Retained shed at tip of tail?

[Xanafein]

Well After finally getting my GTP from the previous owner, I discovered he had mites, So i treated for mites, While treating for mites, He shed, The mites are gone, and the shed was not horrible, but there is one problem

The shed at the very tip of his tail is retained, less than a centimeter of it

I have read in a few places that this is Particularly bad for Chondros as their tails are more delicate and important than those of other species, and after alot of reading around i have still not gotten any solid advice, Some people say it is a good idea to gently massage the tip of the tail others say trying to remove it is just as bad as leaving it on

Still others have suggested using a qtip with mineral oil on it to push the shed off

So i figured since i could get no good info on the topic, i would ask the more experienced keepers here


On the bright side, no mites, no retained eye caps, no parasites, and for a Jayapura x Biak the temperment is not half bad either

[youngster]

If it's further down than the vent I don't think it really matters. If you leave it on it'll look like a little white stubby dead thing.

If you want to take it off I suggest a damp facecloth and gently massage it off.

[alessia55]

A warm, damp washcloth should take care of it easily.

[Lankyrob]

Difficult one with a GTP, it really needs the tip of its tail for holding on, so losing it due to restricted bloodfllow caused from retained shed is as bad as something happening with you trying to get the shed off.

I personally would use a damp piece of kitchen roll in the palm of your hand and let the snake slither through applying very little pressure and hope that works.

[Xanafein]

RIght now he is soaking in some water that is 78 degrees so nice and warm for him, after hes soaked for a bit, im gonna use a moist washcloth and let him crawl through, failing that, im gonna slowly prod it with the mineral oil qtip, if all goes well it should be off

[Shmoges]

a dab of mineral oil works too.

[MoreliAddict]

I check for eye caps and tail tips right after every shed. It's much easier to take it off within 48 hours of the shed.

[Edmond Y]

It is very easy to use a warm wet cloth to rub it off as alessia55 mentioned.

Edmond

[zaroba]

I've never had a GTP, so don't know if this would apply to them,
One or two bad sheds leaving stuff isn't going to kill the snake or pose injury, its when it builds up a lot that it poses a hazard. Thus, anytime I had a snake with a bad shed, if it was just one or two, then I would just increase the humidity in the enclosure so the next one would be a good one and remove the previous shed's left over stuff. No hassle, no worry.

[shaunyboy]

It is very easy to use a warm wet cloth to rub it off as alessia55 mentioned.

Edmond

^^^^^
it all depends how long its been retained for

after the retained skin has went really hard,its pretty much water proof

you need to firmly,but carefully,split the retained shed horozontally,from head to tail tip,this will allow blood to circulate

you need to get the retained shed off,before it cuts off blood circulation and the tissue dies

i use a finger nail,while someone else holds the snake firmly,that way i can concentrate on the retained shed,as the snake is being held appropiately

if its really tough skin,then i would use tweezers and a sharp point to gently break the old skin,you need to take great care NOT to damage the scales beneath the old shed

IMPORTANT
if you feel your not experienced enough,then i would suggest a vet do the procedure...!!

to to the delicate nature of gtp's spines,great care will be needed in doing this

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

I've never had a GTP, so don't know if this would apply to them,
One or two bad sheds leaving stuff isn't going to kill the snake or pose injury, its when it builds up a lot that it poses a hazard. Thus, anytime I had a snake with a bad shed, if it was just one or two, then I would just increase the humidity in the enclosure so the next one would be a good one and remove the previous shed's left over stuff. No hassle, no worry.

^^^^^
a retained TAIL TIP can cause INJURY

if it restricts the blood to the tip of the tail,then the tissue dies,causing the dead tip to drop off

you need to keep it clean and infection free

retained shed on the rest of the body usually poses no problems,but with the tail tip it CAN lead to problems

cheers shaun

[Xanafein]

Lol mini necro Thanks to the excelent feedback from you guys, i got the tail tip off within 20 min of posting, i put him in a humid box for 10 minutes then gently removed the tip with a qtip and mineral oil hes since had no issues is eating regularly and is very personable, right up to the moment he bites your nose

[Lankyrob]

Plus a GTP with no tail tip may have extreme difficulty eating as they hang upside down to eat most of the time, some GTPs cant adapt to eating on the floor.

[zaroba]

a retained TAIL TIP can cause INJURY

if it restricts the blood to the tip of the tail,then the tissue dies,causing the dead tip to drop off

I am aware of that. But generally speaking, as I said, a single thin layer of old skin wont cause injury, its not enough. if a single bad shed could enforce enough pressure to restrict blood flow and cause tissue death, then just the snake sitting coiled up would be causing restricted blood flow, or handling it as this certainly causes more pressure then a single thin tissue paper thick layer of old shed. The snakes own body weight sitting on something would be causing restricted blood flow and death of the snake.

Injury from built up old shed is not an immediate occurrence.
It takes MANY bad sheds which further restrict blood flow as the snakes body grows into the non-expanding thick layer of old skin. A single bad shed is not enough and if the problems causing the bad shed is fixed and the following shed is a good and full shed, it will remove the left over previous shed. If not, THEN I might start taking action to remove it manually. Definitely would after 2 bad sheds.



Once again, I do not and have not owned a GTP so I cannot comment on or even take into consideration whether or not left over shed should be removed due to effecting the snakes climbing ability.
I am only commenting on the theory that a single bad shed can cause tissue loss.