Retained shed on head

[remlap]

Hi all,

My 5 month old spotted has just shed and all went well except her head.
i know that to get any retained shed off a warm soak is a good trick however since it is her head she does not really put it in the water.
also being her head she is not happy to stay still while i try to take it off..
So my question is what if any is the harm in lettting it stay there till she sorts it out herself?
And how do i know if the eye caps have come off?

 

[thomasssss]

dont know much about the problems with leaving the rest of the shed on the head but be extremely careful with the eyes caps in the book ive got " care of australian reptiles in captivity" by john weigel it says that the eye caps cause no immediate danger if they don't come off easily and are best left till the next shed , don't know how to help in any other way but that

 

[remlap]

thats great thanks i was just worried mostly about the eye caps so if can leave them till next shed then i have no worries

 

[CrystalMoon]

Just either spray with water or bath, then let the snake wriggle through a damp hand towel whilst holding her with a little pressure. Mine have been retaining tail tips lately, I put it down to a reduced humidity(I moved) Perhaps you could mist your snake after the blue eye phase each day till it sheds next time
I wouldnt leave a retained shed on your snake(personally) I am not sure about eyecaps? I havent had that concern

 

[l3atman]

hey,
what i would do is get a container that she fits in with a lid, and poke a few holes in the top then fill it up with warm water not all the way to the top, but close maybe a few cm off, then pop her in and put the lid on and leave her there for 20 to 30 minutes...
...
once you get her out the skin should be fairly loose or she may have got it off on her own, if she hasn't what i would recommend is that you just gently grab her behind the head and just rub your finger lightly against the tip of her nose to get the skin to peel a little bit, once you peel it just past her nostrils, just put her back in her tank and she should finish the job on her own...
once she gets the remaining bit off her head it may leave a little ring around her body, she can get that off on her own, or you can take it off for her...
but i wouldn't try and peel it off on your own past her eyes, as thomasssss said that can lead to permanent damage to their eyes...
...
all the best, im sure your snake will be fine
...
if its only a little bit of skin on top of the head or in patches i wouldnt worry just leave her, but if its the whole head then its pretty important to get it off imo

 

[nagini-baby]

had this happen just yesterday was a decent piece to, and my jungle wasnt very happy with me but not teeth so yay!. wet your hand and just dampen it. and gently try to rub the edge until it peels up. worked for me

 

[snakes_666]

Put it in a pillow case put pillowcase with snake inside in container with enough water in it to cover body of snake and wet pillow case for about 10-15mins

 

[citrus]

Put it in a pillow case put pillowcase with snake inside in container with enough water in it to cover body of snake and wet pillow case for about 10-15mins

You might want to word that better someone will put there snake in a pillow case, tie it closed and put it in the water. Just spray or wipe the stuck shed with a damp cloth, it will come off

Also have a look at this
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

 

[CaptainRatbag]

:shock: If you are going to put your snake in a pillow case in a tub of water with a lid on... you may as well just drown it and be done with it??!!

Pfft... just up the humidity (maybe mist the snakes head) and keep an eye on it. Handle it, wet your hands, see if you can get the skin to come away. Especially the eyes.... the eye caps and the tail tip are very important to be clear after every shed.

 

[thomasssss]

:shock: If you are going to put your snake in a pillow case, or in a tub of water with a lid on... you may as well just drown it and be done with it??!!

Pfft... just up the humidity (maybe mist the snakes head) and keep an eye on it. Handle it, wet your hands, see if you can get the skin to come away. Especially the eyes.... the eye caps and the tail tip are very important to be clear after every shed.

mate putting it in a pillow case maybe could be a little risky but the tub idea is fine and i agree the tail tip is important but the eye caps are best left on if they don't come off easily you risk injury from forcing it off and this is from what i read in a book that was written by a very respectable herpetologist John Weigel so sorry mate but op please ignore what he has said about the eye caps if they don't remove easily just leave them be till next shed

 

[CaptainRatbag]

According to "keeping & Breeding Australian Pythons" ByMike Swan (Mike Swan Herp Books), in the captive husbandry section, top of page 31

Quote{ It is very important when a python sloughs that every piece of the skin is shed.

It is CRITTICALLY important, that the eye specticals are sloughed. If this fails to happen, the next layer of skin will be difficult to slough properly and this can result in a very complicated situation } End quote.

Mate, you do what You like ^ but because YOU think YOU are right, dont advise anyone to ignore expert advice (from Mike Swan, not me) about how critical it is for a snakes eye covers to shed EVERY TIME. If Remlap were to take your advice, he might have ended up with a snake with permanent eye problems. IMO, the tail tip is important, the eye covers are CRITICAL.

 

[thomasssss]

According to "keeping & Breeding Australian Pythons" ByMike Swan (Mike Swan Herp Books), in the captive husbandry section, top of page 31

Quote{ It is very important when a python sloughs that every piece of the skin is shed.

It is CRITTICALLY important, that the eye specticals are sloughed. If this fails to happen, the next layer of skin will be difficult to slough properly and this can result in a very complicated situation } End quote.

