dark spot is fairly new, maybe 2 weeks tops, unsure if it is just shed skin that got stuck or if it's a bigger issue. it doesn't seem to bother him at all. have been giving him baths twice weekly to hopefully help if it is just skin trying to shed. the whiter parts below it fell off after the photo was taken today. any help/advice would be greatly appreciated
That looks like probably just a stubborn/thick shed. You could try putting some plain aloe on it to help keep it moisturized. Hopefully it will break free soon on it's own. Keep a close eye on it and let me know if it appears to be expanding/spreading.
Definitely will do that, although i had picked up neosporin as well per reading through various other posts on forums. thank you for your reply, am hoping it is just a stubborn shed
If it's a fungal issue you'll want to use some betadine or an antifungal cream like lamasil. if that's the case you'll likely see the area start to spread or look more like a wound. I think it's shed partly because of the color and partly because there are other scales further down on the tail that are also gray like they're ready to shed. Keep a close eye on it for now but it doesn't look alarming to me at the moment.
well there is an update, it shed on it's oown but it looks like an open wound to me, and on the underside of the shed that came off was a yellow bulb of i don't know what. i was hoping it was just stubborn shed but this has me more worried now
Yes, that does look like a wound. Any chance he could have gotten injured on something? Maybe bitten by a superworm? Might be a good idea to take it to the vet for an evaluation. They can do a scraping to test for a possible fungal issue. Until then keep it clean, some people recommend putting raw unpasteurized honey on wounds. I have never used it because it sounds like it would be a sticky mess. I use triple antibiotic ointment.
He won't touch worms so i don't buy them, as for getting injured on anything i don't think so, he runs around alot but that's it. Possibly a cricket that was left behind and hid that i did not see? I will keep it clean and see how it goes, the nearest vet is an hour or so away and i worry the long ride will stress him out
Choices for home treatment in order of effectiveness :
F10 Barrier Ointment on the injured / infected wound area
or
Betadiene on the wound area
or
Manuka Honey (medihoney) on the wound area
He won't touch worms so i don't buy them, as for getting injured on anything i don't think so, he runs around alot but that's it. Possibly a cricket that was left behind and hid that i did not see? I will keep it clean and see how it goes, the nearest vet is an hour or so away and i worry the long ride will stress him out
They can give their tails a really good thumping when moving about fast and when climbing over stuff in their tanks too. He could have knocked off some injured scales this way.