# Dang it! Dropped tail...



## laurarfl (Nov 21, 2008)

Well, dummy me closed the red tegu's tail in the cage door and he dropped it. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I'm guessing I pinched the tip and he dropped the last 1/4th where it had a kink in it when I bought him. Bummer. 

Well, I guess I'll have to separate him from his cagemate before she thinks it's a snack. It's not bleeding, but anyone have any ideas about how long before it will heal enough for them to be roomies again? :cry:


----------



## leoares27 (Nov 21, 2008)

mine dropped his tail a while back...it actually regrew pretty fast...the initial wait seems long, but i'm gonna say a week or two before the wound is healed over.

just make sure it stays fairly clean! (i gave mine a bath in a lil iodine solution---i forget the actual name of the stuff)

his tail is now completely regrown


----------



## laurarfl (Nov 21, 2008)

Cool, Thank you SO MUCH for the input! I've never had to deal with this other than a little nipped tail of a baby beardie. I'm sure it looks worse than it is.

I bathed him, cleaned the tail with diluted Povidine (betadine), and then put some Bactracin ointment on it. He's in a separate enclosure and just on newspaper. This temp enclosure is too small, but it's cooling off so he's not so active. Every time I see him I just feel so terrible.


----------



## VARNYARD (Nov 22, 2008)

That suxs Laura, but it happens, he will regrow a new one but it won't have the same colors as the first one. He should be fine with the rest of the tegus, they should not try to eat his tail.


----------



## laurarfl (Nov 22, 2008)

Ugh...do you think it will regrow red or black? I must say it really freaked me out when I saw it. Their tails are like a hollow chambers of sorts, all made up of nerves. It really didn't bleed, but it is still disturbing to see....shudder...maybe it's just my guilt.


----------



## VARNYARD (Nov 22, 2008)

laurarfl said:


> Ugh...do you think it will regrow red or black? I must say it really freaked me out when I saw it. Their tails are like a hollow chambers of sorts, all made up of nerves. It really didn't bleed, but it is still disturbing to see....shudder...maybe it's just my guilt.



When it grows back it will be solid cartilage and should be all red. Once they loose the bones in the tail, they will not grow new ones, it all turns into cartilage. And it is nothing to worry or feel bad about, things happen, it is not like you meant to do it.


----------



## leoares27 (Nov 23, 2008)

it is a disturbing thing to see....fortunately for me, i wasn't the one who "caused" his tail to break...but it still REALLY freaked me out...I didn't put mine in a separate area either...just made sure his tail kept fairly clean. It was crazy how fast it grew back...you think tegus grow fast lol...


----------



## Pony (Dec 22, 2008)

This is a really, REALLY weird question but can anyone post a photo of their tegu after the tail was dropped? I tried googling it and I can't find anything and I'm really curious..


----------



## DaveDragon (Dec 22, 2008)

http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=524&highlight=regenerate


----------



## leoares27 (Dec 22, 2008)

I had another one of his tail freshly off (ugh<shivers) but i can't find it and its late...i will look for it again later k


----------



## Pony (Dec 22, 2008)

That's really interesting! Thanks! My guy is missing the absolute tip to his tail, never grew back properly


----------



## DaveDragon (Dec 23, 2008)

We've got 2 that lost parts of their tails (before we got them) as adults and they never grew back. Just a small nub, looking like a piece of bone sticking out.


----------

