Stuck shed or something worse?

[thunderlips]

My bearded dragon has had what looks like a patch of stuck shed on his tail for a couple of weeks now.
I have been waiting and hoping for him to rub it off but im starting to get worried.
His legs looked similar to this and that turned out to be some stuck shed that he later managed to get off on his own last week, but his tail still looks the same.
I have given him baths every 2-3 days and i also tried to gently brush the shed of when he had his last bath, but it had no effect whatsoever.

Do you guys think it is stuck shed or something more serious?
If it is indeed stuck shed, what can i do to help him get it off?

 

[Skybug]

Its shed , does look weird though I’ll admit, just leave it be

 

[Skybug]

Ur bearded dragons tail is rather short in my opinion, he could of possibly been stunted in his growth, his tail scales dont look to be in the best shape either, can u tell me what vitamins ur giving? Pics would help most, these are what i use currently.

 

[Skybug]

Sometimes they shed for a long time, my girl shed her tail tip for almost 2 months.

 

[thunderlips]

Ur bearded dragons tail is rather short in my opinion, he could of possibly been stunted in his growth, his tail scales dont look to be in the best shape either, can u tell me what vitamins ur giving? Pics would help most, these are what i use currently.

I dust his feeders with calcium 5x a week and reptivite 2x a week.

 

[Skybug]

How old is he? I believe You need calcium with the d3 , is what i was told, Can u give me a tad more information, did u raise said dragon? What lighting are you you using, compact/coil uvbs are a huge no-no for bearded dragons. They cause eye problems, offer uvb in a concentrated stream, and either too much or little to none at all, you want a long tubular light, 60% the length of the tank. Other than the tail being short he looks very plump and healthy , has he had “bad shed” (a hard time shedding) before?

 

[thunderlips]

How old is he? I believe You need calcium with the d3 , is what i was told, Can u give me a tad more information, did u raise said dragon? What lighting are you you using, compact/coil uvbs are a huge no-no for bearded dragons. They cause eye problems, offer uvb in a concentrated stream, and either too much or little to none at all, you want a long tubular light, 60% the length of the tank. Other than the tail being short he looks very plump and healthy , has he had “bad shed” (a hard time shedding) before?

I thought you only needed calcium with D3 if you don’t use uvb?
My understanding was that they get enough D3 from the uvb light and that too much could be bad for them.
The multivitamin powder has D3 in it though, so it should be fine right?

I have only had him for about 4 months.
I got him from a pet shop and he pretty much doubled in size since i got him.
The staff at the pet shop didn't really know how old he was, they just said he was probably around 4-6 months old.
Which would make him 8-10 months old now.
I was feeding him as many roaches he would eat in 10 minutes 2x a day for the first 3 months, but he started to become pretty fat the last month, so he is on a diet of 10 roaches a day right now and he always has access to fresh greens.

And no he has not had bad sheds before.

 

[thunderlips]

This is the uvb light im currently using.

 

[Skybug]

They absolutely need uvb no matter what calcium they get, pet shops give very bad information often, from what i researched they need calcium with d3, the d3 helps the calcium get into the dragon, ive been using a calcium with d3 for a year and 7 months with my bearded dragon , also you need different lighting, that uvb is no good, i use this brand bulb/fixture , if u need an idea, “arcadia” is also a good brand.

 

[thunderlips]

They absolutely need uvb no matter what calcium they get, pet shops give very bad information often, from what i researched they need calcium with d3, the d3 helps the calcium get into the dragon, ive been using a calcium with d3 for a year and 7 months with my bearded dragon , also you need different lighting, that uvb is no good, i use this brand bulb/fixture , if u need an idea, “arcadia” is also a good brand.

Yes, i know they need uvb.
What i meant is that he already gets d3 from both the uvb light and the reptivite.
So using calcium with d3 might result in too much d3.

 

[thunderlips]

''When too much D3 is absorbed, and high levels of calcium exist in the diet, bearded dragons can experience Hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia occurs when there is too much calcium in the blood and can lead to dragons becoming sickly, and in some cases, even dying''

But i guess i could give him calcium with d3 2-3 times a week on top of the reptive with d3 2x a week and see how it goes.
How often do you dust with d3?

 

[Skybug]

Yes, i know they need uvb.
What i meant is that he already gets d3 from both the uvb light and the reptivite.
So using calcium with d3 might result in too much d3.

