possible shed problem

[mrbass111]

i have a amel. corn and last shed it appeared that the last half inch on the tail did not shed. i thought maybee it would shed next time. but it did not. the tail looks dull like it didnt shed. do corns tails look dull? or do i have a problem, and what can i do to fix it?

[vanderkm]

Definately a potential problem if it is dull - have to make sure the tail sheds completely in baby corns or it can dry up and constrict the tail as growth occurs. This can result in the tail tip falling off.

I would put the corn in a tub with damp paper towels or terry cloth towel, keep warm and let sit for several hours to try and moisten the tail tip again. Then you can gently rub the skin off. If there are two layers of old shed, it make take quite a bit of time for it to loosen enough that you can remove it - will sort of depend on the amount of time since the rest of the skin was shed. If that was more than 24 hours ago, I would actually let the little guy sit in a humid box for 24 hours before even trying to rub the skin off. With any luck, the skin will be shed when you go back and check on him - if not, then rub gently and try and remove both layers completely.

If the tail underneath looks brownish - you are likely fighting a loosing battle - it has started to deteriorate and the tip will likely fall off. A lot of people warn about making sure eyecaps come off, but the tail tip is just as important to check in baby corns. Not a real long term health problem unless it is a lot of the tail affected, but they look funny and certainly losing part of the body is not a good thing.

Good luck with him,

mary v.