last half of his tail that you'll probably be able to see in a month or so, but rather blackness), or any shriveling up of the tissue below the wound, then this is what can result in "Tail Rot", and trust me, you won't mistake it for something like what his tail looks like now...

Unfortunately, unless you are lucky enough to have either a very experienced Reptile Specialist Vet (only sees reptiles and amphibians, nothing else), which is rare, or a Board-Certified Reptile Vet, which is even more rare, then you're usually dealing with an "Exotics" Vet or an "Exotics" Animal Hospital, and they usually do more harm than good, quite literally often killing Reptiles. I'm not trying to scare you or discourage you from taking your Dragon to a Vet, as obviously there are situations where it's absolutely necessary. However, if this is your first Bearded Dragon ever, then you need to be educated about this issue, as in the United States this is a HUGE problem, and it's getting to be a very serious issue, as on this forum alone we have had 2 completely healthy, young Dragons taken to 2 different "Exotics" Vets in the last month, simply for their first "Wellness Exams", not because they were sick. They were eating fine, not lethargic, both had excellent husbandry with adequate lighting, temps, etc. They were fine, and these were responsible owners trying to make sure that they took their new, baby Beardies for their first check-ups...Well, one of these baby Dragons tested positive for a LOW Count of Coccidia and Pinworms, which didn't need to be treated at all, as most Dragons have a LOW Count of Coccidia and Pinworms, their immune systems keep them under control, and if they're showing no symptoms, as this Dragon wasn't, then they're fine, but this Dragon was not only medicated, but was given a poison, IVERMECTIN, that any even slightly experienced Reptile Vet knows is lethal to most all Reptiles...the other Dragon was the same situation, but was put on a Sulfa-Drug, Albon, for the Coccidia, which is not only an old, ineffective drug that is not used anymore in Veterinary medicine, but one of the reasons is because it often causes Kidney failure, and then was also put on an Antibiotic, Baytril, "Just In Case"...Just in case what I don't know, they ran no tests and the dragon showed no signs of illnes..Both of these young, well-loved, baby Dragons suffered for a week or so and then died of Kidney failure due to poisoning from prescription medications that they never needed in the first place...

So head's-up to you and all new Bearded Dragon owners who read this about taking your Dragon to an "Exotics" Vet and not an experienced Reptile Specialist. In the United State an "Exotics" Veterinarian means nothing at all pertaining to extra education, training, or experience at all. Nothing. "Exotics" is a label that General Vets WHO ARE SIMPLY WILLING "TO SEE" ANIMALS OTHER THAN DOGS AND CATS give themselves. That's all it means in the US, that a General Veterinarian is willing to see any and all types of pets. They are even starting to now say that they "Treat Dogs, Cats, and all POCKET PETS"...So in the US, a person who has just graduated from Veterinary Medical School and passed their licensing tests for whatever state they are going to work in, can simply open up an office and call themselves an "Exotics Vet", when in fact they've had absolutely no specialized experience in treating reptiles, birds, rodents, etc. beyond what little general education they got while in Vet School, which I can tell you first-hand is not much...

And most all "Exotics" Vets know absolutely nothing at all about the lighting, temperature, and dietary needs of any of the different species of reptiles that people keep as pets, and as a result they usually don't even ask a person any questions at all about their husbandry. Now think about that: A person brings in their 3 month-old Bearded Dragon, who they got at Petco as a month-old baby, so they've had the Dragon for about 2 months, they tell the "Exotics" Vet that at first the baby Dragon was fine, but then after a few weeks or the first month the baby slowly stopped eating and became lethargic, stopped moving around, stopped basking and started hiding from the lights, and is losing weight...How does any Vet not ask that person questions about their husbandry, specifically "Exactly what UVB light are you using?" or "What are the temperature zones inside his tank?"...Well, they usually don't ask a single husbandry or diet question, and instead they charge the owner between $50-$150 to simply look at the poor Dragon, and then tell the owner than their Dragon "Probably has an infection of some sort", and then gives the Dragon an injection of Calcium and Vitamins, and then gives them an oral, broad-spectrum Antibiotic, usually Baytril, and tells them to finish all of the Antibiotic and if the Dragon isn't eating and moving around by the time they finish the 1 or 2 week round of Baytril, then you'll have to bring him back for more tests...And 9 times out of 10 the baby Dragon dies, either from renal failure from the unnecessary Antibiotic, or from starvation and/or dehydration and just the overall stress on their body (That is unless the owner gets online to a forum like this one, and finds out immediately, in less than 10 minutes, FOR FREE, that the reason their Dragon stopped eating and became lethargic was because they had been using a Compact or Coil UVB bulb that is basically giving their Dragon no UVB/UVA light at all)....

Sorry to rant, but I'm getting to the point where I just want all new Dragon owners to be warned about the dangers of taking your new baby and juvenile Dragons to any "Exotics Vets". Are there some educated and experienced Exotics Vets? Certainly, but they are far from the norm, in fact they are the exception. And people need to know this.