You’d notice his “urate” becoming hard before he got that condition, i will admit its hard to dose a dragon correctly, and im very much concerned about that. i do calcium every other day and the reptivite 3 times a week and the liquid vitamin every other week , The reptivite isn’t giving him enough d3 unfortunately, if u read the back its only a small amount of the container, its a catch all supplement.

 

[Sam-E]

A long soak in a warm bath, you can add shed ease stuff, or not. A soft toothbrush or q-tip gently on the tail after soaking, be sure to stroke in the direction of the scales. Mine had a similar issue, vet said to bathe several times a week while shedding so much. Mine hates the bath, but now that he is over a year old, I don't have to bathe too often.

 

[Sadie]

This is the uvb light im currently using.
View attachment 27767

please get rid of the coil UVB -- those are inadequate -- you need a long tube fixture ASAP----- one like these a 24" fixture for a 40+ gallon tank Zoo Med Sunblaster or a Arcadia Pro T 5 that one comes w/ a bulb you will need a 12% bulb --- please order this or these right away -- the Zoo Med will come w/ a 5.0 bulb use it as a back up you will need this bulb a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb ---- your dragon is not able to absorb or synthesize his calcium w/ out proper UVB ----- when you get the new UVB post back on here and I will help you place it in the tank -- it has certain distance and placement requirements

 

[Sadie]

I dust his feeders with calcium 5x a week and reptivite 2x a week.
View attachment 27766

If the dragon is under 1 year you need Calcium D3 5 x per week over a yr old you can use it but you must have a good UVB and the coil is not a good UVB

 

[thunderlips]

If the dragon is under 1 year you need Calcium D3 5 x per week over a yr old you can use it but you must have a good UVB and the coil is not a good UVB

Alright, i will order a tube uvb bulb this weekend.
Where are you guys getting the information that they need calcium with d3 though?
Because from my understanding they only need d3 in powder format if they're not getting enough from the uvb light.
Also they are able to regulate the amount of d3 needed from the uvb light by moving to different areas of the enclosure, instead of getting too little or too much d3 from the powder.
So as long as the uvb light is set up properly, d3 powder shouldn't be needed right?

Anyway, i will start using calcium with d3 2x a week and without d3 3x a week just to make sure he is getting enough d3 incase the uvb bulb breaks.

 

[Sadie]

Alright, i will order a tube uvb bulb this weekend.
Where are you guys getting the information that they need calcium with d3 though?
Because from my understanding they only need d3 in powder format if they're not getting enough from the uvb light.
Also they are able to regulate the amount of d3 needed from the uvb light by moving to different areas of the enclosure, instead of getting too little or too much d3 from the powder.
So as long as the uvb light is set up properly, d3 powder shouldn't be needed right?

Anyway, i will start using calcium with d3 2x a week and without d3 3x a week just to make sure he is getting enough d3 incase the uvb bulb breaks.

D 3 needs to be given to dragons under a year they are growing- the T 5 will help w/ the calcium w/ the absorption of it--- not all people use the T 5 bulb and if they aren't they need to be giving it past a year- w/ ones using it they can cut back on the d 3 and use regular calcium w/ out and no phosphorus- this info comes from a vet tech that I know and is very good--- the T 5 is a good strong bulb as well--

 

[Skybug]

A simple google search will yield the results of information which u seek, most of the time the information will bring u here to this site, reptile shops/pet stores are not to be trusted what so ever.

 

[thunderlips]

Yes i know, but everyone seems to give different answers...
So it's hard to know who's information is accurate.

 

[Skybug]

Yes i know, but everyone seems to give different answers...
So it's hard to know who's information is accurate.

I believe everyone does their Supplementation a little differently, but everything ive come across in my research has pointed to them needing the d3, theres lots of misinformation on line (as you know) id trust what sadie and i are saying, ive raised my girl to a year and 7 months, she has high out put uvb and her urates are soft, so no accidental over dose on the d3 , like I said above, if ur beardie has enough vitamins in him already itd come out in his stool (because its mot being utilized the body rejects it) then ud notice the urate (white stuff in poo) become hard and clay like. And that would happen days before any symptoms of the illness that u posted above would develop.
In your specific case, hes not getting enough uvb, not enough d3(from lighting and vitamins) im in no way trying to disrespect you, your dragon isnt in any danger of getting to much d3 (cause as of right now with ur current setup, he’s barely getting anything) =why he’s having a “bad shed”