Bad shed, leading to bruised tail

A

Andi

New member
so when checking on my LG the other day, I noticed her tail had wounds on it. I believe she had a bad shed, and had retained shed on her tail...and in the process of taking it off, damaged her tail. Wounds look like she peeled some skin off, but nothing too deep or severe.

I checked on her the following day and she was back in shed.

She has now come out of shed, but now has stuck shed on her tail

I'm wondering if there is anything I could do, for example; give her a soak, or possible put something on her tail to help with the healing?
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Hi Andi ~

You can soak her. SSD cream (silver sulfadiazine) promotes healing.

One of my Oedura castelnaui had a similar problem. Every time shedding rolled around, the scab on the healing tail wound was disrupted. I purchased Amazon's OMEM terra cotta hide (size = large for a leo) to assist with humidity 24/7. Since terra cotta breathes, this hide is the ideal solution. I also have one of these hides for my leo. I placed my leo's right next to her warm dry hide.

Here it is!
Google Amazon's "OMEM Reptiles Hideout Humidification Cave with Basin for Gecko".
51j0v+DN4pL._AC_SL1001_.jpg 61mhn0mS13L._AC_SL1400_.jpg
(click to enlarge)

For link 166 click: Persistent Gecko Tail Biting Behavior (with accompanying Problematic Tail Sheds) . . . . . . Remedy -- 19 December 2020 (updated)
​
 
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A

Andi

New member
thank you Elizabeth. Seems like the "Persistent Gecko Tail biting Behavior" is what I'm dealing with here, expect I don't know how persistent it is, or if it was just a one time thing. Either way, I'm going to look into the SSD cream...I will also attempt to give her a bath tonight and try to get the remaining stuck shed off her tail.
 
A

Andi

New member
I'm considering getting one. My currently moist hide is a homemade tupperwear container filled with spagnum moss. She absolutely loves it and has been using it for close to 8 years. I just need to figure out how to integrate the OMEM into my set up. I notice the OMEM hides have no bottom, and my moist hide currently does, which allows it to sit directly on part of the UTH and provide desired temps. I would probably need to put some sort of tile underneath this so ground temps don't get too warm.

Also, where would one go about purchasing the SSD cream?
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Andi said:
I'm considering getting one. My currently moist hide is a homemade tupperwear container filled with spagnum moss. She absolutely loves it and has been using it for close to 8 years. I just need to figure out how to integrate the OMEM into my set up. I notice the OMEM hides have no bottom, and my moist hide currently does, which allows it to sit directly on part of the UTH and provide desired temps. I would probably need to put some sort of tile underneath this so ground temps don't get too warm.

Also, where would one go about purchasing the SSD cream?
Click to expand...

SSD 1% cream can be purchased from a vet.

Healing skin should be kept dry. Sometimes healing skin gets "itchy".

In my 20 long I've placed the large OMEM hide in the left back corner. The warm dry hide is located in the front left corner. Both sit directly beneath a ceramic heat emitter. Both hides sit on a 12 x 12 inch ceramic tile. In the warm dry hide I've placed 2 probes: the thermostat's probe and the digital thermometer's probe. Both probes are taped together & somewhat offset. The probes rest on the floor/ground of the warm dry hide. I have a layer of sphagnum moss as the "floor" of the OMEM hide.

Here's the warm dry hide.
61YxB1xkfjL._SL1181_.jpg​
 
A

Andi

New member
Thank you. Unfortunately it seems like things are going from bad to worse. Checked on her last night and her tail seems even worse. She's now biting the tip of it, and it looks flattened, almost deflated.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Andi said:
Thank you. Unfortunately it seems like things are going from bad to worse. Checked on her last night and her tail seems even worse. She's now biting the tip of it, and it looks flattened, almost deflated.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear this, Andi. Leos can live long lives. A few in Europe are in their 40s. My leo is 17 yo.

Can you get SSD 1% cream very soon and order that new hide?


Is her tail tip at all necrotic?
 
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A

Andi

New member
Hey Elizabeth,
where to begin....

so after I took the wait and see approach, she went back into shed, and shed again, but she had retained a lot of skin on her tail. I ended up soaking her and tried to get the stuck shed off...but later that night she ended up attacking her tail again. I ended up putting neosporin on her tail. for 2 days things were looking really good, her tail wounds were practically all healed...I then decided to rinse the neosporin off her (since it was on for 48 hours), and let the skin dry. Sure enough, she attacked her tail again...now the tip of her tail is necrotic, very stiff, skinny, and looks like tail rot.

I've since reapplied the neosporin...and it's healing again...but the tail tip looks terrible and unsalvageable.

at this point I'd sooner she just drop the tail then to continue this cycle of biting, healing, biting, healing, but I have to find out if something else more sinister is going on.

I'm in the process of trying to find another vet as my vet does not cover reptiles.

