Broken tail

I searched on this topic but can't find anything that relates; just a few days ago, when my son went to feed his snake, he found her hanging upside down in her tank, tail caught in the top bars (we used to have a mesh top but decided on the grills instead from a previous experience years ago with a previous snake, where the cat had ripped the mesh). When my son left the room 2 hours earlier, she was fine.

We've had Martha for 13 months now, often checked on & we've never experienced something like this & we feel just horrible! Though we were soothed by a few herp pros (vet, breeder etc) that she should recover as snakes are pretty resilient. When you walk in to find such a sight, your heart just drops!

It was 11pm, so good luck in finding a herp vet at that time, let alone an emergency hosp. that can cater to a snake. We were on the phone & the internet desperately trying to find someone for help but to no avail. We had to wait for the vet center that could look after her, to open. In the meantime, we tried finding anything on the internet that could help us (that's how I came across this site) & kept checking in on poor Martha (though didn't touch her as not to stress her more), who had lost 1/2" of the tip of her tail, she was quite swollen & mangled up, up to the vent area. She was so stressed that she kept a strike pose for a good hour. At least she was still strong.

Her breeder was kind enough to have a quick peek at her in the morning. He gave us suggestions & comforting words. We finally got to see a vet 15hrs after we'd found her. She was an excellent patient but the damaged area did not look good. Like it had been crushed & burned, there was a bit of black suggesting more tissue was dying & her vent was swollen & damaged a bit on one side.

The vet deemed Martha very healthy & "happy" (considering) otherwise. We were given antibiotics & pain meds to be given every 72 hrs & 48hrs respectively. I'm a horse person, not a herp person so the size difference was a bit intimidating. I was really nervous about hurting/stabbing the poor thing! But I got the feel of it quick.

Now up until this morning, I was still tormenting on her poor tail, as to me it looked horrible & I'm sure I was seeing blackened areas & I wanted to post on here asking if she would be ok. I applied polysporin on the whole damaged area (recommended by breeder) & I think it's working. The swelling is finally coming down. It's only been 72hrs, so still early but I still need to ask: will she be ok?

What we've done:

- We took everything out of her tank except for her water & her hidy house. Brought tank closer to fireplace to keep one end of tank at warm temps.

- 11hrs after, we dipped the tail in a diluted solution of betadine surgery soap & water. We didn't do it at the time because my husband thought the betadine would've been too strong & since I couldn't reach anyone to advise...

- 15hrs saw vet

- 16hrs later, got her pain & AI shots

- 18hrs applied polysporin

Last night I lined the tank with nice paper towel.

We are still handling her gently twice daily to check up on her & for her to not think all we're good for are for jabs. So really 5 to 10 min max... that's when she decides to slither into our sleeve & curl up in there.

The vet suggested we try & feed her yesterday but Martha only poked her fuzzy & then left. We did see her drink. Should we try to feed her again or just leave her alone for a few more days? We don't want to bother her to the point that she'd go off her food.

I guess I'll put the heating pad back under the tank & start spraying to raise the humidity? (as recommended) What else would we be allowed to put back in her tank? The tip of the tail was degloved, so I didn't want her to catch it on something. How soon should I expect a shed? She just shed (fully) a couple of weeks ago. To make sure that the tail sheds ok, should I continue to put polysporin on to act as a moisturizer? Otherwise, how can I keep it moist?

We have a follow up with the vet in 2 weeks.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated (that way I don't have to be a constant pest to my friend & the breeder). Thanks

I'd keep her on paper towels with paper towel roll hides. Or toothpaste boxes, anything narrow and tight like that.

I'd expect her to shed more often to try to heal the area.

I'd wait four days between feeding attempts, until she eats, then get her back on her regular schedule.

There's no way to know till she eats and poops if she's going to be okay, but she _probably_ is.

Why doesn't she have a normal UTH and thermostat for heat? Being too cold might keep her from wanting to eat. How are you measuring her temps?

We took the UTH away because we had moved the tank downstairs (we're renovating the room she was in originally. Actually the whole upstairs is gutted, so we didn't want to stress her & put her in the quietest area of the house with no temperature fluctuation) & couldn't plug it in. So the way we positioned the tank near the standing fireplace unit, it was able to keep one side of the tank warmer than the other. And funny enough, at the correct temps needed. (it's an old farmhouse with stone foundation. The only source of heat in the basement is this gas fireplace.) She's had 2 successful sheddings so far in the basement.

The thermometers & barometer are stuck on the tank to measure the temps & humidity and they were until last night 22C at the cold end & 27C at the warm end. We just started into a cold snap here, so the warm end had gone down to 25C last night. Still trying to work out how to safely add another plug in to the extension chord for it. Where everything is, it's so awkward.

Ok figured out a temporary way to plug the pad back in though to me, it's barely giving off any heat. It's supposed to go under the glass bottom of the tank but when I touch it, it barely feels warm, not enough to warm up the glass IMO. We seem to get more warmth from the lamp. I think that's also why we didn't worry about rushing to set the pad back up now that I remember.

It's the same warmth as my skin so could I put it in the tank under the paper towel?

No that is normal, the correct temp is lower than your internal body temp so to you it will not feel very warm, if it all.

