If you’re an avid reptile lover, you might have heard that some lizards, such as the Tokay and Leopard Geckos, shed off their tails when attacked by a predator. When a Leopard Gecko is under attack, it sheds off its wriggling appendage in a process that’s known as caudal autonomy. As the predator feasts on the tail, the lizard gets time to find a safe spot.

While tail shedding is a defense mechanism in Tokay and Leopard Geckos, losing a tail is an injury for bearded dragons. Unless it’s because of health complications or injuries bearded dragon will never drop its tail. Here are a few things you should know about a bearded dragon tail.

How Long is the Bearded Dragon Tail?

Bearded dragons become adults after one year or so. The lizard’s tail measures around 16 to 24 inches, and the creature weighs about 380 to 510 grams. The tail is the same size as the body or slightly longer.

Does a Bearded Dragon Tail have Bones?

No, there are no bones in the bearded dragon tail. While the backbones of these lizards are made of interconnected bones, the beardie’s tail is made of keratin and layers of nerves and fats.

The bearded dragon’s tail has interconnected blood vessels and nerves, and that’s why it’s painful for a lizard to lose a tail.

How Do Bearded Dragons Defend Themselves?

Instead of dropping their tails, bearded dragons leverage other defensive attributes and behaviors to escape predators. These include:

• Puffing up their beards
• Hissing
• Darkening their heads
• Trying to assume a taller stance
• Turning the entire body black
• Head bobbing

A bearded dragon’s tail is one of its valuable assets, and losing it makes it weaker.

So, before we embark on a quest to figure out why a beardie’s tail might break off, let’s look at why the tail is so essential to these lizards.

How Do Bearded Dragons Use Their Tails?

The tail is a vital body part that may affect the bearded dragon’s normal functioning if it breaks off. Check out why the bearded dragon’s tail is important to them.

1. The Tail Helps Them to Maintain Balance

When beardies are on trees, you’ll often see them curving their tails on branches. This is a way to try and find stability.

If the bearded dragon’s tail falls off, the creatures will struggle to climb trees, walk or run. This would mean that the beardies won’t be able to flee from predators, scavenge for food, or regulate their body temperature.

Although bearded dragons are known to climb up to 2 meters high, they won’t be able to achieve such a feat without the tail.

2. Bearded Dragons Use Tails for Communication

The tail is an integral tool for bearded dragons’ communication. These lizards use their tails to signal to the rest of the animals about their mood and feelings. 

For instance, a beardie raising its tail will mean that it’s joyful, alert, ready to hunt, or is asserting its dominance.

Without a tail, it can be challenging for other animals to read a bearded dragon’s mood. This may increase conflicts, especially if you have other pets within your compound.

3. The Tail is an Indispensable Part during Mating

The bearded dragon tail plays an essential role in helping a bearded dragon attract the opposite sex and communicate the mood. When a male needs a mate, it will convey the message by twitching its tail.

Additionally, some bearded dragons will intertwine their tails when mating to stay in position. By observing the tail movement and position, you can know whether they’re about to mate or fight.

4. The Tail Helps in Protection against Predators

The bearded dragon tail makes it appear more prominent, which is essential when they want to scare off predators. Without the tail, the beardie will appear smaller and would look weak.

Being territorial animals, bearded dragons will always try to bully small bearded dragons and other animals to try and assert dominance.

If the tail is broken, it would be challenging for them to scare off other animals or even stage a fight if it comes to that.

As mentioned earlier, bearded dragons don’t just drop off their tail. There are a few reasons why these cute and docile creatures’ tails break off.

Can Bearded Dragons Drop Their Tails?

No, bearded dragons do not have the ability to drop their tails. Unlike other lizards that usually drop and regrow their tails several times, bearded dragons don’t grow back their tails back.

What Happens When a Bearded Dragon’s Tail Falls Off?

When a bearded dragon tail falls off, it may bleed and got infected. Unfortunately, bearded dragon don’t grow their tail back.

There are many causes why a bearded dragon may lose it tail including stress, poor lighting, accidents and fights. The good news is that bearded dragon can survive without a tail  

What is Tail Rot? And How does is it lead to a Bearded Dragon Lose Part or All of Its Tail?

