Tail Rot or Just Shedding? (long and pic heavy)

[NikTait]

Hi all,

Dexter is a 4 or 5 year old male beardie. We rehomed him 3 weeks ago today. Although he is a rescue, he was in very good conditions before and had a loving owner who had to give up him and 2 other beardies (all housed separately). He was vet checked by the rehoming shelter and given a completely clean bill of health.

He came into pre shed on certain areas about 2 or 3 days after we got him. He has been shedding in patches for probably about 2 and a half weeks now (including coming into pre shed).

Some parts are more stubborn that others, but today the big chunk of his body is starting to come off. But I am concerned about his tail.

It came into pre shed quite early on, but is still yet to shed. I also think it's particularly dark. It's still flexible, though is not as squashy/squidy as the rest of him (though that may be just because it's narrower and therefore less fatty). I'm particularly concerned about retained shed and if it could be causing tail rot. It's really quite dark, and has black specks underneath (see pics). I also think - though maybe I'm being too pedantic - that it is actually sort of... tighter around where the pre shed is and where his new tail skin is. It's hard to explain, but in other places where the shed is coming off, that shed is a higher layer than the other skin. Whereas with his tail, it seems constricted. I know that sets off alarm bells, but i'm not sure if i'm imagining it or not...

Here's lots of pictures! Sometimes it looks extremely dark, but i think that's the lighting of the room because to the naked eye it's not that dark. The lighter pictures are used with flash, so imagine a compromise between the really dark and really light... I've included some of the rest of his body shedding, so you can compare the darkness.

He is very healthy and active otherwise - eats great, poops on schedule, very alert etc.
Temps hit between 75/80 cool end and 100/105 basking. UVB is Arcadia 12%.
He is getting a bath every day whilst he is shedding.

Is there anything which distinguishes tail rot / retained shed from just shed waiting to come off? Will mineral oil or a shedding aid do the trick? I'm going to get some tomorrow, but if the consensus is tail rot then i'd rather not waste time with aids and just get him straight to the vet. If it is retained shed causing constriction, can this happen on only one shed? If not, should the vet not have spotted this beforehand, or would it not really show?

So, tail rot... or beardie owner paranoia?!

Really sorry for the long post!
Thank you so much for any help or thoughts.
(p.s. the tail kink was there when we got him - probably slight MBD or injury in his previous care)

 

[Lenewen]

I honestly think he's just shedding a lot. I have seen that in some thinner dragons. When they gain weight fast, they shed a ton and tend to do so in patches and very slowly. Just keep an eye on it but doesn't look like the skin is constricted so I don't think it's a concern. If you want to be preemptive, bathe him in water and betadine solution once daily for a week and see if it improves. At the very least, it'll help the skin come off.

 

[NikTait]

Brilliant, that's one vote against tail rot! Is betadine solution more useful than the shedding aids? I've heard about the zoo med one?

 

[AHBD]

I agree with Lenewen, there's just some shed on his tail. Most beardies do shed in patches,[ sometimes just a foot, or the head, part of the tail, etc.] and he's really quite chunky and looks to be in good health, with just the slight kink in his tail. I think just regular baths every other day will suffice....if you do a betadine bath be absolutely sure he isn't thirsty, some beardies will instinctively drink once placed in a bath and you don't want him drinking it. But he's a fine looking,robust beardie !

 

[NikTait]

Haha, 'chunky' - had to laugh! Ok thank you so much, it's really reassuring to hear The first time we ever gave Dex a bath he drank like mad - we were worried he'd end up inhaling it / drowning himself. He has had many baths since and has never done it again. Maybe he wasn't being very well hydrated in care at the shelter. Thanks for the heads up though, will make sure to prevent him from drinking the betadine solution.

Thanks again folks