# Bearded Dragon advice broken tail??



## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

My friend asked me to post on here, so if it takes me a while to answer its cos i have to find out from him.

He keeps lizards and someone asked if he'd take their two bearded dragons. He has a spare viv and took them.

When he looked at them one of the bearded dragons seems to have a broken tail, it just hangs down at like a 90 degree angle when you hold him. it doesn't seem to bother him, and the tail looks 'alive' its right near the top of his tail, maybe a inch or two down.

the person that gave him the dragons said he didn't know what happened, and hadn't noticed. 

my friend just wants to know what to do with him? does he need to go to the vets? will he need it amputating? I'm off to his later so i can get some pictures, as i've now read how to add them.

Thankyou for any help you can give


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## kevtore999 (Dec 24, 2008)

Mrs_Bennington said:


> My friend asked me to post on here, so if it takes me a while to answer its cos i have to find out from him.
> 
> He keeps lizards and someone asked if he'd take their two bearded dragons. He has a spare viv and took them.
> 
> ...


I'm not 100% sure what to do is the colour the same from the top of the tail to the tip of the tail?
Is the Dragon eating and pooping fine?
Are its hind legs ok?
Try and post pics it might help more.....


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

I've just asked for pics and he's gonna email me some. will add in next 10mins


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## kevtore999 (Dec 24, 2008)

Mrs_Bennington said:


> I've just asked for pics and he's gonna email me some. will add in next 10mins


 
Ok no problem .....


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

Some pictures. if you need anymore let me know what of and ill ask him to take them


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## Antw23uk (Jan 12, 2009)

This seems like a no brainer to me .. VETS : victory:


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

You need to watch out for any darkening of the tail below the break point. The tail may heal, there may be no nerve damage - it'll always look kinked, but not affect the dragon. But if there is nerve damage, or infection, the tail may necrotize. This can affect the whole dragon and it'll need to be removed. If there's nerve damage it could potentially spread to the spine which you usually see in the back legs with difficulty moving, or strange twitching/spasms.

Generally I don't think a vet can realign the tail so it heals correctly the way human bones do, if it's causing a problem they will usually just amputate, which is often a very quick and relatively low cost procedure. Might be worth it if he thinks it's going to be a problem, or if there is any nerve damage it's better to take it off in my opinion than the chance of it rotting and spreading - but loads of beardies do have kinked tails. 

If broken in the right spot a tail will also just break off by itself, there's no wound underneath at all is there? That's something to watch out for, as the tail does have specific break points that if damaged it will open up and the tail will come off (and never grow back of course).

Doesnt look too bad to me to be honest but definitely worth keeping an eye on and it never hurts to get the opinion of a vet, but certainly if there is any colour change, or he starts twitching/spasming at all then it's best to get a professional opinion.


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## luke123 (Apr 13, 2008)

This may be possible MBD, or could be a broken tail. Either way it's not normal, I'd take it to a reptile vet. That's the only way to find out what's going on.


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

he said hes never noticed any twitching etc, it doesn't seem to bother him, he still climbs etc 
Hes a very timmid little bearded dragon, always seems to be on edge, but don't know if thats just him settling in to a new home, people, surroundings.

What would be the signs of nerve damage? most of the time his tail is straightish... with just a bump as can be seen from the second picture.


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

oh and he said no wound or anything, tail looks 'normal' other than the bend


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## kevtore999 (Dec 24, 2008)

Mrs_Bennington said:


> he said hes never noticed any twitching etc, it doesn't seem to bother him, he still climbs etc
> Hes a very timmid little bearded dragon, always seems to be on edge, but don't know if thats just him settling in to a new home, people, surroundings.
> 
> What would be the signs of nerve damage? most of the time his tail is straightish... with just a bump as can be seen from the second picture.


 
Him being timmid could be due to him being in pain i'd take him to a vet to have this checked it looks like a fracture to me, Keep a close eye on the colour below and above the affected area...

Do you have a rep vet?


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

its not mine, i should imagine they'll be one in west yorkshire though.

the timmidness though, his sister that came with his is the same.

to be honest, and im really no expert so could well be wrong im not sure if they've been handled much. as they both like to threaten you with puffing up and opening their mouths when you go to approach them. they dont bite or anything. think they're just a bit nervous of people


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## vickylolage (Oct 5, 2008)

If it makes you feel better I have a beardie with the same problem.
Hes only dinky though - severely stunted considering hes approximately 10months old and isnt much bigger than some that are 8 weeks old.

When I got him his tail was a lot worse - literally 90 degree angle. He was underweight a bit and after gaining some weight to the top section on the tail the angle has become a bit less sharp.

I had him to the vets and there wasnt an issue as such - as in no pain, no infection his tail wasnt affecting him so there was no point amputating and putting him through the stress of it all.

I spoke to a friend who said theres a chance it could have been an incubation deformity because with mine the rest of his tail after the deformity isnt really anything - no muscle or anything.

He likes being in a small area though. Its ended up the OH had to make a viv (its about 16 inches) just enough to fit a UV in and Ive had to make sure he feels very safe or he wont eat. Hes a lot better now but Ive had him a while so hopefully after time he/she will start to come round a bit.

Theres a pic of him in my album hes called Corky : victory:


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## Mrs_Bennington (Apr 10, 2010)

vickylolage said:


> If it makes you feel better I have a beardie with the same problem.
> Hes only dinky though - severely stunted considering hes approximately 10months old and isnt much bigger than some that are 8 weeks old.
> 
> When I got him his tail was a lot worse - literally 90 degree angle. He was underweight a bit and after gaining some weight to the top section on the tail the angle has become a bit less sharp.
> ...


Thankyou all for your help.

its very much appreciated...

and corky is gorgeous... I'm thinking of getting a bearded dragon myself now lol


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## musky89 (May 16, 2009)

has he had him in the bath? because i had a beardie with a tail similar to this one but when he went in the bath he swayed his tail like a croc lol and it slowly became less noticeble im not saying put him in the bath but with mine it was something that slowly got better but its best to get it checked out by a vet: victory:


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

I'd recommend popping it along to the vet, purely because of the angle it's broken/dislocated at.

As the beardie grows and its tail becomes meatier and less flexible, having a tail pointing at the ground may start to put strain on its lower back, and may also alter its entire posture when moving etc.

A vet may not be able to fix it perfectly, but they should be able to reset it enough that it won't hinder him so much when he's older.


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