The leading cause of tail breakage in bearded dragons is tail rot. Although tail rot is treatable if detected early, if left without care for a long time, it can lead to the tail falling off and even cause death.

Often, bearded dragons may suffer other things that cause the tail to break. But since tail rot accounts for 90% of tail breakage in beardies, let’s delve deep and understand how it happens.

What’s Tail Rot?

Tail rot is a serious health condition where the bearded dragon’s tail starts to die or darken from the tip. The condition arises due to the formation of necrotic tissues on the tail.

When a lizard suffers from tail rot, it accumulates necrotic (dead) tissues, and the tail becomes darker in color. The tail’s color may change to pink, blue, or even black due to the lack of blood supply to the tail tissues.

Although it can be challenging for a pet owner to determine whether their pet has tail rot, the condition should never be taken lightly.

Experts claim that if the ailment is not treated early enough, it can spread to the rest of the body, causing organ failure, internal infection, and other significant health concerns.

In most cases, if tail rot is detected in its later stages, vets usually recommend tail amputation.

Therefore, keep an eye on your beardie and take it to the vet when you observe any signs of tail rot.

However, before we look at the signs of tail rot, let’s check out some of the things that cause bearded dragon tail rot.

What Causes Bearded Dragon’s Tail to Rot?

Poor Lighting

Like other reptiles, bearded dragons need adequate UVA/UVB light. These light rays help bearded dragons to digest food and absorb calcium. Whether you provide your beardies with calcium supplements, they also need adequate UVB light, which is rich in vitamin D and plays a pivotal role in calcium absorption.

When a bearded dragon is getting enough UVA/UVB light, it will be able to absorb and digest essential nutrients and elements for the proper growth of body parts, including the tail. If your bearded dragon’s enclosure has degraded full-spectrum lamps, they might affect your pet’s digestion and calcium absorption, leading to tail rot.

Fights & Trauma

Bearded dragons are inherently solitary animals that prefer to live alone. However, since these creatures need to mate, they are often placed with other bearded dragons. When these creatures are put in the same cage, they may start fighting and injure each other.

 Being territorial animals, adult bearded dragons will try to assert their dominance whenever they come across another beardie in the vicinity. When engaging in supremacy fights, one of the parts that typically get in the line of fire is the tail. The bearded dragon’s tail may be bitten or scratched during supremacy scuffles.

When the bitten or scratched area is infected, it creates a perfect environment for bacteria that cause tail rot. Therefore, never put more than one bearded dragon in a cage.

Incomplete Shedding

Bearded dragon shed their exoskeleton like all the other reptiles. However, the shedding doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes, the skin may get stuck on wriggling limbs such as feet, toes, and tails.

If the shedding stops at the tail, it might curtail blood circulation, leading to tail rot. Conversely, once the skin is trapped during shedding, beardies become frustrated and try to remove it by chewing or scratching. This could potentially lead to injuries that may facilitate further tail rot. 

One of the main reasons beardies experience difficulties when shedding off their skin is dehydration. Therefore, don’t try to help the lizard shed its skin by pulling it out, as it might cause more problems.

The most prudent thing should be to provide the beardie with clean drinking water to improve hydration. Additionally, you can give them a warm bath or mist their enclosure to increase the humidity levels.

Poor Diet

Providing your bearded dragons with a high-quality diet ensures that they get the much-deserved nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in the proper proportions. Asserting that your bearded dragon is sufficiently nourished will decrease the likelihood of getting sick.

Your bearded dragon should get the proper diet and supplements such as calcium and vitamins to improve immunity. A beardie on the correct diet will be able to wade off all types of infections, including tail rot.

Poor Care and Maintenance

The living conditions in your bearded dragon’s enclosure are also directly proportional to their health and overall well-being. A dirty and poorly kept enclosure will harbor bacteria and parasites that attack your bearded dragon and make them easily prone to infections.

If you keep your beardie in a dirty and poorly maintained enclosure, they may contract infections that lead to tail rot.

Therefore, pet owners should keep bearded dragon enclosures as clean as possible. More importantly, it would help if you ascertained that they have the recommended temperature, humidity, and lighting levels. Keeping up with routine care and management of the bearded dragon’s enclosure is the best remedy against all infections, including tail rot. 

