Hydra

[aquamentus_11]

damn. how do i know when to cut it off? that looks like an old wound to me, steve. what do you think?

[chris-uk]

If it needs to be cut off it will feel like a dry old twig, just completely dead. It's not going to cause any problems until the next shed, so no immediate worry. Give it a few weeks and keep an eye on it, I suspect that you'll see it drying out as the bloodflow dries up completely. It is worth keeping watch for any sign of infection though.

[aquamentus_11]

ok, thanks. seriously, where would i (or hydra) be without you guys?
i have a few pics i just took of it that make me think it may recover. we'll have to wait because they're on my gf's phone. i put some antibiotic ointment on it and applied sort of a milking motion toward the tail in an attempt to increase blood flow to the area. 2h later, i notice a huge improvement with a lot of filling out of that previously constricted area and a definite color change. looks much more like the original appearance of the area. i'll keep doing what i'm doing and hope for the best. i'll get those pics up soon.

[guidofatherof5]

Is there any retained shed in that area?

[aquamentus_11]

there was. i got rid of it and found that underneath. my assumption is that it was injured during the incident with the wood you warned me about and has been healing since then. the scab probably made the skin stick there and when i removed it, it reopened the wound. not sure how else to explain it: i was very gentle.

[aquamentus_11]

here they are. looks very promising to me.

[EasternGirl]

I'm sure you did your best...these things just happen sometimes, Nate. I feel the same way about the forum...I don't know how I would survive with my snakes without my friends on here.

[guidofatherof5]

Time will tell if the tail tip is kept. Warm water soaking might help the circulation in that area.
Best of luck. Keep us posted.

[aquamentus_11]

i'll try the soaking. this seems to help these guys with a lot of things.

[aquamentus_11]

it's easier to compare like this. these are obviously both pics of the same side of the tail 2h apart. i think a huge improvement already: look at the return of color in the 2nd pic. i'll obviously keep watching it and i'll post pics as it progresses.

before

after