DO NOT TRY TO PEEL SKIN

[Matthieu Adams]

I made a horrible mistake by trying to help Ted shed. It was a bit on his tail and he was having trouble. I went to pull and I'm pretty sure I peeled a bit of the new skin too.

They go through shedding about once every one to two weeks (juveniles are growing boys...).

The following morning I found him hiding in the turtle shell hide. His wound has the same consistency as the rest of his tail (soft to the touch) and he didn't seemed as based by my assessment of it.

I did the best thing I could think of- I removed the substrate I had and replaced it with Reptile Carpet for the time being so it doesn't get infected.

The end of his tail, near the tip, seems to be drying up. I think he might lost that section of his tail.

God, I'm such a bad lizard parent...

 

[Matthieu Adams]

Probably good to add here: in terms of his behaviour he is a bit more antisocial, but he is moving just as quickly as ever. It's as if he is alright but needs alone time...


I really hope that's the case...


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[Matthieu Adams]

For reference.

Please advise.

 

[acpart]

It may be that there was a problem to begin with and it wasn't your fault. Most of the time it is a good idea to remove the shed. Make sure that there arena areas on the floor that are too hot; the reddened area looks like a possible burn to me. If you're running a heat mat without a thermostat, that may be a problem. Just leave the tail alone. It's likely that the tip will fall off, but it may regenerate well so you'd never notice it.

Aliza

 

[Matthieu Adams]

So my sister fessed up that she was taking him out to handle him and feed him, and dad snuck up on her and scared her and she dropped one of the hides on that parts of the tail.

I'm more disappointed with dad than her.

Ted is still relatively active and he's been lounging outside of the hides, so he seems pretty okay for now. Still moves very quickly across the floor when I let him play, and still is calm when I handle him. A little more shy as of late but I genuinely expect that after such an incident.

The good news is I cleaned out the cage and I made sure that their food and water was replaced. Additionally I have been notified that I have a decent-sized check on the way should I have to take him to the vet.


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[acpart]

It's good to know what actually happened. It's very likely that he will be fine. I've had similar experiences with my geckos.

Aliza

 

[Matthieu Adams]

So he wasn't eating before but now he's had like 6 waxworms. Hoping they may build some fat at his tail and stimulate some growth.


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[acpart]

I would recommend feeding a lot fewer waxworms due to high fat, relatively poor nutrition as well as the tendency (as I discovered when I got some for free) to turn pretty quickly into WAXMOTHS.

Aliza

 

[Matthieu Adams]

Ok


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