Even MORE tail problems... :'(

[valkryja]

Loki just shed his tail skin, and as I was inspecting his colorful new tail, I noticed something disconcerting. The tail is nice and yellowish orange, but about 3/4 the way down it suddenly becomes gray. There's a clear line between the color and the darkened spot, and as I was feeling the tail I noticed a very slight bump right where it got dark. Loki sometimes whips things with his tail (I have absolutely no idea why, but he whips at everything from his food bowl to me), and I'm wondering if this is a sign of injury. I still have some antibiotics left over, should I start him on that? I don't have enough money to get him another $250 reptile consultation at the exotic pet veterinarian, so he's going to have to make due before I have enough cash to get him professionally checked out.

Assuming he did hurt his tail somehow, what can I do before I get a chance to take him to the vet? I don't want this to end up falling off / needing amputation. Is there any way to ensure that proper bloodflow works its way down the tail past the possibly damaged area? The tissue is alive and he has control of it (he's moved the gray area of the tail around), but I want to make sure that he recovers. Also, I know this isn't tail rot or anything because there's no scale damage. It honestly looks like unshed skin, but he just shed it today and the bump worries me

 

[beardie_love]

Hi there, I do not have any suggestions/ideas for you, but perhaps you could post pics of different angles (one where you can see the bump) of the tail to give fellow forumers an idea.

I hope everything goes okay with Loki.

 

[Pogie]

Yes, I think ppictures will help us help you better.
How did he lose the 1st part of his tail??? Did it start out similar to this?

 

[ladyknite]

There's a clear line between the color and the darkened spot, and as I was feeling the tail I noticed a very slight bump right where it got dark.

indicates retained shed. Sometimes caused by a minor injury.
You'll need to work on it daily to relieve the constriction.
Use mineral oil or olive oil to coat the area fully. A rough type wash cloth with warm water to wipe it from the direction of base to tip.
And you'll definately want to pay close attention to see if there is one scale loose that will begin the process. It will most likely come off in a thick ring of scales.

 

[valkryja]

I'll take pictures once my mom gets back from work, since she has the nice camera that'll capture details since it's not even very noticeable. You can't even see the bump - it's very very slight and i could only feel it with my finger. His first tail injury was caused by crickets that hid under the tiles and ate his tail tip at night, which caused an infection and made the first inch or so of the tail die and fall off. It looked nothing like this, it was a kind of gradient of darkening that got very stiff at the end, and it bubbled like crazy when I put peroxide on it so the flesh was either dead or infected.

This time there are no skin breaks, peroxide does nothing, and the tail is quite flexible. Still, the bump and color worry me

 

[renich]

I have to agree with Ladyknight. Sounds like a shed that did not complete. As she directed, rub it with olive oil, use a course towel, and give him daily soaks in a warm bath.

 

[valkryja]

That's a relief, haha. I'll do this and see if there's any change.

His tail is just a problem area, and it scares me when there's something wrong with it. Last time I took him to the vet it was for the cricket bites, and the vet told me his tail would have to be amputated if it continued. And as adorable as a stubby-tailed lizard sounds, I want him to keep his tail

 

[renich]

Hopefully, this treatment will work. Keep an eye on it. If you don't see improvement or if it gets worse, you will want to take him to a professional to be examined.

 

[ladyknite]

it's really really common for shed problems to become pronounced with tail injuries. Some of the places are so small, you don't realize it until it's several layers thick.
I know, I have an adult that a log hide fell on when she was a baby. Every so often, i have to pull her out and work on her tail the same way i told you.

 

[staylor]

I used the olive oil on Piggy's tail and it came off fairly easy.