Urgent...tail bite advice...please help

[nita]

Hi everyone,
We woke up this morning and have found the tip of Clyde's tail in the enclosure. Bonnie has apparently not wanted to share the heat pad and has bitten it of.
Whilst we are racing out to buy another enclosure this morning I need anyones medical/expert advice urgently.
I can see there has been blood on the wound but it is not bleeding. How or do I need to treat it????. Do I need to look out for infections or the like?? Will Clyde be okay, will his beautiful tail grow back. They he has lost nearly 1cm.
I am so upset about this, they always seemed so social and happy together. I just feel heart sick but more than anything I am just beside myself with worry about Clyde.
Please help anyone, I will be checking the forum continuously through the day.

[Tempo]

Someone will have much better advice for you than I would. I'm sure you'll get some replies on your problem.
I've seen tail problem's talked about before though. I'd treat it with something (I'd say iodine, but again please refer to someone else's advice over mine) and keep his area clean to prevent any infection problems.
I know tails usually grow back a bit or cap off if they were say pulled or other trama, so I can't see why it wouldn't, at the very least cap off, if it were bitten.
But once more, please take someone else's advice over mine. They would know better seeing as they've owned and I've only researched!

Good luck with Clyde!

[Zach]

Sorry to hear that happened....how old are they?

His tip will grow back fine and you don't need to do anything special aside from keeping his enclosure nice and clean, and keeping a hot spot on one end. In my opinion, they don't need goops and ointments; it will heal great on its own.

I would also clear out his substrate though for the time being; just until that first layer starts to heal and it isn't raw -- this is just to keep the dust off of it.

[Tattoo]

For a start I would put him on paper towels instead of any substrate that could stick to his tail wound. Clean the wound and keep it dry after that. Make sure he stays nice and warm. You might try sending a pm to one of our experts for a detailed response. I know Zach has experience with tail loss. I would probably go to the vet if it looked even the slightest infected.

[SailleSkinklover]

Ditto what Zach and Tattoo said.
This is sad that it happened, but its always warned to people who keep them together, that they can get along for years, then one day, BAM! Mars goes retrograde or something, and they gnosh on each other out of the blue. (no pun intended! )
I'm sure Clyde will be fine, my thoughts are going out to him for a nice fast tail-healing.

[Herptiles.net]

Rinse the tail tip off with some warm water, no antiseptics or topical antibiotics are needed if your skink is healthy and the wound is clean. Like the others said above, paper towels substrate is a safe bet for now to keep any debris out of the wound until it closes up. Once you see a nice scab formed, you could in theory place him back on his regular substrate, but this is a matter of preference. (Depending on the animal and the nature of the wound, I would keep them on plain, sterile substrate until the wound is fully healed.)

Watch the wound for any signs of infection: Excessive swelling and coloured discharge (white, yellow, green, orange, etc.) are something to worry about. If infection does occur, do not delay in bringing him to the vet- a prompt, proper treatment will stop the infection from becoming systemic, which is a wicked-nasty thing to deal with.

Herps are very tough when they are in good shape and healthy. He should heal up fine without a hitch

[nita]

We just got back and have set up a new 3ft tank with infa red light to keep him warm. I rang my vet and she said put betadine (iodine) on it to keep it dry and clean. We have put new reptile turf down and new reptile bark which I am now thinking of removing judging on your responses and putting paper towel in for a week.
He seems fine and happy, just wanting a little TLC from mum (he is a big sook)
We will be keeping a close eye on him to make sure there is no infection and will keep them seperate from now on.
Thank you everyone for your kind thought and great advice, we are very upset about this incident and just hope that he will be okay. I can live with a shorter tail as long as his okay.
PS: Am sure Clyde would say thank you too.

[Edward]

[nita]

Hi everyone.
Clyde seems to be doing much better, we got him one of those red lights which gives off lots of lovely warmth and he is back to basking in his new bachelor pad. We are bathing his tail (stump) in betadine 2x daily and he is eating as normal. Will keep a close eye on him over the next few days. He is still coming out for cuddles every night which is a good sign.
Thanks for all your support