Tegu hurt its tail

[misterpc23]

Today while taking my black and white argentine tegu out of the tub from his soak he wriggled his way out of my hands in a fit and fell about 3ft. when he landed the side of his tail split open about half way down. He isn't bleeding out or anything and I bandaged him up as well as I could. I put a small amount of neosporin on a bandage and wrapped that up with the stretchy bandage tape plus I put a small amount of water proof tape on so it couldnt come off at night. I'm keeping the temps up and leaving his lamps on t night so he can come bask if needed. The worst part about all of this is he was just starting to shed so I have to deal with that on top of keeping his wound clean. I cleaned out his 75gallon tank (He's not even a year old) and removed all substrate. I threw in a towel for him to burrow in if he wants but he already went in his normal hide to go to sleep. Luckily my tegu has not shown signs of hibernation yet this year so I don't think that will be an issue with the healing process. I'll add pictures when I change his bandage tomorrow. Any tips on what I should do? Any medication I should get as a precaution?

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Tails heal very well but pics would always help so we can see what your dealing with. However since you took him off substrate I would leave the tail un-bandaged so that it can breathe. Keeping it bandaged could just lead to bacteria and infection. They are very hardy and recover just fine from dropped tails so this little injury doesnt sound all to worrisome.

 

[misterpc23]

I have removed the bandage from his tail, it is apparent that he is dropping his tail and it is not just a small cut. Upon closer inspection today I noticed the "cut" went all the way under the tail and there is only a small piece of skin/scales holding it on. When he initially got hurt his tail was NOT in this condition, it had gotten worse since I initially posted asking for help. I'm not sure why the photo is upside down (It looks fine on my desktop and ipad) but this is the best angle I could get to show all of the exposed flesh.

I would add more photos but he has since gone to sleep in his hide and I figured rest for him was a bit more important than getting pictures for you guys

 

[misterpc23]

As a sort of update on how I'm keeping him:
His tank is spotless, I fed him a hopper,a few hunks of ground beef with a calcium+D3 supplement mixed in for his meal today, I'm going to get some blueberries at the store tomorrow since I know he likes them. I try to vary his diet as much as possible, the past couple of days he hasnt had too much fruit/veggies but typically I try to offer a veggie or fruit with his meal. Currently he eats daily. I have 2 basking bulbs that keep his basking spot nice and toasty as well as one of those coil 26w UVB bulbs for "tropical" varieties. I know that these are not sufficient for tegus so I've done my best to supplement his D3 in his diet. I had read somewhere on this site that you had kept a tegu its entire life without using any UVB bulbs so I shouldnt be too worried about getting a larger/better light until hes larger right?

this is his 75gallon tank, come christmas he's getting a new water dish, a more permanent/natural looking hide and a variety of other things so basically a whole new tank setup

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

yup, looks like hes dropping it normally. They have break plates within their tail where they can drop their tails. I havent dealt with the tail still being attached by a peice of skin, maybe someone can chime in? Honestly, in my opinion since I have self-assisted dropping of tails and since its only skin holding it on, I would just snip it off. Not having it there dragging will help it heal faster. or a quick trip to a vet if you dont feel comfortable doing it. Since its broken off at a break plate, it will regenerate too.

The uv coil bulbs dont put off any usable UV, and even with supplements of calcium and d3 (dont overdose d3 as it can be toxic in large amounts) on a non-whole prey diet, UV is still recommended. I do have a rex Iv raised without uv but he doesnt get ground meats or incomplete food items so he can absorb the dietary d3 via the organs in the whole prey.

 

[misterpc23]

That's great news, i almost assisted him in the detaching of his tail today but I figured id wait until I had input from you. If it is still hanging on in the morning I'll remove it but I have my doubts that it will still be attached . Since the coil bulbs are useless what kind should I get? Also how in the world can you afford to feed him only whole prey food items? The only pet store in town charges almost $2 per F/T hopper! Edit: Plus I read that you should only feed your tegu a mouse/rat or anything with fur or feathers once every 3 days otherwise you up the chance of impaction

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Impaction is only a problem when you dont have high enough basking temps. I currently have 7 tegus right now, 5 rescues and 2 of my own (Rex & Bella) they all bask anywhere from 120-135 and get whole prey diets with a big variety. I order bulk and also go to asian markets for more unusual items. I also have monitors where they bask much higher 140-160.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Good UV bulbs are Zoo Med 5.0 or 10.0 reptisun florscents (tube) or zoomed powersun mercury vapor bulbs. Buy online they are much cheaper that way and register them so you can take advantage of their 1 yr warranty. Zoomed has better UV rates than the Exo-Terra Solarglo MVBs

