Why is my beardies tail black?

[Lycan]

So I noticed today that Zena's tail is black, normally it is a light brown. Im not sure if its something I should be really concerned about or if its because she just finished a shed. She has a Repti sun 10.0 strip bulb as well as a 100 Watt UVA bulb. The temp in her basking side is 100 degree's. I just thought it was pretty weird.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

It's hard to tell, but it looks as though your beardie may have some retained shed on her tail. Right above where her tail is black, is that shed that has not come off?

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Oops! You were here a minute ago when I was typing my reply, but now you're gone.
If that is retained shed, it needs to come off. Right above the blackened portion of tail it looks a bit constricted. If this is what it is.. it is cutting off the circulation to the rest of the tail. The remainder of the tail could become necrotic.
Try using a soft bristled toothbrush on that area while she is in the bath. You can also apply 100% aloe vera or olive oil to soften the skin.

 

[Lycan]

I tried to see if any skin is coming off but nothing came loose. Thank you for both of your replies, I will defiantly try and brush her tail and see if any shedding skin comes off.

 

[Lycan]

OK So I did brush her tail and a little piece of skin came off but I have a bigger problem, It seems her entire upper half of her tail is tight shedding skin, I didnt notice it because its not really lighter than her normal color and it is so tight on her her so it looks like normal unshed skin. She has been soaking for 20 minutes and I have been scrubbing constantly and its not even coming loose, I cant get it off even with my nails. Im not sure what to do or how many days I should keep soaking and scrubbing her. I dont want to hurt her with the scrubbing.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Did you try the aloe or oil on the unshed area? Try this as well and see if you can get that skin to soften up. When you do try eaither of these... do not put your beardie back under it's basking light. Not only will the heat dry up what you put on the tail, but could also cause the area to burn.
Let me know if this helps.

 

[Valex]

Has the curve always been in the tail? If not it looks like she may have broken it... Blaze(my beardie) has a tail nip that didn't go all the way throgh his tail.. so it appears his tail is broken where the bite is, and his tail is black just like that. It has been that way since I got him, it doesn't bother him, and I forever tried to get off any remaining shed(which their isn't) and he does fine. I just gave up trying to figure out what it was since it doesn't bother him, hasn't changed, and hasn't fallen off. lol

 

[Lycan]

Ok I'll try the Aloe and turn off her basking bulb for a short while after putting on her aloe vera. She loves to bask right after being out of her cage. She has had that little curve as long as I can remember, the vet wasnt worried about it when she saw it, but then again her vet isnt the best. :-? The skin on her tail seems to still be completely attached to her scales, like she went to shed it but gave up halfway through. Hopefully the aloe vera helps get it off otherwise I will have to take her to the vet.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello again,

Keep up with the bathing and definitely use the aloe vera. I am going to have a moderator, Diane(Diamc) look at this as well and see if she may have any advice for you.

 

[Lycan]

Ok thank you any advice is helpful, I hate seeing her like this.

 

[diamc]

Hi, Dawn asked me to take a look at his tail for you. That is definitely a retained shed. Besides the frequent baths, rubbing gently with a soft bristled toothbrush, I would also suggest taking a couple of thick pieces of paper towels and soaking them with vegetable oil and wrapping them around his tail. It would be best to do this when he is relaxed and when out of his tank so that he won't move around much. You could even heat up a rice sock and set him on that to help keep him warm. You could also do this at night when he is sleeping so that it can soak in all night.

What is the humidity level in his tank? Is the end of the tail hard like a stick?

As far as the Aloe Vera gel goes, if you had been using that, make sure it is all off before applying anything else because it does tend to build up which makes removing difficult.

Something I have had very good luck with is 100% Cocoa Butter, I used the stick, it is great for soothing & softening the skin. I used that as a last resort when I had tried everything else first. It is very cheap and I found it at my local dollar store.

Let me know how you make out with the vegetable oil soak and then we'll go from there.

 

[Lycan]

Thats a great idea, thank you I will wrap her tail tonight when she is asleep. She hates being wrapped in anything and would try and tear it off if I did it during the day. I'll keep the coco butter in mind if the aloe doesnt work. The humidity is pretty low in her tank and the end of her tail is a little harder than normal but she is able to move it when I touch it.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Thanks for looking and for your input, Diane!

That was great advice Diane gave you about wrapping the tail with oil. Got my fingers crossed that it works!
As for the humidity in the tank, you could always add a bowl of water to try and bring the humidity up. The moisture in the viv will help as well.

 

[diamc]

No problem. :wink:

What is the humidity in the tank? Because if it is real low, there are other ways that I can suggest to help bring it up too.

 

[Lycan]

The humidity gauge says the humidity is 20 degrees. I'll add a water dish to bring it up a little bit.