Bites From Bugs and Pests

A bearded dragon’s tail can also rot due to bites inflicted by bugs and other biting pests. For instance, ants and cricket might find their way into the beardie’s enclosure and bite the lizard. Bites on the tail are not only stressful, but they can cause injuries that can lead to tail rot.

Pet owners should make sure that they sweep the bearded dragon’s enclosure for bugs and other biting insects, especially after feeding. This will ensure that they don’t inflict painful and infection-prone injuries to your beardies. 

Self-Inflicted Bites and Scratches

Bearded dragons are also notorious for biting and scratching their tails. The bearded dragon can be itchy, especially during shedding. To try and calm the itchiness, bearded dragons usually bite and scrape the tail. Pet owners need to give their beardies regular baths and ensure they are hydrated to avoid itchiness when shedding their exoskeleton.  

Apart from itching, beardies also bite their tails when they feel pain. The worst part is that they don’t bite themselves when experiencing pain in their tails or other body parts. The self-inflicted bites can get infected and lead to tail rot.

Abscess or Cyst on in the Tail

 Sometimes, cysts and abscesses may develop on the tail and form some minor bumps. When these cysts go for a long time without being treated, they intensify and can lead to tail rot. Luckily, cysts and abscesses can easily be removed through a surgical procedure. You need to take your pet to the vet to help remove these cysts.

Stress

Tail rot is the most significant cause of tail loss in bearded dragons. However, these creatures can also bite off their tails because of stress. When bearded dragons are not getting the proper diet and excellent living conditions, they might get stressed and react aggressively.

When these creatures get stressed, they start doing crazy things, such as trying to climb over the enclosure or start biting their tails. Sometimes, they can bite a piece of their tails or leave wounds that can get infected, leading to the tail lot and eventual tail loss.

Accidents

Like any other animal, bearded dragons can also lose their tail through accidents. As the lizards go on with their daily routine, they can lose their tails through accidents. For instance, a bearded dragon might get stuck on the walls or tree, and as they try to pull itself out, it might lose a tail.

Since bearded dragons are extremely fragile, stepping on their tail can give them a fracture that might lead to the tail breaking off. This typically happens when you’ve allowed the lizards to wander outside of their enclosures. Accidentally grabbing the bearded dragon’s tail can also cause it to break off or rot.

What Physical Signs Should I Look For to Identify Tail Rot in Bearded Dragons?

Knowing when your bearded dragon has a tail rot can be challenging, especially in the early stages. Sometimes skin shedding may be mistaken for tail rot. However, as time goes by, some physical signs become apparent. These include:

1. Change in Color of the Tail

When a bearded dragon’s tail rots, it accumulates dark brown, blue, or black necrotic tissues. Usually, the darkening starts at the tip and moves towards the body. However, this is not to say that any bearded dragons with a dark tail suffer from tail rot.

For bearded dragons with a black tail, you’ll have to check other signs and liaise with your vet to ensure everything is alright.  

2. Dry and Corse Texture

Although bearded dragons’ tails are usually dry, they become brittle, flaky, and drier than usual if the lizard has tail rot. Sometimes, the dead cells might make the tail have a slight bend. If your beardie’s tail is drier than usual and has a slight bend, this might indicate tail rot.

3. Unexpected Tail Loss

The most apparent sign of tail rot is when a part of the whole tail breaks off. Once all cells and tissues are dead, the tail will fall off. When the tail starts to break off, the beardie is in real trouble as it might lose other body parts besides the tail.

Besides the physical signs, bearded dragons may also exude various symptoms and behaviors when they have tail rot.

Behaviors and Symptoms that may indicate that Your Bearded Dragon has Tail Rot

When a bearded dragon has tail rot, it will display these symptoms

4. Loss of appetite

Multiple things can cause a reduction in appetite and weight, including brumation and high or low temperatures in the enclosure. However, the loss of appetite may also be caused by illness, such as tail rot.

Therefore, if your bearded dragon has a dark and dry tail and starts to lose appetite, it might have tail rot.

