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NikkiLian
Egg
United Kingdom
94 Posts |
 Posted - 30/07/2010 : 15:41:30
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| Hi all, need some advice for my gorgeous boy Loki! I've had him for about three months, bought from a young girl who in my opinion wasn't looking after him properly, he was very small considering she said she'd had him for 'about' a year. He's now growing very quickly and feeding really well and loves to be handled. The only problem is a small piece of retained skin on the tip of his tail. It was there when I first bought him and I've tried using wet/damp towels to get it off. It's now starting to dig in a little and he has no feeling in the very tip. He's due to shed in the next week or so and I really don't want him to lose the tip!! Thankyou in advance xx |
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princessbroxy
Hatchling
United Kingdom
310 Posts |
Posted - 30/07/2010 : 16:17:15
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| Have you tried putting him on a damp moss box to see if that helps the we guy? or giving him a bath and after letting it soak take a pair of tweezers to it to get it off failing that i would get him to a reptile vet....hope this helps x |
0.0.2 Aneries: Dorito + Sparkles
1.1.0 Hypo Het Lavender Bloodreds: Chilli + Pepper
1.0.0 Motley Butter: Dave
0.1.0 Ghost stripe : Sssam
0.1.0 Lavender: Princesss Annie
0.1.0 Normal: Medusa (baby sitting for 3 years)
2.2.0 Royal Python: Rafiki , Zazu , Pumba + Timone
1.0.0 orange ghost Python:Buster
1.0.0 Pastel python: enygma
0.1.0 spider python:
Kendra
0.1.0 66% het pied: sally
1.0.0 red tail cat fish (Morph)R.I.P
7.2.0 cats (M.I.B.,Picasso,Dealy,Storm,Gokoo,Merc,Chaos,Stitch,Peanuts)
Welcome to my petting zoo lol
Have you ever noticed when you run into a spiders web you all of a sudden turn into a ninja |
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NikkiLian
Egg
United Kingdom
94 Posts |
Posted - 30/07/2010 : 16:27:16
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| Thankyou Princess, He's due a shed in the next week ish so I'll get some moss and hope that does the trick. He really doesn't like me touching the tip so I think taking a pair of tweezers to it might stress him out a little, but I'll def give the moss a go!! x |
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gmac
The Scottish Admin
United Kingdom
5319 Posts |
Posted - 30/07/2010 : 17:34:30
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| Do not use tweezers on a snake, if it is retained for a while a moss hide may not help, so i suggest you bath the snake for 10-15 minutes in warm water no hotter than the hot end temp, never leaving your snake unsupervised. After 10-15 minutes let him run through a dish cloth or towel. I would try and get the retained shed of just now even if there is a possibility it may shed in the next week. |
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Edited by - gmac on 30/07/2010 17:35:08 |
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hillzi
The Lost boy.
United Kingdom
3984 Posts |
Posted - 30/07/2010 : 17:56:38
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An idea too, aswell as graemes suggestion which is very good,
there is a pillowcase method too,
Run an old pillowcase under warm water, but careful to leave it semi dry, semi damp, and let the water go through the holes in the fibers, then put a puddle of water in the bath around 29*, and put the pillowcase in there, and put the snake in the pillowcase.
Leave the pillowcase section dry, so he can wriggle around, using the water and dry parts of the case to get the retained off.
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NikkiLian
Egg
United Kingdom
94 Posts |
Posted - 30/07/2010 : 19:10:50
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| Thanx hillzi and gmac, I'll try giving him a bath tonight. What do you suggest I do if it doesn't work? Maybe leave it 2-3 days and try again or do you think it'll be a vet job? |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 31/07/2010 : 00:25:40
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try the bath method and check him after he has shed - if its becoming tight now he could have issues with it this time round aswell..after he has shed it might be worth giving him another bath if there is any more retained shed
theres a chance that if it is dying and too far gone that eventually it will come off in a shed with the tip - its happened to a few members where the snake didnt necessarily have the right care they needed, but they have all been fine after - in most cases you dont even notice the tip is missing  |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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NikkiLian
Egg
United Kingdom
94 Posts |
Posted - 31/07/2010 : 03:42:09
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I really hate the thought that he might lose the tip  I bathed him tonight and it didn't seem to budge but I'll try again in 3-4 days if he hasn't shed before then. Hopefully it will work x |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 31/07/2010 : 08:57:34
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| In-between you bathing him, making a damp hide maybe a good idea. |
  
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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AngelX
Hatchling
United Kingdom
252 Posts |
Posted - 31/07/2010 : 19:23:26
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My snakie had the same problem, it looked like a black tip of her tail and it was really bugging me that I couldn't get it off! I wanted to wait until her next shed before I started to bathe her etc, seeing as some people have said that the tip of her tail could of died because of too many bad sheds. After her shed I looked at her tail and the blackness manky looking stuff had gone, whether or not the very tip of her tail had fallen off or not I don't know. She still has a lot of grip in her tail, I wouldn't worry about him maybe losing the tip of his tail, because I can't even tell if Angel has lost the tip of her tail, and probably neither has she!
Good luck! x |
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NikkiLian
Egg
United Kingdom
94 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2010 : 19:40:56
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Thanx everyone for the advice I'll keep my eye on it and see how he goes, at least I know if he does lose the tip it won't affect him too much. Thanx again 
Nikki x |
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hillzi
The Lost boy.
United Kingdom
3984 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2010 : 22:03:34
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| If the tip doesn't come off, you may wanna put some kitchen roll down, so when/if it does drop off, he wont get an infection or any substrate in there causing him irritation. |
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mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!
United Kingdom
2901 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2010 : 19:01:06
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If its already being constricted then you are gonna struggle to get it off.
One of my boas lost the tip of his tail when I first got him, I got all the retained shed off, about 4 sheds worth, but it didn't help.
However, once he lost it it healed very quickly and you wouldn't really notice it now.
When you bathe him, put some fairy liquid in the water, it helps the water get into any small cracks and under the scales. |
Location : Worthing, West Sussex
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advice on retained shed please??