Mate, you do what You like ^ but because YOU think YOU are right, dont advise anyone to ignore expert advice (from Mike Swan, not me) about how critical it is for a snakes eye covers to shed EVERY TIME. If Remlap were to take your advice, he might have ended up with a snake with permanent eye problems. IMO, the tail tip is important, the eye covers are CRITICAL.

so its a book war you want then huh well "care of australian reptiles in captivity " by John Weigel (snake ranch founder) in the skin sloughing section page 58

Quote{ a word of warning should be made regarding the forced removal of unshed skin from a snakes eye. The transparent skin that protects the eye in its ever open condition is called the spectacle. if the old spectacle doesnt remove easily you could damage the eye permanetly by forcing the new one off with it . in any event , the old spectacle will most probably be removed with the next sloughing cycle , and PRESENTS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER TO THE SNAKE . }end Quote

so you sure this book of yours doesn't contain this warning because im pretty sure it would if you read it properly , im not saying he shouldn't try and remove it just giving him this warning so that he doesn't think its critical if the don't remove easily

 

[CrystalMoon]

I have got to say this is really confusing, I always thought that you "had"to remove the retained eyecaps purely from other herpers not books. Thats why I didnt say anything in my earlier post I would really like a definitive answer on this one though. It is something I have yet to deal with but that is no guarantee for the future.......

 

[congo_python]

Remlap
Soak her for 20 mins in a tub full of 30c water... lid on, air gap of about 20-30mm and she will swim in the water and get her head wet.Then try to peel it off her upper jaw with the ball of your thumb. if this doesnt work try a bit of sticky tape - end of tape on the upper jaw just to the left or right of her nostrils careful not to cover the nostrils and see if it'll peel it off, dont worry the tape will just pull off it it doesnt take the shed with it.
Once started it'll come off easily or just let her do it herself from there.

 

[CaptainRatbag]

I hope some herp experts on here will chip in with thier experiences and recommendations, but I certainly wouldnt want to leave dead skin on my snakes eyes for 6-8 weeks until the next shed. You know how soft the skin is when it is freshly sloughed, and how crisp and crunchy it gets, even 24 hours after it has come off.

I just tried putting a piece of rope in a pillow case (to emulate a snake) and putting it in a bucket, then took it out. The wet pillow case stuck/clung to the rope and made it awkward to get the pillow case off. It would involve holding the snake and physically peeling the pillow case down off the snake. the pillow case stuck to itself (like trying to take off a wet T shirt) and was really difficult to release. I think the snake would end up completely terrified. I wouldnt recommend that method personally.

 

[thomasssss]

I hope some herp experts on here will chip in with thier experiences and recommendations, but I certainly wouldnt want to leave dead skin on my snakes eyes for 6-8 weeks until the next shed. You know how soft the skin is when it is freshly sloughed, and how crisp and crunchy it gets, even 24 hours after it has come off.

so the book you were referring to didn't have the warning about if the eye caps not removing easily to just leave them? , mate i wasn't saying that they should just be left i was simply pointing out that if they don't remove easily then to leave them till next shed and im pretty confident that once the " herp experts" as you call them tune in that they will say the same seeing as the information i have given you comes from an expert ,the person who bought the rough scaled python into the hobby and is not doing the same with the oenpelli python and is the founder of snake ranch a very reputable breeder

 

[CaptainRatbag]

You can leave dead and rotting skin on your snakes eyes if you like, no one will stop you.
I however, will take the advice of said Mr Swan (editor) and the 16 vets, doctors, breeders, keepers, scientists and herpetologists who contributed to his book and make sure that every shed includes the tail tip and spectacle covers are completely removed.
Just dont tell others asking for advice not to worry about leaving some dead rotting skin on thier snakes eyes, that will possibly blind thier snake and might cost them some gigantic vet bills in the future if the skin is not cleared.


Quote{ In the event of a snake not sloughing properly, it will need to be soaked in tepid water for a couple of hours. This is best done in a plastic bin with a tight fitting lid. Do not fill the bin beyond where the snake can sit comfortably with its head out of water. A small branch can be placed in the bin to assost the snake in removing its old skin} end quote.
From Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons. Mike Swan Herp Books. P 31

 

[thomasssss]

You can leave dead and rotting skin on your snakes eyes if you like, no one will stop you.
I however, will take the advice of said Mr Swan (editor) and the 16 vets, doctors, breeders, keepers, scientists and herpetologists who contributed to his book and make sure that every shed includes the tail tip and spectacle covers are completely removed.
Just dont tell others asking for advice not to worry about leaving some dead rotting skin on thier snakes eyes, that will possibly blind thier snake and might cost them some gigantic vet bills in the future if the skin is not cleared.

dont try to imply that i have told them not to worry about it i never once said that i said that if they don't remove easily that they are better left until next shed as this can cause serious damage what part of the " if they don't remove easily" don't you understand mr ratbag and thats ok you can force a stuck eye cap off blinding your snake but don't tell others to do the same

Quote{ This is best done in a plastic bin with a tight fitting lid. Do not fill the bin beyond where the snake can sit comfortably with its head out of water. } end quote.
From Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons. Mike Swan Herp Books. P 31

oh i love that earlier in the thread you said that to put a snake into a tub with water that you may as well just drown it and be done with it and yet now your quoting it out of a book thought it was a bad idea ratbag or do you only follow some of their advice you still haven't answered weather or not that book has a warning about if the eye caps are stuck ?

 

[CaptainRatbag]

Where did I say to force it off? If it were my snake and its eye caps were still on even following above quoted advice, I would be taking mine to a vet. There is no way I would be leaving dead and rotting skin on my snakes eyes til the next shed?

If you would, thats completely up to you. I just dont think you should advise someone asking about it to just leave it til it hopefully comes off in the next shed. As you can see in his second post ^ he thinks he has no worries, thanks to your advice :shock: I certainly hope he gets to see there is some more advice saying it is not a "no worries" situation and he might act a to further investigate.... just to be sure

 

[citrus]

Do you two want to get a room or something? Seriously both of you google experts should just shut up no one wants to here it..... No "experts" are going to reply to this thread because why waste their time reading all the bs you two are going on with