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Tail Shed

zzrayz
05-16-2009, 08:49 PM
So my young corn shed about a 12 days ago. I didn't notice him in blue so I didn't up the humidity until I saw pieces of shed. At that point I upped it and he finished shedding, ALMOST. It looks like the last half inch or so of his tail has not shed. I kept the humidity higher for a week with a moist towel and spraying water in the viv. I have put him in a dish of warm water but he is still not fond of being bothered by me. I have gotten it wet several times and squeezed gently when he crawled through my fingers to help loosen it. It doesn't seem loose.
I have only had him a month. I guess it is possible his tail has always looked like this and I just never noticed until I had a reason to be looking closely.
Here are my questions:

I've heard if left untreated it can cut off circulation and he could lose the tail, how long does that take? Is this something I should be taking drastic measures about now or is this something that only happens after months?

Aside from getting it wet and gentle friction, what else can I do?

If I keep spraying water is this going to cause problems? I've heard resp. problems, is that only from prolonged exposure or am I at risk?

Nanci
05-16-2009, 08:57 PM
Do this:

http://tinyurl.com/29hqmz

zzrayz
05-16-2009, 09:20 PM
thank you. I'll try that tomorrow.

zzrayz
05-17-2009, 06:08 PM
I tried it and it doesn't look any different. What is plan B?

Nanci
05-17-2009, 06:37 PM
Keep trying. Soak longer. Very, very gently try to rub it down toward the tip with your fingers. If you don't get it off, the snake will lose the tail tip.

zzrayz
05-17-2009, 08:22 PM
I will keep trying. I was hoping for some kind of time frame so I can gauge how aggressive I need to be with this. I understand this is important and I want nothing more than to have this taken care of. But I don't want to get overly aggressive when it is not going to cause real harm for weeks. Conversely, I don't want be to overly cautious, when I only have days.
About how long do I have?

Nanci
05-17-2009, 08:33 PM
It needs to come off before the next shed. Typically, babies shed every 30 days. The tail may not die immediately, but the damage will be on-going.

zzrayz
05-17-2009, 09:22 PM
So if I get it off before his next shed there won't be any harm?

Nanci
05-17-2009, 09:25 PM
I can't say that for sure. If it was my snake, I would not rest until either I got it off or it became obvious that the tail tip was lost.

But even if you can't get it, losing the tail tip won't affect the snake other than aesthetically. Many WC snakes have stubby tails.

zzrayz
05-17-2009, 09:31 PM
Can I over do the soaking?
If I leave him in there for hours can it hurt him?
Is there any risk of him drowning if he is in left in a bowl of water too long?

Are you saying it won't cause other health problems if he loses his tail tip?

zzrayz
05-18-2009, 10:26 PM
I got it!!!!

Thank you for your help.
Since he had trouble this time, does that mean he will usually have trouble or is each shed different?