New young Garter.....has tail injury!

[Calift]

Well it seems like all the garters in my area have injuries:(....but anyway, I caught this little guy by the side of the house. He was easy to catch because he couldn't slither properly- seemed like his tail was fused to the grass for a moment and he kept flipping over trying to escape. It might of been the lawnmower- or just horrible shed? :confused:

I caught him and put him in a container for the night. He seems like he's doing much better now- think it's okay to release him?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/cally_dog/DSC_0226.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/cally_dog/DSC_0227-1.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/cally_dog/DSC_0228.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/cally_dog/DSC_0229-2.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

i'd personally nip the end off with nail clippers and keep him till he heals...... just put some bacitracin on it until he sheds.. then i'd let him go....

[prattypus]

I am nowhere near qualified enough to offer advice, but kudos on giving him shelter and giving him a chance to survive.

[gregmonsta]

Looks like some badly retained shed to me. Slowly cutting off the blood supply the dead tissue would usually drop off in the wild.
One of our Florida blues lost the tip of her tail this way. I would regularily apply some antiseptic to it and it will eventually just pop off once it's ready.

[Calift]

Thanks for the answers....it looks a lot like just old shed, but I think the actual tail bone is a bit frayed too- he was definitely fused to the ground when I saw him.

I just got a huge amount of tiny pinkies- so I might try to feed him soon. If I do, I can take a few more pictures.

He's a fiesty fellow, but I love his dark coloring. It reminds me of a highway or something :D