My bearded dragon's tail looks discolored. Is it rot or shedding?

Bearded dragons can have a brown colored tail that is still healthy- tail rot will have a tail that shrivels, is hard and crunchy and has color change as well. It might help you to repost your message and include some pictures so that a vet can look at the tail and give you more information.

By your description, it could be tail rot. Chemmy would need to be physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles for confirmation. In the meantime, confirm proper environmental parameters and make sure he doesn't have shed skin strangulation the affected portion of the tail. You can soak the tail in a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution once or twice daily. Prescription antibiotics may be dispensed by your veterinarian if necessary.

Thanks for reaching out about Smaug and including photos. The end of the tail appears to be necrotic. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. The environment needs to be kept clean so substrate should be removed and replaced with paper towels or fabric to lessen the chance of contamination. Review diet and correct as proper nutrition is important to recovery and long life. Good luck.

Have Mulan examined by your herp veterinarian. Tail rot can be caused by trauma or infection. If it severe enough, amputation may be necessary to prevent systemic infection. Stress can also cause body parts to turn black. Commonly, it is the "beard"/throat that turns black during stress or anger.

Thanks for your question, and I’m so sorry that this is happening to you and Peaches. Tail rot can be a bit tricky to manage, and ultimately Peaches may need a tail amputation. Unfortunately, the tissue needs to stop dying before an amputation can be pursued, or else the tissue at the surgical site is at risk of dying as well. Due to this, for right now, you’ll need to monitor for spread of the tissue death. I recommend drawing a line at the area where the tissue seems to be shrunken, closer to the end of the tail, and another line around the area where the tail goes from a more normal orange to the white color. You can do this with a permanent marker. It may be advisable to consider a course of antibiotics as well, especially if the tissue death doesn’t seem to stop spreading. I hope this gives you a place to start, and that Peaches feels better soon.

Thanks for reaching out about Spike and including photos. By the photo, it is probably due to the betadyne. Continue to monitor flexibility of tail, warms, and a gentle pinch/pain response. These might be indications of the tail dying. Bearded dragons can also dislodge blood clots to the tips of the tail or toes, causing de-vitalization and necrosis. If the condition recurs, a CBC and serum biochemistries are recommended through a veterinarian. Good luck.

It looks like a stuck shed. A fungal infection will present differently (raised, irritated, black patches, lethargy, loss of appetite,etc). Try soaking in a warm water bath. You can add Betadine solution until the bath looks like weak tea. This can help prevent or treat mild infection due to a hard shed. See your veterinarian or an experienced herp veterinarian if Anastasia becomes lethargic, loses her appetite or if the tail begins to get strangulated by the shed.