Iguana Tail Turning Black - Tail Rot Reasons and Tips

Iguanas have long beautiful tails, but different issues can cause tail rot and dying of the tail. In this post, we will discuss the reasons for iguana tail turning black, as well as tail rot reasons and tips for dealing with these problems.

First of all, let’s look at the signs and reasons why your iguana’s tail might be turning black. And then, we will discuss what you can do in those cases.

Signs of tail rot in iguanas

The portion of the tail become brown or black
Dryness
Loss of any senses in the damaged part of the tail
The damaged part of the tail can break easily
Tail can look and feel leathery, and be hard.

Do not confuse a black necrotic (dying) tail with the fungal skin infection. Fungal skin infection will feature brown/black spots, with affected areas often being in different spots.

Iguana Tail Turning Brown - Reasons and Tips — Fungal skin infection

Why is my iguana’s tail dying?

1. Your iguana hit its tail very hard

Iguana Broken Tail - Tail Rot in Iguanas

Your iguana might hit its tail on the object (such as cage sides or accessories) too hard. Same can happen if your iguana whips its tail when getting aggressive towards you or when being moody. Its tail might also get stuck between the doors, under the accessories and so on.

The accidents happen often when iguanas hit themselves against various objects during the breeding season, too. This causes blood circulation impairment, causing the tail to get hard, brown. If the tail has turned brown, it is the case of tail necrosis – dying of the tail.

2. Retained shed caused shutting off the blood supply to the tail

Iguanas shed around every 3-4 weeks, but babies and juveniles shed more often. Sometimes, iguanas have stuck shed on their tails, toes and around the head. It is very important to mist your iguana twice a day and bathe it regularly (every day, or at least 4 times a week).

Iguanas need high humidity levels in the tank, to shed properly. If your iguana has retained shed, it will build up on the tail. Even few layers of the skin can build up – if you do not help remove it.

Buildup skin will impair blood circulation – causing the part of the tail to turn black. This cause dry tail rot – or dry gangrene.

3. Your iguana fell from a high structure

This also happens more often than you might think. Iguanas love climbing and often jump from high structures without much care. Your iguana must have a vertical cage – but make sure that it can climb up and down safely. When falling from a high structure, your iguana might injure its tail, toes and limbs.

4. There is an abscess in the tail

Your iguana’s tail might get infected from the inside causing the formation of a cyst or an abscess in the tail. You will be able to tell that it’s the cyst/abscess if the tail has a bump on it. Abscess can form after an open wound to the tail, when infection spreads.

If you do not deal with the cyst/abscess for some time, it will impair the blood supply to the tail, causing a necrotic tail in your iguana. The necrotic tail will have to be cut off.

Any cysts/abscesses should be lanced and the pus washed out. Then you will need to keep the wound clean until it heals.

5. Iguana biting own tail

Iguana Biting His Own Tail - Reasons and Tips — Serious bites to iguana’s own tail

If your iguana is biting its own tail, that means there is something wrong with your iguana. It might be fine if your iguana is only nibbling – the tail could be itchy or getting ready to shed.

But if it is properly biting and causing wounds, then there is a problem. Your iguana might be biting its tail when something is hurting. The tail could be itchy due to an infection, or mites.

Your iguana could be also severely stressed – males might bite their own tails during the breeding season, and females – around the egg laying time.

Please take your iguana to the vet that will help find any problems with your iguana. To help improve the situation, you must disinfect the wound with antibiotic ointment, and cover the tail to prevent further biting. Reassess iguana’s living conditions and what could be causing stress.

How to treat tail rot and other tail injuries in iguanas?

Tail Rot In Iguanas - Signs and Tips — Tail rot – part of the tail had to be amputated to save the healthy tissue.

If the tail tip was injured and turned black, it might fall off itself. It is not good to wait for it to happen, though, as it will spread higher. Dry tip needs to be removed. If the black part of the tail is falling off, you can help remove it by breaking it off at fracture point. Make sure it is dry and bendable before doing it.
However, if the bigger part of the tail was injured, it will start turning dark. This is an ischemic gangrene (blood circulation was cut off). To prevent spreading of the gangrene, you will have to take your iguana to the vet who will amputate the part of the tail that is dying.
Please note, that the tail must be amputated slightly above the dead tissue (1-2 mm higher). This is because if you only amputate the dead tissue, the infection is likely to spread higher in the tail again.
Do not try to cut the necrotic tail yourself – it is painful for your iguana. If you are not able to visit the vet at all, the only way is to break off the black tail tip, disinfect the wound to help it heal. Cutting at home is very risky, and it will be very painful for your iguana.
Breaking the dead tissue might be easier than cutting – the tail has fracture points.
If there is an abscess or cyst, it will have to be lanced to take out the pus and washed with antibiotics.

How to treat and disinfect the tail wound?

If your iguana has broken its tail, then you can still save it in some cases. Wash the wound (if there is one) with an antiseptic, but never use any alcohol containing solution as they will cause serious burns.
Chlorhexidine is one of the disinfectants used for pets. After that, place a stick or something else that will act as a splint. Fix the splint and then cover it with a bandage.
Broken tail that was saved will often grow in a wrong shape, crooked. At this point, it is only esthetics.
Always take your iguana to the vet, who will perform the amputation or cyst removal in sterile conditions. Sometimes the vet will administer anesthesia, especially if they have to cut the tail.

Can iguanas lose their tails?

Can Iguanas Lose Their Tail - Reasons and Tips

Yes, iguanas can lose their tails if they feel threatened or in danger. While losing the tail in iguanas is not too common, it can happen when iguanas get attacked or grabbed by the tail. In captivity, iguanas are likely to lose part of their tail due to being grabbed or stepped on the tail, and other injuries.

In the wild, autotomy (dropping the tail) helps iguanas escape during an attack. Dropped tail will twitch, distracting the predator.

If your iguana lost its tail, there should not be much bleeding. This is because it will break at the fracture point. But if there is bleeding, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding.

Then, prepare a bandage with some diluted (1.5-3%) hydrogen peroxide. When the bleeding stops, remove the bandage. Do not cover the wound with gauze, to let it close and heal. Do not let the wound be wet and do not bathe your iguana until the wound closes. Keep the wound dry.

Do iguanas grow their tail?

Do Iguanas Regrow Their Tail - Tail Rot and Injuries in Igunas — Tail regrowth in iguana. New part of the tail will look different and can be crooked.

Most iguanas that live in good conditions do partially grow their tail back. But this will depend on the age (younger means more chances) and where the tail broke. Regrown tail will look different (color and scales) and can even be of different shape.