My lizard's tail has missing scales. Is it shedding or sick?

Have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat any infection related to the loss of the tail. In the meantime, increase tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F, soak daily in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. Once he warms up and rehydrates, offer appropriately sized prey. Gutload prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Supplement with a product such as Fluker's Repti-Boost to get weight back on him. You can clean the stump with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine. Use paper towels for substrate until the stump is healed.

Soak Lelo in a warm bath for 20-30 minutes daily to aid in shedding. Clean the tip of her tail with a diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution a couple times a day. Keep her on paper towels and change them daily. Tile or slate can also be used, just spot clean daily to keep stool off her tail. Monitor for spread or resolution. If her tail doesn't heal, have her examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. She may need antibiotics or possibly have the affected portion amputated to prevent serious infection.

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.

Thank you for your question about Loki, and thank you for the photos - they are very helpful! From what I can see in the photos, I think that you are asking about the large white area that extends from the eyes forward to around his nose and down along his mouth. This looks like areas of retained shed on top of new skin. Difficulty shedding, or dysecdysis, is often the result of imperfections in the husbandry. I would recommend starting with soaking Loki in 85-90 F water once daily for 15-20 minutes. While in the bath, you can wet a paper towel or cloth and get the areas of retained shed wet. Use caution around his eyes and nose, however, as we don't want him to feel uncomfortable or panicked. I would also suggest evaluating the husbandry and diet closely. You can consult an online care sheet, such as anapsid.org or Reptiles Magazine, and see if there are any areas that you may need to make adjustments. Common areas that require adjustment include lighting (UV lights need to be changed every 4-6 months), temperatures, and humidity/hydration/water. I would also recommend taking Loki into a veterinarian at some point for a wellness examination. Your veterinarian can make recommendations that are tailored to Loki after his physical exam has been performed. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, it sounds like Lightning could be in the process of shedding. Here is great article that should answer all of your questions about the process. http://pogopogona.com/caring-for-bearded-dragons/bearded-dragon-shedding Just be sure that you have all of his husbandry 100% correct (lighting, diet, supplements, humidity, temperature, etc) because that is the #1 reason bearded dragons have health issues. If he is not in the process of shedding then he may be getting sick. https://www.petco.com/content/content-hub/home/articlePages/caresheets/bearded-dragon.html Hope this helps. If you have more questions feel free to post again. Best wishes.

It could be a hard shed or local infection (bacterial or fungal). Soak or mist him with warm water. Cleanse the area with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solution daily. If the spot doesn't resolve or spreads, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet.

It does look like it could be improper shed in that area. I really think it is best to get him to a reptile vet for an exam. After they look at him in person they can probably give you better advice.