5. Irritable behavior

Bearded dragons have a reputation for being calm and docile. However, when their tails are rotting, they become irritable, aggressive and often start to hiss or try to bite you. This is a sign that they are in pain and distress.

6. Pain or discomfort when you touch the bearded dragon tail

Like any other infection, tail rot is painful to the bearded dragon. Therefore, when the tail comes into contact with physical objects, the beardie will show discomfort and try to flee. If your pet dragon becomes uncomfortable or is distressed when you touch its tail, it might be ailing from tail rot.

7. Reclusive behavior and Lethargy

Sometimes the pain and distress caused by tail rot can be unbearable, making the bearded dragon hide for prolonged periods. Additionally, it can suck up the lizard’s energy, causing a lethargic reaction.

Can You Treat a Rotten Bearded Dragon Tail at Home?

Although taking your bearded dragon to a vet is the best way to deal with tail rot, some home remedies can help save your beardie’s tail. However, these remedies should only be used for less severe and minor cases.

Treating tail rot at home involves the use of betadine and topical medications. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Prepare a mixture of 1 part betadine and 5 parts water.

Step 2: Soak the bearded dragon’s tail in the mixture for five minutes

Step 3: Gently remove the tail and dab it with a clean cloth or absorbent paper towel.

Step 4: Apply an ointment that doesn’t have pain relief like Neosporin.

Step 5: Repeat the whole process for one to two weeks.

However, the betadine soak should only be done thrice because it can make the tail skin dry out and worsen the condition. You should also avoid alcoholic products since they can burn the skin and lead to more severe problems.

How Can You Prevent Tail Rot in Bearded Dragons?

If you want your bearded dragon not to contract this progressive disease, you need to be proactive. Let’s look at what to do to ensure that your bearded dragon doesn’t suffer tail rot and lose its tail.

1. Provide Safe and Clean Enclosure

Since bearded dragons can become quite big, you need to provide them with adequate space. Pet owners should ensure that the cage is twice the size of the bearded dragon in every direction. If you keep a beardie in a small enclosure, there’s a high possibility of accidents and injuries. It will also be easier to regulate the temperature in a spacious tank.

The bearded dragon’s tank should be spruced and kept clean. Keeping proper sanitation helps keep away parasites and bacteria. A dirty, unsafe, and unhealthy tank can make bearded dragons stressed to the extent that they start getting aggressive and even biting and scratching their tails. 

A clean environment reduces the risks of infection even if the lizard is injured.

2. Don’t Put More than One Dragon in the same Enclosure

As mentioned earlier, bearded dragons are territorial creatures that will always try to assert their dominance. Once you put two bearded dragons in the same tank, they will engage in running battles.

During these battles, the dragons may suffer tail bites and scratches that can get infected and cause tail rot. Additionally, the weaker lizards will not be able to access food and sunlight. The lack of adequate UVB and UVA will mean that the weaker dragon won’t digest food or absorb calcium properly.

The lack of nutrients and calcium deficiency may make the tail weak and prone to injuries and infections that may cause tail rot. So, if you don’t want your beardie to suffer tail rot and eventual tail breakage, never house two bearded dragons together.

3. Proper Lighting

Bearded dragons need UVA and UVB light for proper food digestion and absorption. In the wild, these creatures get these components straight from the sun. These pets need a powerful UVA and UVB light source when in captivity.

If your beardies don’t get adequate light, they won’t be able to absorb essential nutrients such as calcium and digest food properly. This may compromise their immune system and make them highly susceptible to infections, including tail rot.

The basking area temperatures should be maintained around 95°F – 110°F, and the temperature in the rest of the enclosure 80°F to 85°F. If you mind the health and well-being of your bearded dragon, make sure that they get adequate light and heat at all times.

4. Give Your Bearded Dragons with a Proper Diet

Nutrition is directly proportional to health and well-being. One of the best ways to improve the immunity of your bearded dragon is to make sure that they are on the right diet. Although dietary needs are based on size and age, there are a few items that your beardie should savor to stay healthy.

Babies will need a higher ratio of proteins to vegetables, and thus a larger portion of their food should be bugs. However, this will change as the creatures grow and age.

Besides the usual protein and vegetables, your bearded dragon’s food should be sprinkled with calcium. You should also offer other supplements such as vitamins and minerals. Additionally, ensure that the bearded dragons stay hydrated by providing plenty of drinking water.