 

[RickyNo]

actually you should be worried about the UVB. without it your reptile can develope mbd. My hhatchling is only 3 months old and I was waiting for my big cage to be done where he has 2 four ft uvbs and He had already started to develop it in his tail. The longer you wait the more chance you have of him being crippled later on. you need a 10.0 bulb. you can also over to him on vitamin D 3 supplements. D3 powder doesnt do what you think it does. Also make sure his temps are in the 115-125 area so he can properly digest his food. Live prey daily with his normal meal and keep that patched and watch for infection. See if your able to use neosporn this I do not know. I really wish you would take him to the vet asap.also I hope you have a bigger cage setup for him soon because the 75 gallon is going to be useless very soon.

 

[misterpc23]

Good UV bulbs are Zoo Med 5.0 or 10.0 reptisun florscents (tube) or zoomed powersun mercury vapor bulbs. Buy online they are much cheaper that way and register them so you can take advantage of their 1 yr warranty. Zoomed has better UV rates than the Exo-Terra Solarglo MVBs

Ok I'll order a Zoo Med 5.0 tomorrow morning! (Where do you order from online?) And as for taking him to a vet I do not know of any reputable herp vets in my area. Plus if hes just dropping his tail and I don't see any signs of infection there is nothing a vet could do for him other than potentially sew him up to create a nub. I am home every day so I can monitor it hourly for any signs of infection. ALSO, would you advise me giving him extra calcium without d3 in his meals while he's recovering to aide in the process?

 

[Matthew Krzemienski]

I would just ante up and get the 10.0. The bulb doesn't have to be as close to the reptile.

Matt

 

[misterpc23]

I would just ante up and get the 10.0. The bulb doesn't have to be as close to the reptile.

Matt

I thought the different numbers were just different branding since it was 2 different companies. If the 10.0 puts out more UVB than thats the one Ill go for. Anyonek now which is the best?

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

10.0 does put of more uv than 5.0. If the bulb will be farther away from the animal that 12inches, go with the 10.0.

Any calcium supplementing should be done without d3 and only add d3 in every few meals.

 

[misterpc23]

10.0 does put of more uv than 5.0. If the bulb will be farther away from the animal that 12inches, go with the 10.0.

Any calcium supplementing should be done without d3 and only add d3 in every few meals.

Ok I'll go with the 10.0 since I'd prefer to put the light on top of the cage rather than mount it on the inside. I'd be too worried about him jumping at it or something

 

[misterpc23]

UPDATE:
This morning the tail was still attached and while I was trying to cut the last bit of skin he trashed and it just popped right off without me having to do any slicing/cutting

I'm keeping his enclosure spotless and checking in often on his tail for any sign of infection. He's not acting any more lethargic than he already was from slowing down due to the winter. He seems to be spending a lot more time basking and sleeping rather than trying to get out to explore. and yes before anyone asks I've already double checked that his basking temps are 120-130

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Tail breaks are pretty natural for them so the healing process usually goes smoothly. In the wild, they get all kinds of dirt and stuff on it and its fine so im sure in a clean cage he'll be fine. Just be sure to keep your humidity in check, without the substrate it can decrease. Maybe a few extra high calorie meals like rodents to help speed up healing too.

 

[misterpc23]

Tail breaks are pretty natural for them so the healing process usually goes smoothly. In the wild, they get all kinds of dirt and stuff on it and its fine so im sure in a clean cage he'll be fine. Just be sure to keep your humidity in check, without the substrate it can decrease. Maybe a few extra high calorie meals like rodents to help speed up healing too.

Yeah I'm going to give him a hopper every day for the next 3 days along with blueberries and a hunk of ground beef. I'm misting his tank every time I see the sides dry up. The humidity in my room is very low so I spray down his tank every hour-few hours. Now that there is no saving the tail end he once had I'm kind of looking forward to seeing if he'll regrow a rubbery black one like from what I've been seeing online.

 

[misterpc23]

UPDATE:As of today he seems fine and unaffected by his tail drop He's just as curious, active, and hungry as he was before his accident. I'm keeping my eyes on his nub to make sure there is no infection but other than that life is back to normal for this little tegu! Thanks for the support and help!

 

[AssassinExotics]

You did the right thing for future reference anyone who has a break in the tail unless it is soo minor it's barely noticeable continue the break and snap it off it will be better for you and your gu

 

[misterpc23]

It's been over a week now and his tail is almost completely healed up! No more exposed flesh, just a hard nub at the end. He's as happy as he could possibly be