I Need Help Asap

[Brizzle]

Okay..
I'm like freaking out..
A couple days ago(Tuesday night) my snake shed. I found the shed Wednesday morning.
He still had a little piece left on his tail.
I got the little piece off yesterday..using the damp paper towels that everyone has talked about..
But today when I looked at my baby..It looks like the tip of his tail where the skin was is dead. It's dried out and turning brown.
What do I need to do? I'm seriously freaking out since I get super attached to my animals.
Will it just fall off on his own? Or do I need to take him to a vet?
I bought him at Petco..where I work(in grooming)..and I'm not going there to ask them questions on it since they don't know crap from what I've seen.

[TWGarland]

First of all, try not to worry! How long have you had the snake then? did its tail look that way when you bought it? or is it a recent change in colour? Although you might be right and your snake still has some skin to shed on the tip of its tail.

Now dont just take my word for it, but i thought that if a snake is to loose its tail then this is because of many sheds that build up and as the snake grows, cuts off the circulation. If yours has only shed poorly once, and recently then i dont think your snakes tail is at risk of falling off just yet, although a colour change just at the tip of the tail is weird and you should get it checked out with a vet, best to play it safe for the snake, and stop ya worrying hehe! I hope all is fine!

[Brizzle]

I've had him since the end of October and he had his first shed with me this week. When I bought him, I think he shed right before I got him, because he still had some shed left on his tail, and I asked one of the employees about it, and they said it would come off on its own.
The whole shed came off in one piece, except for the end of his tail. And now that I know it can cut off circulation, I used wet paper towels to get it off.
I got the piece off yesterday, and now his tail looks dead this morning.
He's probably about 4 and a half months old. Since they told me he was a month old when I bought him.
His tail looked fine yesterday and normal once I got the skin off. But today, it doesn't look right. It's hard and kind of feels like a scab. And it's just turning brown.
So should I take him to a vet? I'm a college student, so I'm super tight on money.
But if it's for one of my babies, I'm willing to go dead broke.

[BeckyG]

It does indeed sound like the tip of his tail is dying. It may come off in the next shed. Keep a close eye on it, and if it doesn't come off on its own, or it seems like the dead spot is growing--moving further up the tail--take it to the vet.

I've heard that some people can pick the dead part off with their fingernail, but if this is your first experience with this, I wouldn't try it.

[TWGarland]

Im a university student too, so im feeling your pain on the money situation. I'd wait to see what others think on this site before taking it to the vet.

So let me get the story straight then, your snake has had an old shed at the bottom of its tail the whole time youve had it (bought 4 months), and then recently another shed was added to the tip and didnt come off either, untill you removed it yourself very recently, and now it looks all brown and dead. is that right?

Doesn't sound good that. might be that there isnt anything you can do now that it sounds like the tail has already died. I dont know for sure though! and surely if the worst comes to the worst then all thats gonna happen is your corns gonna loose a little of his tail, obvioulsy gutting for you, but i wouldnt have thought your corn will care, but you sound as if you'v done everything you can, including having to fight against petshop advice!!!

Id wait and see man, especially if your gonna screw yourself over financially, the vet isnt cheap. I hope your snakes tail hangs on, fingers crossed for you

Maybe a picture of it would help?

[Brizzle]

I'm just going to take him to the vet.
I can't let anything happen to him. :(

[TWGarland]

good luck at the vets then and i hope it can be saved, make sure your temps are nice and warm, maybe get some blood flowing, thats bout all you can do for now, plus maybe giving it a little spray, moist and warm for that tail in the mean time i reckon.

[Brizzle]

Yeah, vet visit will be 40 dollars.
But I called around, and that's the cheapest.
I can't believe some people want to charge 55.
And it costs less for a cat to be seen.
My snake is SO much easier than a cat. Seriously. :angry01:

[TWGarland]

Keep me updated! :rolleyes:

[Brizzle]

Okay, I took him in..Then the vet ended up not being there because of a family emergency..And they said they tried to call me but didn't get through my phone..
But then a lady came out..And she asked me what I have..And I told her..Then she asked if she could see him..Then she was like "Oh I breed corn snakes"..And I was like..!!..She told me it's nothing to be worried about and that it will fall off on its own..But if more of the tail does start dying then to bring him back in..She even sexed my snake for me(I didn't know if it was a girl a boy..I just called it a boy) and it's actually a boy so I'm happy..She also gave me her website and now I'm probably going to buy a normal or an anery from her..Those are the only 2 hatchlings she has left..But I can't decide which one I want..I'm going more towards the normal though...Since I have a ghost right now and normal has more color...

[carmich132]

I received my corn (about a year old now) from a friend that didn't really know what he was doing with it, and I had a similar problem. When I got the corn, I could tell the end of his tale was already gone and there's another 3/8ths or so that was ready to die b/c the dead skin had never been removed and now there's nothing I can do about it. So my snake is now about 3/4 of an inch shorter and looks a little goofy, but that's what happens when people don't know what they're doing with reptiles. I feel really bad for the snake, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him so I just try not to think about it.