| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| alib |
Posted - 18/03/2013 : 20:55:48
Hello,
Smokey shed last night and it was the first broken shed which came off in 3 pieces. Checked him over tonight face looks fine and he has no skin hanging off him so it does look like it still a clean 1 apart from the last mm of the tail. It feels more hard like there is still abit of skin there. Thinking about it I would say the last 2 sheds have felt abit hard on the last mm of the tail tip. Smokey still young and not even a year old yet so when o say tails tip I mean right on the end. Is this normal for the snakes tail tip or has he left some of his shed behind? cheers |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kellog |
Posted - 02/04/2013 : 12:15:12
That's a good idea Alib. Just mist the warm side a bit once a day. You could also put an extra water bowl on the heatmat to provide that bit extra humidity that will help him shed cleanly.
And no need for the thanks  , helping is what I'm here for!
Xxx
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| alib |
Posted - 02/04/2013 : 09:59:24
Yes i think next time he goes in to blue i will mist his terranium and then once he has shed i will do a deep clen so its not damp. i put a moist hide in last time but he never used it. thanks again for all your help i will keep you updated cheers |
| Kellog |
Posted - 02/04/2013 : 03:45:45
I think all you can do now is wait and see with Smokey. I do hope his next shed is a full, clean one. It's great to hear how well he's doing  . It is amazing how they seem to put on a growth spurt when you move them from pinkies to fuzzies, then fluffs and smalls.
Please let us know how it goes when he next sheds.
Xxx
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| mrsbunt |
Posted - 01/04/2013 : 23:16:34
it's amazing how fast they grow. Sheldon is fair filling out since going onto fuzzies. he seems to be growing like a weed at the moment, its great |
| alib |
Posted - 01/04/2013 : 17:05:21
Thanks for the tip. I did think this when I was doing it as nothing was coming off and I didn't want to pull at it too hard. Hopefully I will be able to tell next shed if there is any thing stuck there. Which shouldn't be too long as he seems to be grown really fast at the moment. Can't believe how fast he grown since moving up from 2 pinks to fluffs and now he is on smalls x |
| mrsbunt |
Posted - 31/03/2013 : 23:07:23
just a wee note, if there is any retained shed at tail be extra careful as I had this with Sheldon and I assisted using wet cotton buds and must have rubbed too hard and damaged the very tip of his tail, which resulted in the wee bit dying and coming off with his last shed, looks as though nothing has happened now but he was holding it up for a few days  . good luck tho! |
| alib |
Posted - 31/03/2013 : 15:47:12
Thanks I might just see how he gets on. It doesn't seem to bother him at the moment. Will try putting his tail tip in some water again and let it soak. He just moves so much lol thanks for your help x |
| Kellog |
Posted - 31/03/2013 : 08:58:12
To be honest I'm not sure there's much a vet could do that you've not already tried or going to try....BUT I haven't had any experience with it so it may be worth giving them a ring on Tuesday, if you have a vet that knows about snakes.
If there is a build up of retained shed, which I can't be sure of, it may be that you won't be able to remove it and the tail tip may die and drop off. That is the worst case scenario but actually won't be a major thing for Smokey. It's such a tiny tip and IF this is the case then the shed will slowly cut off the blood flow, killing the tail tip. No pain for Smokey and he can live quite happily without it. I don't want to scare you, but I'd rather you were prepared....I know I'd want to be.
Xxx
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| alib |
Posted - 31/03/2013 : 07:11:46
I wouldn't say it felt that different from the rest of the snake may be a little bit harder. The thing is he is already a very shy snake and every time he come out I feel like he is just getting stressed with. I will get him out tonight and try and bath just the tip. I used kitchen roll so I might try cotten wall next. He is other wise in perfect health. Just been moved up to smalls never misses a feed growing well now since been moved to fluffs and pops fine. I thought the tip always came off i always have checked the eyes and tip. Its so small tho i must have missed it. Should i take him Toa vet? Thanks for all the advice |
| Kellog |
Posted - 31/03/2013 : 03:55:18
It's very hard to tell from a pic....but going by the first pic it does look as though there is something there, you can almost see the line separating the 'clean' skin from that with retained shed. Does it feel different?
I'm wondering whether this is more than just one shed's worth of retained skin, whether there's been a build up and that's why it's hard for you to remove. With previous sheds have you always been able to see the tail tip on the shed skin? If that's what it is then it may be a situation that can't be rectified, which isn't as bad as it sounds, as it says in the link I gave you.
All you can do is try to soak the tail tip again in warm water and then run it through a rough towel or use damp cotton wool to try to encourage it to come off....roll the tail, with the cotton wool around it, gently between your fingers. Don't try to pick it off as you could do more damage than good. You could also try massaging a bit of olive oil or baby oil into it, then run it through a towel. Or you could get a piece of kitchen roll, soak it in luke warm water (or a warm wet flannel) and hold the tail in the towel for as long as Smokey will let you. Hopefully when he moves off he might leave the tail shed behind.
Personally I wouldn't bath him again, it's not really necessary and some snakes do find it stressful.
Hopefully one of these methods might work.
Xxx
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| alib |
Posted - 30/03/2013 : 21:19:41
Hello,
i have tried doing what has been said and was wondering if there is still some skin dry skin there i have took some pics to get people help and thoughts hope they come out clear. cheers
does that look ok? cheers |
| Kellog |
Posted - 19/03/2013 : 01:37:56
Herriotfan has given you great advice alib....unsurprisingly  . The whole idea of a snake shedding is for them to get rid of all of their old skin, which is why you need to check the shed skin afterwards, in particular making sure that the eye caps and the tail tip are there. With the way you describe Smokey's tail tip it could be that there is a build up of retained shed there.
Have a look at this thread, it gives you some more tips on how you might loosen the retained shed if what Herriotfan has suggested doesn't work Shedding and dealing with shedding problems
Let us know how you get on.
Xxx |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 18/03/2013 : 21:11:41
I'd put a damp flannel over the hide in the hot end of his faun/viv. Move his water to the hot end. Leave him overnight and then tomorrow give him a luke warm bath then let him slither through a damp, rough old towel. That should get rid of any retained shed.
If there is a build up of previous retained tail tips you may have to repeat the process.
If that's not worked it's magic then get back to us for more advice.
Hope it works...... |
