It is very common for lizards to be able to regenerate their tails, how about iguanas? If you have ever grabbed an iguana tail while chasing it, you know the tail can fall out. I had that exact same experience and it got me wondering the same question. After asking around and looking for the answer online, here is what I found.
Most iguanas do regenerate their tails. However, there are some species of iguanas (the helmeted iguanas and the collared lizards) that don’t regenerate their tail if they ever lose it.
If you own an iguana, you will most likely experience your iguana tail dropping off. There are things you should know when this situation happens. Read on so you know exactly what you are dealing with when your iguana’s tail drops.
Why Do Iguanas Need to Regenerate Their Tails?
Iguanas need to regenerate their tails because their tails are one of their defense mechanism. They need their tails to whip off potential predators or drop them when they get caught.
When iguanas drop their tails, some predators will be distracted and this gives the iguanas a chance to escape. This is how iguanas have been surviving all these while in the wild. Hence, re-growing their tails is of utmost importance to their survival.
Speed of Tail Regeneration
The speed of an iguana’s tail regeneration will depend on several factors. Their age, length of original tail, and how healthy they are.
Usually the older the iguana, the slower the speed of tail regeneration. That’s because older iguanas tend to have longer tails and their growth phase is over.
On the other hand, younger iguanas have shorter tails and they are still growing. A juvenile iguana with a 4-inch tail can regrow that close to full length in about 2 months or so. Older iguanas with longer tails can take upwards of a year.
New Tail Vs Old Tail
When iguanas drop their tails and regenerate, their new tail will not look the same as the old one. New tails will typically be darker in color, narrower, and smoother than their old tails.
Moreover, it will also not be as long but just as strong. The length of the new tail will depend on the age and health of the iguana.
Check out this video where you can see the new tails of some wild iguanas:
Tail Regeneration: Young Vs Old Iguanas
Younger iguanas that are healthy and still growing will have a better chance of growing a tail close to its original tail length. On the other hand, older iguanas might only regenerate a few inches or not regenerate at all.
This is even more prominent if the older iguana is not on a good diet. So, make sure to give your iguana proper care with a good diet to have it stay healthy for as long as possible.
Limit for Tail Regeneration
Most iguanas can only regenerate their tails so many times before their tail regeneration stops. The older the iguana, the more likely that it will not regenerate its tail at all.
So, if you have a pet iguana, make sure you don’t grab it by the tail. They might just drop it and one day, it will stop regrowing. Also, their tails can only regenerate if they are completely broken off.
If the tail is only cut on one side until the bone but not through the bone, the iguana cannot regenerate that. When that happens, you should bring your iguana to the vet within 24 hours or less for stitches to be done.
On the other hand, if the tail is broken through the bone but not all the way through the tail, or if the wound becomes infected, the best choice would be to remove the tail just right above where the tail broke off.
In addition to that, the vets will remove some bone and muscle from the tail then use the excess skin to cover up the wound and stitch it up. This way, the chances of infection are greatly reduced.
Having the stitches will not hinder the re-growth of your iguana’s tail. If your iguana is able to regenerate a new tail, it will grow through the stitched up skin without a problem.
Regeneration Phase (What to Do?)
During the regeneration phase, it is important to give your iguana proper care for it to recover quickly. Usually, you don’t have to worry about blood loss in situations like these.
Even if your iguana bleeds, it is very minimal especially if it’s broken off near the end of the tail. There are only 3 steps you need to take when your iguana’s tail does drop off:
1. First thing to do when your iguana’s tail broke off is to apply some styptic powder (Amazon link #ad) on the wound to stop the bleeding.
2. Next, use Betadine (povidone-iodine) to clean off the powder.
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3. Put some triple antibiotic ointment (check prices on Amazon #ad) on the wound at night before your iguana sleeps. You should repeat this step for a week or until the wound is completely healed.
The tail damage is more severe the higher it broke off from or if the skin did not fall off along with the iguana’s tail. If that’s the case, please visit your local vet. Your iguana might need additional amputation of the tail, if not, it might get an infection.
Iguanas That Don’t Regenerate Their Tails
Lastly, I just want you to be aware of these two special types of iguanas in the helmeted iguanas and collared lizards. Unlike most iguanas, these two species of iguanas aren’t able to drop and regenerate their tails. These are special kinds of iguanas that run on their back legs. They need their tails to help them balance while running. Hence, they don’t lose their tails easily but if they do, they will not regrow.
Conclusion
Most iguanas do regenerate their tails except 2 species of iguanas that can’t. For iguanas that can regenerate their tails, it can take anywhere from 2 months to a year depending on the age, the length of the original tail, and the health of the iguana.
Regenerating new tails is essential for iguanas, especially in the wild as they use it as a defensive mechanism. Moreover, the newly regenerated tail will usually look darker, smoother, narrower, and shorter in length as compared to the old tail.
Younger iguanas will have a higher chance of regrowing their tails and also at a greater speed as compared to older iguanas. In fact, there is a limit to regrowing their tails.
Iguanas cannot regenerate their tails unlimited amount of times and in every situation. Lastly, you should take good care of your iguana’s during the regeneration phase to prevent infection and ensure a speedy re-growth of the tail.
Photo Credits: Ctenosaur (Ctenosaura similis) 2014-11-21 (3) by Don Henise is licensed under CC BY 2.0
