• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Retained shed: tippy tail tip edition

bapkate

bapkate

Katherine
So my amel, Wade, retained a tiny tiny part of his tail during his last shed. I let him run through a damp towel a few times but no dice. It's such a tiny little part of his shed that I'm thinking it's hard for the towel to get a good grip on it. It doesn't look like it's messing up his tail yet but I'd like to get it off asap.

Have any of you run into this problem?
 
when i have this prob i usualy put my amel in a shallow bath say like a tub or somethin and let him soak for bout five to 10 min then let him run therw my hands so my fingers will losen it,

thats just what i do, but the more experianced guys might have better tips

goodluck
 
bapkate said:
So my amel, Wade, retained a tiny tiny part of his tail during his last shed. I let him run through a damp towel a few times but no dice. It's such a tiny little part of his shed that I'm thinking it's hard for the towel to get a good grip on it. It doesn't look like it's messing up his tail yet but I'd like to get it off asap.

Have any of you run into this problem?
Click to expand...

I have, but I was able to get it off with a wet towel.

Have you tried giving him a bit in the "sauna" to loosen it up before trying to roll it off?
 
I also find that letting the snake soak for a bit helps. I put it in an appropriate size tub, with a soaking wet cloth or paper towel, and let it sit in there for 5-10 minutes. Once the skin is throughly soaked I find it comes off rather easily.
 
So I'm pretty much hearing that it's time to break out the rubber duckies and shower caps. Thanks guys!
 
It's also possible to loosen that retained tip up enough to remove it by putting the snake in a container (deli cup or whatever is appropriate for the size of the snake) with some seriously damp sphagnum moss. Paper towels or newspapers are supposed to work as well, but I've personally had luck with the moss. Be sure to use room temperature water when wetting the moss. This option can be less stressful for snakes who don't enjoy swimming.

The snake wants to get that retained shed off too. Leave the snake in the container with the moss for several hours. S/he will likely wriggle into the moss and hang out there until the shed is moistened. If you're lucky, the snake will wiggle around enough to get the stuck shed off all by itself. If not, you can try the damp towel routine again.

Other options include getting hold of the retained shed carefully with tweezers or fingers and letting the snake crawl off, thus pulling the shed loose. TYou can also try using masking tape, sort of the way it can be used to get lint off clothing. This won't work if the shed has started tightening up too much.

Be persistent. If not removed, a retained shed like this can result in a lost tail tip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top