I believe our bearded dragon has tail rot, we tried the

Hello and thanks for posting your question on JustAnswer.com. My name is***** and I have been a veterinarian for over 21 years, specializing in aquatics, reptiles, amphibians, avian and other exotic species. You may already be aware, but on this platform veterinarians can provide insight and advice, but as this is not considered a legal client-patient relationship, we are unable to prescribe medications, provide medical records or sign documents for your specific pet. For that you would need to make an in person visit with a local veterinarian. I am happy to chat with you via text but if you are interested in a phone call instead that is an option you can choose for an additional charge. In the meantime, I am putting together some questions that will help me learn more about what’s going on with your pet.

Thanks again for posting your question, I’m sorry that your bearded dragon Dart is under the weather. I have a list of questions that will help me get a better idea of your pet’s environment and what may be going on with them:

When did you first notice this current problem?

What is the current tank set-up, e.g. temperature (basking temp, low range, high range, humidity)?

Do they receive any access to UV light (outdoor time or UV bulb on tank)?

Have they been eating normally?

What do you feed them? Do they receive any calcium or vitamin supplements?

Are there any current or recent medical conditions and what treatments or medications have been recently used?

Do they have any tankmates? If so, has there been any illnesses in other residents of the enclosure?

Thanks very much for providing additional information, it is very helpful for me to try and figure out what is going on with your bearded dragon and the history information will help me to do that.

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Tail rot is a condition in which the bearded dragon’s tail begins to develop dark discoloration which progresses to tissue death (necrosis) and tail loss. The area of affected tail may appear dry or shrunken or develop an area of ulceration or indentation. The darkened coloration, which can range from blue to purple to black occurs because the normal blood supply has been disrupted and the tissue begins to die. It is usually caused by an infection or trauma, more commonly toward the end, or tip, of the tail but it can occur higher up.

A visit to your local veterinarian who has experience with reptiles is warranted as the affected tissue may die and fall off, or worse, the infection may spread and cause more tissue loss or even systemic illness or death of the bearded dragon. It is also important to identify and correct out other underlying conditions (poor diet, insufficient dietary calcium, insufficient vit D3/UVB, out of range temperature or humidity, poor cage sanitation) that might predispose the pet bearded dragon to tail rot.

-Daytime temperature range with a cool side at 75-80F, a warm side at 80-85 and a very warm, focal basking area of 85-100F for adults and 90-105F for juveniles. A nighttime temperature range of 70-75F should be provided. 30-40% humidity is recommended. Although they are from an arid region, having sufficient humidity is important to respiratory and skin issues and not too much humidity is important to prevent secondary infections from moisture loving microbes.

-In addition to tank lighting that supplies UVA and visible light exposure, bearded dragons require UVB exposure to maintain proper health. Just as with temperature, their enclosure should have a gradient of UVB exposure with no UVB at the coolest end and highest at the basking spot. To avoid oversupplementing, at least ¼ of the tank should not be directly illuminated with UVB light. Distance from the UVB bulb is vital as it dictates how much UVB exposure an animal will receive in the basking site. Distance depends upon the type and UVB output of the bulb. The most common types of UVB bulbs used with bearded dragons are the compact fluorescent (CFL), linear fluorescent or mercury vapor bulbs. For example, a CFL or linear fluorescent 10.0 bulb should be placed no more than 16-18" from the basking site while a 5.0 bulb should be placed 12” or less. A mercury vapor bulb can be used in a larger enclosure due to its greated depth of UVB penetration, up to 3 feet. The mercury vapor bulb’s wattage dictates the heat output of these dual use bulbs it does not change the UV penetration. There should be no glass or acrylic between the bulb and the surface as these will block UV light. Note that metal screening between the bulb and the enclosure will cut UVB output of the bulb significantly, sometimes as much as in half. Conversely, UVB light reflectors can improve UVB penetration by bouncing and focusing the UV light produced by the bulb. All UVB bulbs loose effectiveness over time, even if the light still appears to be working, it may no longer be producing UVB. It's recommended that you change the bulbs regularly, compact fluorescent bulbs at least every 6 months, linear fluorescent bulbs and mercury vapor bulbs every 12 months. Some bulbs may last longer but the only way to know for sure if they are still effective is to measure their UV output with a meter that measures UV Index or total UVB.

-Balanced diet of 30% vegetables and 70% insects for a young, bearded dragon (< 6 months old) which are more carnivorous than the omnivorous adults. That should be reversed as they age and adults fed 70-80% of their diet as vegetables for an adult. Greens should be introduced to bearded dragons at a young age. Nutritional insects include black soldier fly larvae (soldier worm larvae), superworms, earthworms, Dubia and cockroaches and the occasional wax worm, mealworm or silkworms (limit them due to their high fat content). Vegetables should be a variety of primarily dark leafy greens (greens: dandelion, collard, lettuce: romaine, green/red leaf, Boston, parsley, broccoli, etc.). Limit feeding oxalate ***** *****s like swiss chard, spinach or beet greens. A small amount of other vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, squash, etc.) and be added; variety is the key! Salad should be chopped and offered in a clean bowl or plate once to twice a day. They can be given flowers and fruit as treats or as top dressing on the salad, with fruit not making up more than 10-20% of plant material fed each day.

-Calcium and vitamin supplementation: 2-3x per week dusting of salad mix with calcium powder (without Vit D) and 1x per week light dusting of reptile multivitamin powder. Insects should be dusted with calcium powder just before feeding at every meal and crickets should be both gut loaded and calcium dusted always. Once weekly you can dust an insect with the reptile multivitamin powder if they are not eating salad.

-Clean environment. Avoid sand or gravel substrates as bearded dragons may eat this and become impacted. Paper towels, newspaper, slate, tile or reptile carpeting are safe alternatives. Make sure to clean the substrate at least every other day or more frequently as it becomes soiled.

If you have any specific questions about housing or nutrition, please let me know I would be happy to advise.

If you need assistance finding a reptile veterinarian in your area, I am happy to help. Please provide your town name and state and I will search for you.

I will be notified if/when you respond with additional information but in the meantime, I hope this information is helpful and I wish you the best with your bearded dragon Dart. Thanks again for posting your question to JustAnswer.com.