I haven't purchased the OMEM hide only b/c I don't think it's a humidity issue (I have homemade moist hides for both my geckos that they've used for 8 years, with spagnum moss...they've never had a shedding issue...ever)

Hopefully I can locate a vet that actually deals with reptiles. Previously I had one, but that was before I moved to Northern, NJ
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Are you using Neosporin withOUT pain relief? IF you can't get SSD 1%, please use that.

I actually snipped off my gecko's necrotic tail tip. His new tail grew back nicely!

Healing wounds itch. A new scab forms, if the old scab is removed. Physicians recommend keeping healing wounds dry.

An OMEM hide = the answer. REALLY! An OMEM hide helps a gecko feel comfortable during the healing process. An OMEM hide retains ideal humidity 24/7. Just keep the basin on top filled. I don't know how else to say this.

***** I believe you would find a large OMEM hide a game changer like I mentioned above. The cure is simple. You may need to amputate the necrotic tail tip too.

The OMEM hide is different than any other hide. OMEM humid hides retain constant humidity with very little effort. Sometimes -- even now -- my Northern Velvet gecko sandwiches himself between his terra cotta OMEM hide and the glass.

Once I gave my Northern Velvet gecko a medium OMEM hide, that gecko never had any further issues with itchy healing scabs. His sheds went smoothly. *****

I can almost guarantee the OMEM hide will work. I doubt whether anything sinister is happening. Your leo's tail issues sound just like my Northern Velvet gecko's former tail issues.


How about making that OMEM order now? What have you got to lose?
 
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A

Andi

New member
Thanks. I was finally able to find a vet that will see her. I'm going Saturday morning. I will order the OMEM hide and give it a try. Yes, I am using the neosporin without pain relief.

as of last night, the wounds on her tail were almost healed up....with just some very mild redness in one of two spots. Of course her tail still looks a bit "battered", and she still has some retained shed on her tail. I believe the tip of her tail needs to be snipped, but I will defer to the vet on that, and where and how to do it.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Andi said:
Thanks. I was finally able to find a vet that will see her. I'm going Saturday morning. I will order the OMEM hide and give it a try. Yes, I am using the neosporin without pain relief.

as of last night, the wounds on her tail were almost healed up....with just some very mild redness in one of two spots. Of course her tail still looks a bit "battered", and she still has some retained shed on her tail. I believe the tip of her tail needs to be snipped, but I will defer to the vet on that, and where and how to do it.
Click to expand...

You're welcome, Andi! This sounds good!

Please ask this vet whether SSD 1% cream might be more effective than neosporin withOUT pain relief.

Keep GU posted.
 
A

Andi

New member
so the vet just called me. he said the tail is no longer getting blood flow and is dying. He's going to amputate the tail, and hopefully send her home with me tomorrow, or the following day.

I honestly couldn't imagine a scenario where she would be able to keep her tail, so the diagnosis seems to make sense.

He asked me if he should do a pathology report, and as much as I want to get one done, the cost of all this is going to be upwards of $700...and the pathology would be another $200.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Andi said:
so the vet just called me. he said the tail is no longer getting blood flow and is dying. He's going to amputate the tail, and hopefully send her home with me tomorrow, or the following day.

I honestly couldn't imagine a scenario where she would be able to keep her tail, so the diagnosis seems to make sense.

He asked me if he should do a pathology report, and as much as I want to get one done, the cost of all this is going to be upwards of $700...and the pathology would be another $200.
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Thanks for your reply. So sorry, Andi.

I know how costly vet care is! Sometimes a gecko doesn't even survive the procedure. :cry:

(When I snipped the tip off my gecko's tail, only the very tip was hard. His tail did regenerate.)
 
A

Andi

New member
I really hope she can survive the procedure. I'd like to think that she's in good shape (minus the tail). She even ate a dubia for me last night. Really hoping for the best.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Andi said:
I really hope she can survive the procedure. I'd like to think that she's in good shape (minus the tail). She even ate a dubia for me last night. Really hoping for the best.
Click to expand...
:yahoo: on eating! I'm pretty sure she'll survive.

The gecko I mentioned who didn't survive her May 2020 anesthesia/surgery wasn't my current Oedura castelnaui with the OMEM hide. She was my favorite female Phelsuma barbouri who had a fresh spectacle stuck to one eye. I'd had her a very long time. She did wake up, but was impossible to stabilize post surgery.

Sending good wishes for your leo.
 
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A

Andi

New member
I actually picked her up today. She spent the night at the vet. She's still a bit lethargic from the anesthesia, but the vet said she was stable and looking good. Of course, she went into shed again while at the vet...and wasn't able to remove any of it, so tonight I'm going to have to help her with that. But she's back home and resting in her OMEM hide. I'm hoping she regains her strength soon, and is able to remove the shed herself...but I'm prepared to do that later. Really hoping she doesn't go back to biting herself in an effort to remove it!!!
 
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