Her warm end should ideally be 80-85F, never over 90F. Your skin temp is roughly 98.6F, if the glass over the UTH is hot to you then it's likely over your body temp, and quite a bit to hot for Martha. It should barely feel warm to you. The UTH should not be put inside a glass viv. Are you using a stick on temperature gauge like this or this or a probed thermometer like this to measure the viv temps? Also do you have a thermoSTAT, to control the temperature of the UTH?

I have the round stick on's (as per your first link), I have 3 on the long back glass wall, on the left & the right are for temperature readings & in the middle is for the humidity. We set it up like we were shown years ago with our first snake & it's also the same way it read on the packaging. We also have the stick on as well (as per the second) & it's at the bottom of the short glass side where the pad is. I don't have the probe (3rd link)

Good to know about how warm the pad should feel, I honestly couldn't remember from all those years ago. All I remembered was that you couldn't have a heating source inside in case she could scald herself.

A thermostat on the pad? You know what, I didn't know they came with it. The sales clerk at the pet store just gave us a kit. (Our original set up along with other set up items for fish & chameleon were stolen a while back when our house was broken in. We had no reptile & fish pets at that time) I don't think it has one but I'll go check. Thanks

Most UTH can get really hot, up to 120F, if they don't have a thermostat to regulate them. Here is a good basic model.

The stick on thermometers aren't really all that accurate, because they are stuck on the side of the glass and measure the air temp & corn snakes generally hang out on the ground. If you have the thermometer w/ probe you can stick the probe directly on the glass over the UTH and get a better representation of the heat your snake is feeling.

Thermostats don't typically come with a heating pad, you have to buy them separate

Ok checked the pad, it isn't touching the glass & the glass is still just barely warm to the touch (then again it's also getting a bit of warm air from the fireplace. It's just on the outside of the air flow, so not in the air path) & the cold end of the tank is cool to the touch. The pad is just a tiny one... it's a 6" X 8" Fluke's double insulated heat mat. 7 watts/110 volts.

Next time we go to the store I'll get the thermometer with probe, thanks. When I asked the clerk about it she said I didn't need it... uhm... ok... I guess I do.

I need to ask: what is the rule of thumb for tank size in ration with the snake? She's approx 22" (Nov measurement that I did), the tank is 24" L X 12" D X 11.5" H. I've been looking for something bigger but then again, I can always build a custom one.

Your core body temp is in the mid-90s. Whilst the skin on your hand will be cooler, the heated part of the tank floor should always feel barely warm (in the mid-80s). That's only a rough guide, so a reliable thermometer would be a good move. If the shop sold you the dial thermometers, they probably thought they'd done their duty. Sadly few shops realise how unreliable these are.

Thermostats aren't usually sold with starter kits either. I think it's because it would bump the price up and put people off. I wish that every heat mat came with one built in!

As a rough guide, one-third of the tank's floor area needs to be heated.

*Bump*

Just found how to calculate the tank size & it looks like I have a 15 gallon?

I'm wondering why I got the strong impression from the vet that she thought my tank was too small? (My son got that impression too) When I searched on the forum, a grown up corn can live in a 20 gallon. I'm a bit confused.

There are 2 different sizes of 20gal tanks. A long version - 20L (30Lx12Wx16H) and a high version - 20H (24Lx12Wx16H). Generally when a 20gal tank is said to be ok to use people are referring to a 20H.

I meant they aren't referring to a 20H but a 20L.

I tend to go by measurements. For my adults, as a minimum I like a floor area of 36" x 12", with a height of 18". However, I go bigger where I can.

Having said that, many rack system tubs are smaller and Corns can thrive in those.

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it.

So I'm guessing for right now she is ok with the length of her tank?

I need to get it replaced regardless, so I guess my son & I could start building her a bigger one.

As long as we're on the topic of tails. My little hatchling had gotten loose about a month ago and when I found her the end of her tail was motionless. It's about the bottom inch of the tail that is dead. It's turning a darker color and there's a little shed stuck on it. Her vent is fine and she eats like I starve her and poops just fine. Should I be worried or take an action, or just let nature run its course?

I wouldn't be too worried, though it does sound like she'll lose the tip of the tail. I have a butter here that is missing her tail tip and she is just fine without it. If it does fall off, I'd keep her on paper towels until it's healed. I'd try to get the stuck shed off though, before you completely give up on it.

Martha once had a shed where the tip of the tail retained some dead skin, we just kept an eye on it, moistened it often & at the next she it came off but it never went black. I think I saw a thread on here (forum) regarding a similar incident & there was a photo of it. If I remember where I saw it I'll give you the link.

Last night was a double shot one for poor Martha (last pain med + the 3rd AB). On the second shot she voided ON me this time. Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-U! Last week when she voided (a clear med viscosity), at least it just missed me. Upon looking at her tail it looked like there was a white film on it & then we noticed that she was ready to shed. When she reticulated (?) trying to avoid getting a jab, it got some skin loose in her midriff. We kept a close eye on signs of shedding & we never saw the blue haze or dullness. So we spritzed her tank enough for one area of the paper towel to be super damp so she would slither through it (got her damp as well). Should we just keep it really humid & only do that or should I pay more attention to the tail for a successful shed there?

Still no shed but there are a few flakes coming off every time we handle her. We are spritzing the tank daily trying to keep the humidity up near 50 but it's not easy to do when it's so dry right now. I tried the damp paper towel & tried having her go in a water bowl but she's having none of either.

Should I worry? What can I do to help her?