Female Beardies Swollen Tail

Question
QUESTION: Hello!
I hope you can help me with a question about my bearded dragon. She is about three years old, a little fat, but otherwise healthy. A few days ago, I noticed she had a small "lump" in her tail, about halfway down from the base. I thought perhaps she must have somehow bent it, and it was a little swollen. A few days later, it's looking more swollen. The scales look a bit stretched. She doesn't flinch or anything if I touch it, but I have only been touching it very very gently. She has always been rather laid back, so I haven't noticed any changes in her behavior. Is there something that could be wrong, other than just something like a sprain? Is there anything I can do to help her recover quickly, or help her be more comfortable? Besides the swollen lump, the tail looks normal everywhere else. I hope that you can provide some insight, I am worried about her... thank you for taking the time to read and reply!

Marika

ANSWER: Hello Marika,

Can you post a picture or two of her just so I can see her?  Thanks.
Are you using a UVB light?  If so, what type & brand do you use, a compact/coil light, or a fluorescent tube bulb?  How old is the UVB light?
Could she have hurt herself on something?
Do you give calcium supplementation on a regular basis, around 3 times per week?
Can she walk around normally & support herself on all fours as well as climb without any problems?
Is the lump hard or soft?  
It could be an injury, or a cyst if it is hard, or an abscess of some type, or metabolic bone disease possibly.  Though it sounds like she hurt her tail on something.
Does she appear to be in pain at all, such as a black beard or black tail tip?
You could give her a warm bath daily to help with the swelling.  I sell a product called Serrapeptase, which is dried silkworm enzyme.  It is highly effective as an anti-inflammatory as well as helpful with pain & swelling also.  If you want to take a look, I do have a couple of articles on my site about it, also.  Here is my site:
http://www.bug-de-lite.com/

Is she eating normally right now?

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Beardie   QUESTION: Hello, and thanks again. I am using a ReptiSun UVB tube bulb. It's about three months old right now. I think it it 8.0 (I chose the one specifically for desert reptiles.) The lump is a little bit harder than the rest of her tail, but it's pretty fleshy, not hard like a rock. I don't give direct calcium supplements, but I use a bearded dragon pellet food that is supposed to have balanced nutrition. I give that daily, along with some fruits and/or veggies, and crickets a couple times a week that come from a pet store that gut loads and dusts with calcium (they say.)She ate a little today, but I've worked the past few days and havn't been watching her religiously. She has a roommate, a younger male who grew up with her, and he is perfectly fine. He is quite nice though, and I have never seen him rough with her, so I don't think it was him. Shelimb on, and it might be possible that she fell, or got into an awkward spot and kinked her tail. Other than that, I can't think of anything. She doesn't seem to be too stressed, but she does seem a little more calm than normal. I let her wander around sometimes, but today she doesn't seem as active. I added a picture - sorry if the quality is not great, my camera is kind of old. I have her a bath today, and she seemed to like it, but only for a few minutes. You can probably see the protrusion, and it's a little lighter because her skin is a bit stretched. I am so worried! Thank you for helping!

Answer
Hello Marika,

She is pretty.  :-))  She appears to be a little dehydrated based on how the top of her head looks.  The fat pads on top of her head, behind her eyes, should be convex or protruding up, but they appear to be concave or sunken in.  She could be dehydrated so I would suggest giving some oral fluids right now to get her hydration status up.  
The pellets are ok, but if she doesn't eat enough of them then she isn't getting enough calcium.  I would suggest getting some plain calcium powder to sprinkle on the crickets or her veggies several times per week.
How far away is the Reptisun tube bulb?  I am sure you have a 10 because they don't make an 8.  Is there a screen in between them & the UVB light?
Has she ever laid eggs, since she is housed with a male that is a probability.  Has he not tried to mate with her?  If they have mated, then she should have laid eggs most likely.
Can she support her body on all fours easily?  
It could be a calcium deficiency perhaps.  Does it look like the tail is broken?  It really doesn't look broken but it is possible that she injured herself somehow & the swelling is masking an misalignment.  Do you leave crickets in the tank with them?  If so, one could have bitten her & caused a wound that got infected.  
Since you said it was fleshy, it is probably not a cyst but more like an abscess.  I think you should get a vet to look at that.  They can aspirate some fluid from that area to culture it & determine if there is infection in that area.  You could get an x-ray done to see if anything is broken in there.
Good that she ate a little bit today.  I would work on hydrating her though to get those fat pads on top of her head filled out.

Let me know how she is doing.
Tracie