garters tip of tail is dead..

[Hazeldarc]

thanks all

[ConcinusMan]

Looks pretty close and looks like you got off most of the dead part. Thing is, every time he sheds from here on out, check it out and make darn sure all the shed comes off at the tail. Don't want more tail loss. Make sure all the skin comes off of the live part of the tail each time he sheds so more "good" tail isn't lost.

[kimbosaur]

How can you tell if there's shed left on the tail? My girl just shed but the tail is missing from the shed. I might have ripped it when I was pulling it off the vines, but how can I make sure? I've run her tail through my fingers a few times and there doesn't seem to be an edge or anything...

[chris-uk]

Get the tail wet as well, sometimes you can only see the edges in water. If you can't feel it or see it wet or dry, I'd just check again tomorrow. It's quite possible that the tip of the shed is in the substrate somewhere.

[EasternGirl]

Okay...I have never heard of a dead tail. I am thinking now that this is probably what happened to Seeley in the wild though, because he has a very stubby tail that looks as though it was cut short. What causes a dead tail?

[kibakiba]

Sheds can cut the circulation off and make it fall off.

I've founf that after a few days, you can tell if there is shed stuck on the tail, because you can see it. It's usually just slightly lighter than the rest of the body.

[ConcinusMan]

You do see wild snakes with stubby tails quite often. I'd say the vast majority of cases are caused by failure to shed the tip, rather than predator caused loss like people tend to think. Like Chantel said, failure to shed constricts the snake. A whole body failure to shed is usually fatal because the snake can't breathe right. Failure to shed the tip of the tail cuts off blood circulation and the tail dies. Snakes shed because they outgrow the skins capacity to stretch. The skin gets too tight. Like wearing a glove that is 1 size too small.

If you check the snake's tail right after it sheds, you can usually tell quite easily if it failed to shed. If you can't tell that the tail is dull in comparison to the rest of the snake, then it probably came off just fine. Also, check the shed skin. If the tail (or eye caps) isn't there, then check the snake. Remove manually if necessary. The sooner you do it, the easier it will come off. If you wait too long, it becomes fused to the new skin. This causes problems shedding the next time around. Usually after two times failure to shed the tail tip, it begins to die.

This is a good time to remind everyone how important it is to make sure your snake sheds the eye caps and tail tip. Check the shed skin for missing parts, and check your snake after each shed. If you do that, you can prevent this from happening.

[EasternGirl]

That's good info to provide for members Richard. Speaking of shedding...is there a general frequency of shedding for garters, or does it vary from snake to snake? Cee Cee just shed less than a month ago and she looks like she is going into shed phase again...could this be a sign that she is in fact gravid...shedding more often?

[ConcinusMan]

Shedding frequency is specifically linked to growth rate. Babies can shed every 3-5 weeks but eventually growth slows and shedding gets less frequent. A full grown snake like Big Bertha only sheds twice a year because growth has all but stopped, but she will also shed a third time in late gravid stages, because of the increase in girth. She shed, got gravid immediately, and shed again just two months later because she got so fat. Normally she would shed about every 6 months.

So as a general rule, rapidly growing babies shed very frequently. Fully grown, slow growing snakes shed infrequently. If a gravid snake increases in girth enough, an "unscheduled" shed may be necessary. Snakes will usually also shed a short time after coming out of brumation, even though they haven't grown during the winter.

[EasternGirl]

So...if Cee Cee is two and a half feet long..I am assuming she is full grown. And if she is shedding a second time in less than a month that is probably a good indication that she is in fact gravid...right? I mean...I have had her since May and I think she has only shed twice since I've had her.