Got my corn sexed today, and...

[Baller99k]

I went to this place to get my corn sexed, my corn is about 5 months old, and I figured he would pop it, but he said probing is the better way..

He does so, and my corn turns out to be a girl, which I had guessed. Now I gotta get used to not calling her PETEY, and get a new name lol..

NEXT, i bring up how on the tip of her tail she had a little piece of shed left, it had been 2 or 3 weeks since she shed..and the leftover shed doesn't go anywhere near the vent, just the tip. (I tried doing the whole bath and damp towel thing, nothing worked, and I was afraid to hurt her so i didnt pick at it)

So the guy tries to rub the tip a little, and then he gets this goo on his fingers that he used for the probing, and he goes, "oh, there it is, its off, it just looks a little pink now but it's fine", and when I took a look at her after, it looked like he just RIPPED/broke off the tip of her tail!

the last couple millimeters of the tip appear to have been cut off, and its red at the tip, a little blood..
Im pretty pissed about it

Does this sound like a problem, or should I not worry about it?

[hiddenhollowherp]

It sounds to me like he ripped off the tip of her tail.
I've had my snakes get a little shed stuck on them, particularily my kinky little amel. I've used vegetable oil for stuck shed almost anywhere, and rubbing alcohol if it's JUST a part of the skin AWAY from the head or vent (that stuff burns)!
Dip her tail in peroxide a couple times per day until it doesn't fizzle anymore when you do it (that means it's closed up) and that should take care of bacteria.
It doesn't sound to me like she's seriously injured, but exactly how much of her tail are we talkin'? A millimeter? A centimeter? An inch?

[jenneses]

I think it would be very difficult to rip off healthy tissue. My thought is that after about 2-3 weeks of reduced to non-existent blood flow the tissue had probably died. He didn't "rip off" her tail, but it fell off due to the tissue being necrotic. As long as it isn't close to the cloacae, she should be fine.

[hiddenhollowherp]

That makes alot of sense, Jenne. So maybe it was a good thing. :shrugs: I've heard that necrotic tissue can infect living tissue.

[ForkedTung]

I think it would be very difficult to rip off healthy tissue. My thought is that after about 2-3 weeks of reduced to non-existent blood flow the tissue had probably died. He didn't "rip off" her tail, but it fell off due to the tissue being necrotic. As long as it isn't close to the cloacae, she should be fine.
exactly! In the future it's better to pick that off then leave it on and hope it goes away. By leaving it there you allowed the tip of her tail to die, all he did was remove the dead layer and probably some of the scabbing.

[hiddenhollowherp]

exactly! In the future it's better to pick that off then leave it on and hope it goes away. By leaving it there you allowed the tip of her tail to die, all he did was remove the dead layer and probably some of the scabbing.

Kyle, can the necrotic tissue spread once it's there? Now you've got me curious.

[ForkedTung]

Kyle, can the necrotic tissue spread once it's there? Now you've got me curious.
Adam, I would imagine so and at that point it would be gangrene, although with snakes/reptiles I honestly don't know about if it would spread or just outright kill the animal via toxins in the blood first?
I would just say that one should always remove any excess skin from a snake immediately, whenever one of mine sheds, I always look over the shed to make sure the tail tip is there and both eye caps as well...

[Baller99k]

Its only a couple of millimeters...
But it still sicks...

I'll dip it in peroxide I guess.

And I waited a few days after the shed, cuz she had just eaten...

Then I gave her a bath, did the wash cloth thing, nothing worked to get it off?

I didn't know what else to do but leave it...

[ForkedTung]

Its only a couple of millimeters...
But it still sicks...

I'll dip it in peroxide I guess.

And I waited a few days after the shed, cuz she had just eaten...

Then I gave her a bath, did the wash cloth thing, nothing worked to get it off?

I didn't know what else to do but leave it...
It's alright, now you know! I learned from experience as well, it happened to a striped ghost I had, I didn't know it was still there because you could barely see it ( shed is exact same color as skin), until the tissue died and darkened that is, when I saw it I knew exactly what had happened, it fell off, healed and you would only notice it looking a little stubby if you were told what happened.
I use a finger nail, and I keep mine as short as possible, after wetting the tail tip to slowly scrape/scratch the shed off, sometimes it takes a little time, but I always get it.

[Baller99k]

Hmm, okay..

So does that little piece of tip grow back? or no?

And if it happens again, you say I should bath again? maybe even olive oil the tip?

Then gently use my finger nail?

