If your bearded dragon’s tail seems to be rotting, you need to act to save its tail. Necrosis can spread easily to the top of the tail, causing more and more parts of a tail to die. In this post, we will cover bearded dragon black tail and tail rot, what causes tail rot, tail injuries and how to treat tail rot.
What causes tail rot in bearded dragons and how to prevent it?
- Injuries
- Trauma, bites and broken tail
- Cricket bites
- Problematic shedding
- Bearded dragon biting its own tail due to pain, mites or stress
- Cyst or an abscess
If any of the issues has caused bleeding, you must start disinfecting the wound as soon as possible to prevent an infection. Always keep the wound dry to prevent gangrene (rot).
Trauma or injury
Tail rot happens when an injury, broken tail or constriction causes loss of blood flow to the tail. This lead to necrosis – dying of the tissue. As a result, tail becomes dry and falls off.
Your bearded dragon’s tail can be injured if for example the dragon falls from a higher structure and breaks a part of its tail. Also, it can happen if your dragon’s tail gets stuck between accessories or doors. So, be always careful when taking your dragon out or putting it in and closing the doors. Make sure that accessories can’t fall over and so on.
Cage mates
Another cause would be if there are any cage mates – they can bite your dragon’s tail. Baby bearded dragons especially tend to bite on each other’s tail because they confuse it with live food. Please don’t house bearded dragons of any together!
You can read on housing 2 or more bearded dragons together in this post.
Bites from hungry bugs
Another reason of tail rot would be bites from hungry bugs. As you probably know, crickets might hide in the tank and bite your dragon when they get hungry. Not only it will cause stress to your dragon, but can result in injuries. Always make sure to remove any remaining bugs after the feeding.
Problematic shedding
One of the main reasons of tail rot is problematic shedding. Shedding skin can get stuck around the tail and shut off blood supply to this part of the tail. As a result, it will dry and fall off.
It can happen that even skin from previous sheddings will layer on top of each other and cause tail rot. Always check your dragon’s toes and tail when it’s shedding and if you have just got it.
Biting its own tail due to itch or pain
A bearded dragon can also bite its own tail when it’s itching or feeling pain. Your bearded dragon’s tail can be itching when it’s shedding. So to avoid it, help your dragon’s tail shed by giving it soaks. You can even use some reptile shedding aid like this to ease the shedding and hydrate the skin.
Besides itching, your dragon can bite its own tail when it’s experiencing pain. Bearded dragons can bite their own toes or tail when they are experiencing pain somewhere in their body.
The pain doesn’t even have to be localized in the tail. If you suspect that it’s the issue, please take your dragon to the vet.
Cyst or an abscess
If your bearded dragon develops a cyst or an abscess in the tail, it will look like a bump. In this case, you will have to take your bearded dragon to the vet who will surgically open and clean it up in sterile conditions.
What does a tail rot look like?
If your bearded dragon has a tail rot, the affected part of a tail will be black. Please don’t confuse with shedding, when the tail turns white. Bearded dragons shed in pieces, so one part of a tail can turn white, with the rest looking darker.
- The affected part of the tail is dry
- Looks brown or black
- Has a leathery look
- Seems to break easily
- No senses in that affected part of tail
Sometimes, when a bearded dragon is stressed, part of its tail can turn black suddenly. Scales will look extra dark but the bands will still be normal and bright. In this case, review the setup and think of what could be causing stress. This can also happen before shedding and wouldn’t indicate rotting.
What to do if my bearded dragon has a black tail or tail rot?
Please remember that if tail rot has already happened, you cannot prevent it anymore. But the main thing you must think about is preventing spread of necrosis higher in the tail. And saving that part of a tail.
If you are sure that it’s tail rot, take your dragon to the vet who will amputate (cut off) the dried part of a tail. However, bearded dragon’s tail will not grow back.
Depending on the cause of tail rot, please fix the root of this problem too. If this was due to retained shed, make soaks for your dragon to prevent stuck skin. If it was a cage mate, separate them, and if it was an accessory that crushed your dragon’s tail – secure it properly.
In case of a tail rot, you must prevent the infection first of all. If there is a bite or break, make sure to disinfect the area with diluted Betadine like this (light brown solution, or around 3:1 water to Betadine). And afterwards, put on some antibiotic ointment without any added painkiller.
NEVER USE ANY PRODUCTS CONTAINING ALCOHOL, as it will burn the skin and cause serious damage. Keep disinfecting the area until it dries up and the part of a tail becomes dry and easy to break.
In case of a necrosis, the necrotic part of a tail has to be cut off to prevent spread higher in the tail. In cases where the necrotic tip is dry, it can fall off by itself. The dried part of a tail can also be broken or cut few millimeters above the affected area and stitches might be needed.
Breaking the tail at a fracture point is less painful and easier and cutting can cause pain. In any case, please take your dragon to the vet to do it if you are not qualified. The vet will use anesthesia so that your dragon doesn’t feel any pain.
Thanks for reading this article! If you would like to find many more useful posts on bearded dragon care, please check out this resource page.