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iguana tail

21 15:00:55

Question
Hello,

I recently purchased two baby green iguanas. They both are very healthy, but one of the iguanas'tails is about half the length of a normal iguanas tail, and it has a black tip. The person who worked at the store told me it was normal, but i visited the web later, and it said that you should cut off the black tip.

I am not sure what to do. I can't visit a vet immediately because we are out of town for vacation in atlantic city and i don't have the iguanas. They are still at the store for another week.
Here is the link to the page with the story of the person who cut the tip off: http://members2.boardhost.com/greenigsociety/msg/1275770181.html

I am very worried and do not know what to do, and i don't think i have the heart to cut of the tip of a baby iguana. What should i do, and what will happen if i leave the tail with the black tip. The iguana is very active, alert and healthy. Is the black tip part of the growing process of the tail or is it an infection from a cut?

Please help me in this situation, i don't know if i should cancel that iguana and buy another instead or is it normal?

Thank you so much for your help

Answer

Tail during re-growth
John,

No...no...no....this is typical. What it sounds like here is the iguana lost a portion of its tail (which is VERY common) and that black tip you are seeing is new tail growth. The tail begins to re-grow in the color black, then as it continues to grow, it will develop little scales and change color slightly. A regenerated tail is never going to look like the original tail did with the banding and bright green hue.

Now, the only thing to consider is if the black tip is necrotic or not. That would be the only time you would want to have it removed. You could tell by it being hard, brittle and crusty. If it is not hard, brittle or crusty, it is healthy tissue re-growing.

Iguanas regrow tails. It is very rare for an iguana to make it into adulthood and still have its original tail fully in-tact. Accidents happen, tails that long are not practical for such clumsy creatures.

Do not attempt to cut it off yourself. Just leave it there. Most likely it is fine and if it spreads upward instead of growing longer, then you want to start to worry. But honestly, it sounds like healthy re-generated tissue.

I wish I had a picture to say for sure.

I'll send you a picture of my Mr. Pop. He lost most of his tail and I photographed the growth process. Since this picture was taken, he has re-grown his entire tail, it is full-length again.

Please follow up with further questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Sara J Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptorRescue.org