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Bearded dragon with yellow tail? Possible yellow fungus?

4K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  Azastral 
#1 ·
Hi all, I'm new to this page so if I've posted this in the wrong place/made a mistake just let me know.

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I have an approx. 2-2.5 yr old male beardie and during a recent health check, I noticed that his tail has patches - almost like strips - of yellow on his tail. He is otherwise healthy, but I'm unsure if this is a sign of yellow fungus, just his natural colouring, or something like damaged scales. Obviously the former is very serious and I have details of a reputable herp vet on standby, but can help feel that I might be overreacting. I've attached images (hopefully they work), so hopefully someone here will be able to advise me.

General health/setup info:

Diet: dubia roaches and black soldier fly larvae as a staple. Locusts and crickets thrown in for variety. All live food gut-loaded on a mix of Arcadia insect fuel and assorted veg offcuts and hydrated with bug gel.

Staple greens are spring greens, typically paired with either carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato or snap peas. I also give a small amount of Arcadia dragon fuel every 1-2 days. Watercress, strawberries and/or mango (all small amounts) are given a few times week.

Supplements: I follow the Arcadia EarthPro supplementation program, so give regular Ca and multivitamins through that.

Temps: basking temp sits around 40 degrees celsius (+/-1 degree or so), cool area sits at 27 degrees C.

Humidity: sits at 35-40%

Substrate: slate tile (nontoxic of course) which is disinfected regularly. Viv is 4x1.5x1.5 but he will be moving into a 5x2x2 very soon.

UV: Arcadia ProT5 12% UVB with reflector

Health: he is eating fine and is alert and active. Last 2 poops have, however, been diarrhoea-ish. The first one definitely was, but the second was firmer. Keeping an eye on this. He is generally a skittish character (bless him, he's afraid of his bugs and is jumpy in spite of regular holding and bonding sessions). I got him from a family about 6 months ago who were not keeping him correctly/handling him at all so this may be why. He's my first beardie so I am a little worried.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
Cant see the pics (try using imgur and then copying the BBCode links into a post on here).

What I will say is this, Yellow Fungus can be lethal, and if you think it might be it (even even only slightly suspect it) get to a vet ASAP.
Its also a skin condition, and you wouldnt notice any downturn in appetite or behaviour until it had really taken root, but you really dont want it to get to that stage.
 
#5 ·
Looks like just its colouration.
The scale texture is still smooth and doesnt appear to be any growths.


With yellow fungus, you would see damage to the scale pattern and growths forming, yellowish in colour to yellow/green (sometimes going dark/blackened)


Bits look like its got a little retained shed, or in the process of starting to shed. You may find something like shed-aid useful, skin overall a little darkened (you want to raise that basking temp up a little anyway, closer to 45C surface temp under the basking setup rather than 40C)
 
#6 ·
Some examples of yellow fungus/skin infections
https://www.reptifiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Bearded-Dragon-CANV-1.jpg
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/uploads/93997/93997-3412899594_small.jpg
http://www.everythingreptile.net/uploads/1/4/8/7/14874802/683683128.jpg

Notice how the scales are mis-shapen, the colour isnt always yellow (greenish, darkened instead). Its a fungal infection of teh skin, and as the fungus grows and spreads it damages the skin itself.
That first pic isnt so much yellow fungus as it is some sort of skin infection (in my opinion anyway)

Things like tamodine can be used to try and treat it, but it really is a vet trip and an urgent one as it can be very difficult to combat and can kill if left untreated.

Should not be confused with retained shed such as this:
https://imgur.com/p6XOI where the retained shed is then dying off and hardening (again, this can cause issues of its own, and should be address/treated before it can cause problems too)
 
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