Broken tail

Making a run for it... lol

Oh that's not nearly as awful as I imagined it! Barring any sort of infection I think that she'll do great!! My butter is missing about the same amount of her tail, though it was like that when I got her.

After the soak.
You can see the dead "skin" off her belly scales that I thought the soak could help with. Her underbelly was all like that & clear dead scales had been flaking off for the past few days prior to the photos.




You can see the white film of dead skin covering the tail as it was drying after the soak & the blue iridescent hue along her body.




More recent photos to come...

Thanks AliCat37, means a lot!

First aid is ingrained into me so... but I'm not a snake person yet, I'm a total newb with them. And when the vet saw it (tail) & said "possible amputation"; a "ugh, yeah, the vent"; "high possibility of necrosis"; "she could make it if it all goes well" etc well you hang on to those last words & it becomes a mission doesn't it? Especially when your kid is there with the two of you sinking everything in (ok so he's almost 18yrs old & he's 6ft 3in... but still)

It still looks pretty bad! But I thought she had de gloved it o.e I would say, in my unprofessional opinion, that if the last part of the tail post the vent doesn't get worse, she'll be okay. I should take some pics of Soleil's tail.

We're speculating that to have had it wedged that far up the tail, the cat must have been involved. Plus we never found the tail. That little bit sticking out is bone & there is still a lump up on one of the saddles. At first I thought it was a blood blister.

So you can see why I keep asking what & how much can I do. Too much moisture (cream or water) & it can promote rot. Not enough moisture & it dries out & cracks, so it could bleed & cause issues...

*bangs head on desk*

Give me a mammal anytime & I'm fine but a reptile...

Ok the latest photos from a couple of days ago. Really showing signs of going in the blue stage.

Feb 4

















Hope these help show the progress. I'll be taking more photos today.

First, she's lovely. Cool pattern and such bright reds!
Second. And I preface thus by saying I have one snake, that I've owned for less than a year. So, take my opinion for what its worth. But I wouldn't soak her now while she's in the blue. I'd give her a moist hide (tupperware with lid and hole with damp paper towel or moss). If she doesn't shed completely, which is likely with the tail situation), then I'd do the soak and get the remaining shed off.
My reasoning is that the soak is stressful during a time that they tend to want to be left alone, and you don't want to swing to the otherside of things and keep her too wet that you have scale rot issues.
I'm sure she's gonna be fine, because you are doing so much to take great care of her. Good job!

Originally Posted by AliCat37

II should take some pics of Soleil's tail.

Yes please

Thanks Becca. She wasn't blue when we soaked her. First time, I hadn't made her go through the cloth & I know I didn't do the soaking perfectly (first time ever soaking a snake), she was still losing clear scales (belly) which is why we tried it a second time 24hrs later & then that was it. It's an odd thing to watch because you are told that the trauma will illicit a shed but you are not told what kind of shed. So this was not at all going with what we are used to regarding her normal sheds. And with mammals, we know that many times that dead skin needs to come off so you don't get proud flesh. Based on knowing that & also knowing that you can't force or physically help remove the dead skin or scab on a reptile, & you don't want to provoke rot or respiratory issues, it's a tough call or situation to be in when it's the very first time being faced with it. Anyhow...

Pics from today before we applied the poly. She loved my husband's tweed cap & was rubbing her face on it as if to start a shed. She only did it a little & we noticed some little flecks of shed juuuuust starting. She was very active & curious. She had also stayed on her UTH either under the paper towel or in her hide. Her eyes are nice & clear & her colouring was brighter.