Putting your pet on a proper diet will help improve its immunity and prevent health issues such as tail loss.

5. Don’t Grab the Bearded Dragon Tail

The bearded dragon’s tail is highly sensitive to the extent that these creatures won’t appreciate you touching it. Picking your beardie by the tail is risky since you cut off a small piece with your hand nails or fracture it.

A slight fracture can cause the tail to rot and eventually fall off. When handling the bearded dragon, avoid dragging it by the tail. If you decide to let people unfamiliar with bearded dragons near your pet, provide close supervision to ensure they don’t hold them incorrectly or drop them and cause severe tail injury.

6. Buy Your Bearded Dragon from Reputable Breeders or Pet Shops

Before bringing a bearded dragon home, conduct in-depth research on the pet shops and breeders you want to buy from. This will ensure that you only pick a service that provides healthy morphs.

If you don’t do your research, you might buy a lizard that has been brought up in an unhealthy environment or one already suffering from tail rot. Take time to vet the bearded dragon sellers and only purchase from the most reputable sellers.

7. Avoid Pulling Skin Stuck During Shedding

It’s typical for the bearded dragon skin to get stuck in their appendages during shedding. The first instinct for pet owners is to pull the skin out and set the beardie free. However, pulling the skin from the beardie’s tail will cause more harm than good.

A bearded dragon that is experiencing difficulties when shedding its exoskeleton may be dehydrated. If you want to help, provide the lizard with plenty of clean drinking water and give it a warm bath. Additionally, you can mist its enclosure to increase the humidity and soften the skin for easy shedding.

What Should I Do Once My Bearded Dragon’s Tail Fall Off?

Once your bearded dragon loses its tail, the first thing you should do is to check whether it’s bleeding. Suppose the lizard is bleeding; take a clean cloth and disinfect the wound to prevent infection. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, you’ll need to apply pressure on the area and visit a vet. 

Tail breakage is very painful for the beardie. So, make sure you do everything gently to avoid making things worse. The vet will dress the wound and provide you with medication to help the bearded dragon heal. You also need to put your bearded dragon on a special diet to facilitate fast healing.  

Do Bearded Dragons Tails Grow Back?

Unlike leopard geckos that usually drop and regrow their tails several times, bearded dragons don’t grow back their tails. Beardie’s tails are made of keratin; hence they won’t grow back.

For geckos, tail dropping is a natural phenomenon that allows them to escape predators.

However, the tail will only fall off in bearded dragons due to tail infection or things like being bitten by another animal or an accident.

These lizards use their tail for communication, balance, mating, and scaring predators. Without it, they’ll need more care and maintenance than before.

Since a bearded dragon tail doesn’t grow back, pet owners should be on the lookout for any signs of tail rot, such as skin dryness and darkening of the tail tissues, to ensure that the infection is detected and treated earlier enough.

Will My Bearded Dragons Survive Without a Tail?

Yes, a bearded dragon can survive without a tail. However, most of its integral activities, such as climbing, walking, running, and even mating, will be compromised.

This will be one of the toughest moments for your bearded dragon. But as long as you provide your beardie with extra care and put it on the right diet, it will get accustomed to living without a tail.

Why Do Bearded Dragons Bite Their Tails?

Bearded dragon may bite its tail due to pain which can be a result of shedding as it constricts the blood flow which causes pain.

Other reason can be due to being hungry or being dehydrated.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons are not one of the lizards that drop off their tails as a defense mechanism when in danger. Their tails play a pivotal role in mating, communication, and balance.

These creatures don’t have the luxury of losing their tails, and the worse part is that their tails don’t grow back.

Unfortunately, bearded dragons may drop off their tails when infected by tail rot. This is a serious health condition brought about by various factors such as inadequate lighting, filthiness, accidents, and bites and scratches by other animals.

To ensure that these creatures don’t lose their tails, pet owners should monitor and look for any signs of tail rot.

More importantly, they should provide their bearded dragons with the proper habitat, right diet, and sufficient UVB and UVA light. And if the inevitable happens, you should be ready to provide your beardie with the best care.