[caz223]

It won't grow back and will always be a reminder to check out your snakes every now and then, and check them EVERY feeding for retained sheds.
If they're in blue, I offer humid hides, it takes all the (human) work out of it.
I always mist the tubs with every feeding, I go through just before feeding time, change waters and mist the tubs, (While the food is thawing.) and when I come back to feed a little later, they are all in feeding mode. Everyone does it a little differently. Who can say if one person's way is better than another, there are weak and strong points to every way of doing it. If your place is dry it may be necessary to mist every day.

With snakes tail rot is usually not too severe a problem. It depends on how much skin was left on the tail, and how long it was left there, cutting off circulation.
With iguanas and some lizards, it's immediate vet care to save the tail. Black gangrene-tail rot, whatever you want to call it, it's not cool.
(Then again with some lizards, the tails grow back!)

Sounds like your snake will be fine and a vet is not necessary at this time. Just keep an eye on it, and let it be a reminder to check your snakes for retained sheds, esp. around eyecaps and tails.

[Baller99k]

Dammit..

What's the deal with misting, I am always worried that bacteria or something bad will happen if i mist the tank, is it better to mist the actual snake outside the tank?

[caz223]

Humidity, like everything else, strives to keep an equilibrium.
It tries to average itself.
The problem is you have to use a localized heat source in your viv, if you don't heat the entire room to a herp related temp. (Mid-80s.)
There are lots of things that cause low humidity, like furnaces running, ceiling fans, localized heat sources like UTH and basking lights, air purifiers, computers with case fans, etc, etc.
Basically don't go crazy with misting, but be aware that your snake needs a little humidity boost around shedding time.
I lightly mist around feeding time and it works for me, but you may need to mist more, or you may not need to mist at all. It depends.
If you live in Florida, it's usually pretty humid, so I'd say it's not a high priority, unless you go crazy with the A/C.
But if you live in Michigan with 10-20 degree weather, furnaces running more than 1x an hour, a ceiling fan running constantly, etc, then your critters may need to be misted quite often.
Just be aware of the humidity in your home, and be aware of your snake's needs.

[ForkedTung]

Dammit..

What's the deal with misting, I am always worried that bacteria or something bad will happen if i mist the tank, is it better to mist the actual snake outside the tank?
misting the snake outside the tank would be called a shower...lol...:laugh:

No, Actually though I prefer to mist the tank/tub after I have removed the snake, don't want them to aspirate mist into their lungs.

As far as the shed thing, like it was pointed out earlier, just put a wet hide in there when you notice your snake going into blue...most snakes will hang out in there anyways...

[Baller99k]

Okay, but what exactly should I do if he has shed left on his tail tip..?

And when I mist the tanke during shed, just like 4-5 squirts and let it be...I have a 30 gallon tank...

And I don't wana do anything in terms of moisture that could cause a problem like bacteria or mites or anything crappy

[caz223]

The whole point is preventing bad sheds so you don't have to worry about it.
If you notice a bad shed right away, make them a humid hide and mist the cage.
Let them do their thing for a day. Make sure there's something they can rub against to get their shed off.
Once it softens for a day, run some warm water in a towel and let them crawl through it. Gentle pressure and let them do it.
If that doesn't work, run them a 82-84 degree bath, and with wet hands, let them crawl through your hands and just keep gentle contact with the snake as it crawls.
Like taking off a sock, don't rip it off from the toe, gently 'help' if off from the top.
If it's really stuck on there, or there's more than 1 layer of shed, put some vegetable oil on a q-tip and put it on there once a day.
Don't rip it off.
Just gently work at it, and don't let it get bad. I never had one that lasted a week of being gentle.
Prevention is obviously way better than cure.

[caz223]

If the shed has been left on there for a long time, or there's multiple sheds on there, the flesh under there may be dead, and no matter how gentle you are, (it's gonna fall off.)
It's not usually serious unless there's some severe neglect going on.

If you clean your tank every now and then a little misting is fine.
If you don't have mites, water isn't going to make them appear.
If you have a snake with an open sore I'd suggest cleaning the tank spotless, disinfecting it, putting the snake on something easy to clean like newspaper or paper towels, and change the paper every day, or at least every time he soils it. Also, change the water and clean out the water bowl every day.
Keeping the tank clean and disinfected is normally important to keep their immune system strong, but it's really important if the snake has an easy way to get an infection.
Also, no standing water, except in the water bowl. Mist absorbed into substrate is fine, as long as the substrate doesn't feel wet.

