Hey everyone, Yoshi has had this black coloration on his tail for a little over a week now and its worse on one side than the other. Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it? He just shed a couple days ago and there is no shed skin still attacked to him and the only other thing I could find on the internet was maybe some kind of fungal thing but i dont know. He looks healthy otherwise and is very friendly except not liking my phone very much lol.
Black coloration on tail
- Thread starter goomba9
- Start date
archristiana
New Member
looks like a heat lamp burn to me, does he curl his tail into the cage holes, or hang underneath it?
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
No not a burn for sure. My chameleon who passed away had a blackened tail about 1 1/2 inches up. He could curl his tail fully. Can yours? My vet seemed to think it was something neurological constricting bloodflow to the area. JannB also had a chameleon that had a black tail at the end. It never became necrotic. This tail felt just like the rest of the tail, but was discolored. My chams black tail never went away.
Yea he curls it up completely when he sleeps and uses his tail like he always has. It doesn't seem to bother him and when I touched it to try and get a better picture he didn't react like it hurt him and it also feels like the rest of his tail. So my question is, is this a major problem or is he going to be ok?
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well my chameleon was ok with it and used it just fine. It was weird cause it was blacker on one side more than the other just like yours. You will have to ask Jann about her chameleon and what the outcome was because I forgot. I know if they get it caught in something it can bruise but I don't think that is a bruise. His tail looks very similar to my chameleons. Hopefully yours will go away. Mine happened when he was older and not so young like yours.
Ok everyone I took Yoshi to the vet today and the doctor thinks he is ok, all the test she did said he didnt have anything wrong with him beside the discoloration and thinks it probably happened when he was shedding and some skin stayed on his tail a little longer than it should have. So now I just have to watch it and make sure it doesnt get any worse which it hasnt for the past week
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
I did not think it was a fungus. I am telling you my Romeo's tail looked exactly like that. It even was blacker on one side than the other, just like yours. It was not from a shed, I know that for a fact. It started at the bottom and moved up. It never effected his well being and like I said he could use it perfectly. If I can find a pic of him with the tail like that I will post it for you. I hope yours goes away, his never did. It stayed like that until the day he died and was like that for about 6 months.
chameleoman
Avid Member
Have you seen veiled chameleon morphs? They have some black coloration like that but they're born with it
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here is a pic for you of my cham's tail. Is not the best pic, but one of the few I could find. I guess I tended to not take picture of the end of his tail cause it was not the most attractive thing. My vet thought it was neurological and lack of blood flow but who knows. The white thing that looks like part of his tail is a zip tie holding the branches together. Also, sometimes it would be further up the tail than other days which was strange.
