Tava's tail turning brown??

[Benjaminx3]

I went to take Tava out of her enclosure today so I could move some things around. I noticed that her tail looks almost like a dry leaf kind of thing. It's brown and thinner, but only at the tip. I'll post a picture below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Alexl]

Looks like it's necrotizing to me, but it's a bad picture. I would definitely advise you to visit the reptile vet next to you as soon as possible. This has to be treated immediately if not amputated. Had your chameleon the opportunity to burn her tail? Or may it be you didn't see a resting shed at the tip of her tail? Or is there any other way she might have hurted the tip?

 

[Benjaminx3]

I'm not sure if there's a reptile vet around here. I've called the nearest few and they kept referring me to possible ones that weren't open or that didn't actually deal with reptiles. I don't think that she could have burned her tail. The lamps are on the top of the enclosure and her tail never really reaches there. how do I know for sure if it's necrotizing? Should I get a better picture?

 

[pssh]

A better picture(s) would help very much! Brown and black crusty looking is generally how a dying tail looks. It wont move at all and it might be smaller than it normally would be, especially if stuck shed was left on the tail tip and it cut off the circulation.

 

[Benjaminx3]

Okay, here's a better picture.
I never saw any left over shed.. if it was there it was very small. Recently she's also had a puffy neck area, but I read that can be from having over-supplementation, so I reduced her dusting for now and I was going to wait it out for a bit. I'm not sure if that would have anything to do with it.

 

[Alexl]

This is definitely a necrotizing tail. And it looks infected, which means bad bacteria will grow on and on. In worst case, your chameleon could lose a lot more than this little part of its tail which died til now. Please look for a vet soon. A wound like this is very painful to your reptile (imagine your finger would die off...). The earlier a vet can treat the tail, the better chance your chameleon has to recover well. They quickly learn to climb around with a shortened tail, too.

Where do you come from? Here's a list of reptile vets in the US.

 

[arnau666]

i agree this looks like a necrosis ! i would advice you to take immediate action and take your cham to the vet .
this will spread and will get worse every single moment that passes by + bacteria and infection and it is causing a lot of pain .
i wish you and your cham all the best

 

[Benjaminx3]

Okay, I found a vet that takes reptiles for a good amount, too. Tomorrow they're booked, but I may be able to get an urgent care visit in between appointments. Do you think that's what I should do? If so, how should I explain her symptoms? Thank you all so much for your help so far. I appreciate it so much.

 

[laurie]

If I were guessing I would say she stuck her tail out as you were closing the door. Trust me, the voice of experience, it can happen. Tell the vet you are not sure what happened, but the very end of her tail appears to be dying.Good luck

 

[Tbar87]

Necrosis of the tail

I am new to this site, I first came across this page when I was researching about what was wrong with my Cham Rango. I read thru this post that it was possibly necrosis sure enough I took him to the vet today and it was exactly that! My vet thankfully fit me in for an apt she had to amputate my chams tail thankfully I caught it within day's and had him fixed early on my best suggestion to you all if you notice any part of the tail turning brown TAKE iT TO A VeT ASAP!!!! My Cham could have been way worse I will post before and after pics!!! Rango is 1 years old and stunning!the vet says the trauma to his tail WAS due to his shed cutting off his circulation leading to him having to be amputated!!!

 

[Lovereps]

Tbar87, welcome to the forum!
It's posts like these with pictures and details that can help so many others.
Congrats on getting your Rango to the vet ASAP and thanks for sharing your story with the forum, too.
Rango is fortunate to have a caring and perceptive caretaker.

 

[newchammommy]

Help - is this tail rot?

I had Olive out in the ficus today and noticed that ever since she shed the tip of her tail has not looked right. I found this post when I was researching this. Is this normal or does she need a vet?

 

[stacy76]

I had Olive out in the ficus today and noticed that ever since she shed the tip of her tail has not looked right. I found this post when I was researching this. Is this normal or does she need a vet?

i would say she needs a vet..

 

[newchammommy]

thanks - I'll take her first thing tomorrow. Any ideas on the best way to transport her? I don't want to scare her to death.

 

[carol5208]

I transport mine in a small cage with a plant in it. I have read others use a shoebox with a stick in it and cover it so it is dark and will hopefully calm them. Mine seem to do well on the plant and just go along for the ride!!

 

[newchammommy]

tail snipped

Thank you so much. Olive visited the vet yesterday, got the end of her tail snipped and did great in transport and while there. I used a shoe box which did seem to keep her calm. Now i have to give her a drop of antibiotics every day for two weeks - any pointers on administering meds would be greatly appreciated. I'm just so afraid I'm going to break her that I think I wasn't forceful enough. How do you get a cham to open its mouth???

 

[l0u1ss]

what are you supposed to do to prevent this? Physically remove the skin from the tail if it doesn't shed off on it own?

 

[Decadancin]

what are you supposed to do to prevent this? Physically remove the skin from the tail if it doesn't shed off on it own?

Try extra misting and bumped-up humidity for a short time. If you need to, you can put a plant in the shower and run warm water against the wall. As droplets bounce off the wall your chameleon will get gentle droplets to land on him. Its like a sauna for your chams!

Don't remove the skin on your own. You can do more harm than good!

 

[mcanham]

Thank you so much. Olive visited the vet yesterday, got the end of her tail snipped and did great in transport and while there. I used a shoe box which did seem to keep her calm. Now i have to give her a drop of antibiotics every day for two weeks - any pointers on administering meds would be greatly appreciated. I'm just so afraid I'm going to break her that I think I wasn't forceful enough. How do you get a cham to open its mouth???

It sounds mean, but hold her behind the head (not neck)and she will open her mouth. They seem to hate that. They are fragile but not fine china. Just be careful. Good luck.

 

[Carlton]

what are you supposed to do to prevent this? Physically remove the skin from the tail if it doesn't shed off on it own?

You can GENTLY rub the tip of a shedding tail if the skin is ready to come off anyway. I really feel that most of the time a necrotic tail results from trauma (pinching it between branches, getting stuck in a door, etc) or insect bites rather than from a bad shed...but again you have to watch your cham carefully to catch problems early. Can't speak from experience as none of my chams have ever had this problem.