[ForkedTung]

The whole point is preventing bad sheds so you don't have to worry about it.
If you notice a bad shed right away, make them a humid hide and mist the cage.
Let them do their thing for a day. Make sure there's something they can rub against to get their shed off.
Once it softens for a day, run some warm water in a towel and let them crawl through it. Gentle pressure and let them do it.
If that doesn't work, run them a 82-84 degree bath, and with wet hands, let them crawl through your hands and just keep gentle contact with the snake as it crawls.
Like taking off a sock, don't rip it off from the toe, gently 'help' if off from the top.
If it's really stuck on there, or there's more than 1 layer of shed, put some vegetable oil on a q-tip and put it on there once a day.
Don't rip it off.
Just gently work at it, and don't let it get bad. I never had one that lasted a week of being gentle.
Prevention is obviously way better than cure.

caz223 is giving you some good info. the only thing I would add is be careful here: If that doesn't work, run them a 82-84 degree bath, and with wet hands, let them crawl through your hands and just keep gentle contact with the snake as it crawls. 82-84 d. F. water actually feels almost cool to humans, it is best to hit the water with a temp. gun or therm. in order to avoid shocking your snake! they don't like this and may just let you know!

[caz223]

I would add is be careful here: 82-84 d. F. water actually feels almost cool to humans, it is best to hit the water with a temp. gun or therm. in order to avoid shocking your snake! they don't like this and may just let you know!

OOh, good call.
Furry critters like humans have a body temp around a hundred.
That would feel warm to you.
To a cold blooded snake, 100F would seem like 110-120 to you, really, really hot.

[hiddenhollowherp]

I am learning alot from this thread.

So, when I was on the BP site, they told me I could only use super hot water to mist or shower my snakes. If what you're saying is true, I probably scalded my snakes atleast once a week! :(

Their rationalizing was that by the time the mist hit the snake, it was cold, and that if you used lukewarm water it would be freezing. :shrugs:

Now I feel like dirt. :(

[Nanci]

In the future, if the soaking/washcloth treatment hadn't worked, I would just soak longer, and repeat until you were successful. I, too, would have waited until the snake had finished digesting- 48 hours, before attempting a removal, because a regurge is more dangerous than a potential lost tail tip.

What works really well for me is misting the viv a couple times when the snake is blue, especially toward the end of the cycle, and putting a piece of plastic wrap loosely on the screen top to hold the humidity in.

[ForkedTung]

I am learning alot from this thread.

So, when I was on the BP site, they told me I could only use super hot water to mist or shower my snakes. If what you're saying is true, I probably scalded my snakes atleast once a week! :(

Their rationalizing was that by the time the mist hit the snake, it was cold, and that if you used lukewarm water it would be freezing. :shrugs:

Now I feel like dirt. :(
Hmmm... I'm not sure why you would want to mist your snakes to begin with? I mist the enclosure or if I want the snakes skin to be wet I give it a bath or use a wet wash rag ( both the correct temp to begin with) again with purposefully misting the actual snake there is a better potential for aspiration! some snakes may need higher humidity, but I doubt any need bursts of 100% humidity directly into their lung? I don't honestly know for sure though?

[hiddenhollowherp]

Hmmm... I'm not sure why you would want to mist your snakes to begin with? I mist the enclosure or if I want the snakes skin to be wet I give it a bath or use a wet wash rag ( both the correct temp to begin with) again with purposefully misting the actual snake there is a better potential for aspiration! some snakes may need higher humidity, but I doubt any need bursts of 100% humidity directly into their lung? I don't honestly know for sure though?

Kyle, I misted them when they were shedding or unusually dry. BPs like a higher temperature than corns do. I'd also never heard that breathing in water vapor was harmful, but I guess when you think about it, water of any kind doesn't belong in the lungs. :nope:

The reason I did not use bathing or a damp rag is that these snakes were pretty antisocial. I don't think there was a single one that didn't bite me or try to bite me in the time I had them.

Thank God I don't directly mist my corns. :(

[ForkedTung]

OK Gotcha that makes sense.Kyle, I misted them when they were shedding or unusually dry. BPs like a higher temperature than corns do. I'd also never heard that breathing in water vapor was harmful, but I guess when you think about it, water of any kind doesn't belong in the lungs. :nope:

The reason I did not use bathing or a damp rag is that these snakes were pretty antisocial. I don't think there was a single one that didn't bite me or try to bite me in the time I had them.

Thank God I don't directly mist my corns. :(

[danielle]

One trick a friend taught me is to cut a piece of cardboard or something sturdy to the size of your screened top and wrap the cardboard in plastic wrap. When the snake is in blue cover the screen with the cardboard plasticwrap and your humidity instantly goes up and holds better. I also use a hide with damp spagnum moss and have wood for the snake to crawl over to assist the shed. Most shedding animals need something a little rough, but not jagged to sloth the skin off especially when humidity is questionable as it is in the winter.