snakes tail seems sore

Question
hi i have a albino king snake it seems happy but has this sore on its tail when it sheds it rips the scab and im back to square one again its still eating fine but the sore seems to be going black now but will blead agian as soon as it sheds again which will be quite soon what should i do i have been bathing it with anteseptic solution hope you can help me he used to one colour now its got black marking all over it this normal for markings to appear after so long i have had him about 10 years

Answer
Hi Gill:
I am not a vet but if this continues to happen and the wound is not getting any smaller at all, I would take it to a vet. If the wound is getting smaller I would use a Q-tip saturated with vasaline and apply it a couple of times a day to keep the skin in that area moist.  If you are there when it starts to shed, I would manually tear the shed just around the wound and leave it there untill it falls off after the healing process has been completed.
You did not tell me the sub-species and its length but most king snakes do darken once adult stages of growth have been reached but this should have started some time ago if your snake is over 10 years old.  Can you e-mail me a picture of the wound and surrounding area as well as the dark spots?  I can tell a bit ore from seeing it myself but if you are concerned, I would seek out a good herp. vet and let him or her give you the facts about the snakes condition.  Other then keeping the wound moist with jelly, and refrain from using stuff like betedine which degrades the skin or leaving soap on the skin which is also a no no, I can't say much more with out seeing the animal.

                   Best of luck
                      Joel
specializedvenoms@gmail.com