Help, Woma python Shedding gone wrong

[lausie]

about a month ago, my yearling Woma python was about to shed, but the end of her tail came off about a week early, now that she has shed, the tail has gone weird, i sought the opinion of a vet and multiple other reptile owners, and all said to leave it till her next shed, but now her tail is bleeding, i am really worried it might be infected, could you please help me?

 

[sharky]

Sounds like it has been retained and cutting off circulation. Soak her tail or put her in a tub of water for 30minutes until the skin comes off and very very very gentley either rub with a towel or a paper towel. But IMHO REPTILE VET ASAP

 

[yommy]

Yes go to a reptile vet obivously the other one (vet) has no idea.
Best of luck

 

[Madders]

Pics might help if possible? I'm by no means an expert, but is a month long enough for her to grow that much that it would cut the circulation off? I was lead to believe that it took multiple bad sheds for it to get that bad?

 

[Trimeresurus]

The snake doesn't have to grow, the dead skin drys out and shrinks.

 

[Madders]

The snake doesn't have to grow, the dead skin drys out and shrinks.

Ah I see, that makes sense. Cheers

 

[MrJoshua]

I have a practice of bathing my snake in luke warm water once every now and again and since doing this his shed is perfect everytime. It used to be all patchy like your tail problem (and I had to gently pick off the patches) OR the shed would be totally scrunched up. Never noticed bleeding though.....hope you can sort it out. Let us know the outcome.

 

[Woma_Wild]

Mine did that not long ago so I soaked her tail in luke warm water and with gentle pressure, pulled off the dead skin with a tissue.
I'm only a newbie so if I can do it, anyone can.

 

[lausie]

thanks you all so much, sorry for the late reply. Zena has made a near full recovery, i soaked her a few times, but sadly the end of her tail was already dead, about 1cm of the end of her tail turned black and shriveled up. at this point i was extremely worried for her. after about another month the black part fell off yesterday. since then i have been applying a disinfectant safe for her every day. her tail is a little bit stumpy, but she is in good health and is still one of the most placid snakes i have ever held.
again, thanks for the help
Brandon

this is her tail now

 

[lausie]

this is her tail nowView attachment 292450

 

[Boondocker]

It's best to not handle a woma during the shedding process. I simply leave them be and do not disturb them so that sections of skin don't get dislocated too early; in which case damage to the underlying tissue can result.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

When you say "the end of the tail came off about a week early" it could really only be because the skin was torn during handling, or it got caught on something in the enclosure. Prior to shedding the separating old skin can be prone to tearing, and if the developing skin underneath is not at a stage where it can be exposed without damage, it will dry and and the damage will be permanent. This is why snakes tend to hide away and become inactive during the process, and why it is prudent not to handle them at this time unless you really have to. Python tails are especially prone to damage because they curl around things when we handle them, and if we apply a bit too much force, or pull it from what it has curled around without care, the skin can separate, with damage such as this.

In this case though, it may be that there were retained sheds on the tail tip constricting blood flow. One shed (layer) will not cause a problem (the old skin does not shrink) but more than one and you'll probably have a problem.

Jamie