Bad shed still w/ photos

[nikkik85]

So I checked out Khan this morning and he is still not having an easy time shedding. I made a humid hide, started to spray the tank and made sure the humidty stayed a little higher than normal... Here is how he is shedding, the bottom of him came off first.

Also, he still has a small piece left on his eye from his shed a couple weeks ago... Any suggestions? I was gonna see if it will come off with this shed. Is that a good idea?

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/230231_10150584943325147_683060146_18518055_348805 6_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/227922_10150584943525147_683060146_18518058_239818 0_n.jpg

[Gungirl]

Why not put him in a tub with a wet towel for a while and let him use that to help gently rub off the shed?

[nikkik85]

Yes I did that his last shed and Ill do that when I get home from work but I wasnt sure if anyone had suggestions(so it doesnt get to this point) so I dont have to handle him to take him out. Im trying not to stress him out.

[sickvenom]

Also, he still has a small piece left on his eye from his shed a couple weeks ago...


are you referring to the eye cap? if so, it should have been removed shortly after his last shed. you don't want to leave that on there. there are various methods of removing them, do a search here to find some ideas. it can be a tricky process and it has to be done right or you risk injuring your snake.

Any suggestions? I was gonna see if it will come off with this shed. Is that a good idea?

did you ever see it use the humid hide? what is your humid hide constructed of? also, is it properly hydrated? they do drink water.

[Damion930]

Do you keep a water dish in his enclosure I know a lot of care sheets say not to as they are sensitive to humidity but I found a lot of ppl have no problems keeping a small dish in all the time I have a small dish with a lid with a small hole cut in the top for access so most of the moisture stays in the dish also when I add my humid hide when mine goes into blue I introduce(put her in it) a few times and she uses it regularly I have also heard of people wetting a small area of substrate as well have not tried this yet myself

[nikkik85]

are you referring to the eye cap? if so, it should have been removed shortly after his last shed. you don't want to leave that on there. there are various methods of removing them, do a search here to find some ideas. it can be a tricky process and it has to be done right or you risk injuring your snake.



did you ever see it use the humid hide? what is your humid hide constructed of? also, is it properly hydrated? they do drink water.


Of course! He has a water dish in there. The humid hide is lined with damp paper towels in a margerine container. I made it a few days ago for him because I knew he was going to shed...

I am referring to the eye cap. You can se about half of it on his eye, Ive been doing research, just wondering if anyone here had ideas :)

[nikkik85]

This is something I found... What do you think about the tape? I wouldnt want to do that
"Soak the snake in a warm bath for 10-20 minutes.

Remove from bath and dab mineral oil (available from drug or grocery store) on each eye with a cotton-tipped swab. Return snake to tank.

The retained shed should come off within 24 hours. If it doesn't:
Wrap your four fingers with scotch-type tape, sticky side out.
GentlyGentlyGently touch the tape to the eye and rock the tape across the eye, from nose to neck.
If this doesn't work, wait until the next shed. Then, the day that the eyes clear from being opaque, soak the snake in a warm bath. Return to enclosure.
When the snake starts working on loosening and removing the head shed, get in there and assist, gently working the shed back over each of the eyes, keeping the shed moist, to make sure both eyecaps are removed.
Do not use forceps, tweezers or other sharp, hard, pointed objects to try to remove the shed from the eye!
"

[Lankyrob]

Please dont use sticky tape of any kind near your snake, if you do a search just on this forum let alone the internet in general you will some horrific injuries from tape getting stuck on snakes. Instead there is a thread on here about removing eyecaps, search for that and hey presto you have your solutn! ;) :)

[stephanbakir]

Tape vs eyes is a scary thought.

[nikkik85]

I thought so. That's why I like this site, you get information from more than one person and most people know what they are talkin about :)

[nikkik85]

Please dont use sticky tape of any kind near your snake, if you do a search just on this forum let alone the internet in general you will some horrific injuries from tape getting stuck on snakes. Instead there is a thread on here about removing eyecaps, search for that and hey presto you have your solutn! ;) :)


There is actually a wikiHow site on how to remove duct tape from uyour snakes. WTF how does duct tape get stuck on your snake??? And how does it happen so often they need a wikiHow site?? Poor snakeys with dumb parents

[nikkik85]

Oh and last night I covered all side of the the aquarium and the top, put in more substrate and he was in the humid hide all night... This morning there was a nice long strip of shed :D I was so happy. He still has some on him but Im gonna try to not handle him for a bit, let him destress and get rid of the shed and maybe he will eat next week :) YAY!!

[stephanbakir]

You shouldn't need to cover the top, but congrats on finding a method that works.

[sickvenom]

Did the eye caps come off?

[Jendee]

a wet snake bag!! put your snake in a cloth bag or tube sock..wet it, let sit for 20 mins and voila!! :D

[Stormy Night]

I have issues with the snake bag theory. First off id be afraid someone would read JD's post and for some not smart reason, put a snake in a bag and soak it in the sink. Blub...blub..Mr. slithers is no more. And the tube sock Thing? If I stuck my BPs in a sock ..I wouldn't. That's not enough room to move around. And I'm not sure if soaking a bag with a Snake in it has an effect on the ability to breath or not. I would think water makes cloth heavier and not as fluffy, airy and breathable. I'd rather go with tub soaks and wet towels. And he I would think needs more humidity. Misting, fountains, wet towlel left in his enclosure for a couple hours, baths, dish of water under a heat source, ..ect

[stephanbakir]

a wet snake bag!! put your snake in a cloth bag or tube sock..wet it, let sit for 20 mins and voila!! :D

What Jendee said was to wet the bag FIRST then take the bag out of the water and place the snake inside it.

[Stormy Night]

Yea. you soak a bag, stick in a snake...does the wetness effect the breathability at all? Kind of like getting out of a pool with your cloths on. They stick around you.

[Jendee]

thats the whole point, the snake will rub there skin off on the warm humid wet cloth while trying to find there way out. Ive used this method several times with my boas. the tube sock works great you want something small and constricting so that it contacts your critter and helps remove the shed.obviously you wouldn't submerge your snake in a bag lol this isn't rocket science

[Stormy Night]

So I guess ill just answer my own repetative question..ill assume they can breathe. In 15 years I've never had a humidity issue so I've had no need to really deal with the issue. And yes it is extremely obvious. And as an example of the numerous ppl I deal with (I'm an animal rehaber); This couple contacts me because they have an iguana in a shoe box and it looks sickly. So after I basically swallow the rocks I'd like to stone them to death with. I tell them exactly what they are doing wrong and direct them,to lights, calcium powder, WATER, and food. I listed off random things that came to mind. Shreded squash, zucchini, carrots, split grapes and fruit, romaine lettuce NEVER iceberg ..and a bunch of others. I made the mistake of saying "pretty much anything in the produce aisle except for onions and tomatoes"...so they took my instructions..and got walnuts for protein, egg shells for calcium because it was cheaper than buying powder, mixed fruit cocktail in heavy syrup because it was cheaper than actual fruit...and that was it. They decided it hadnt pooped since they got it so it must be constipated. And because i told them NOT to feed them iceberg lettuce because it causes massive diarrhea and malnutrition ..they decided they'd flush his system by forcing lettuce down his throat. So
now they give me an iguana that "isn't getting better" because they shredded its stomach
and intestines with egg shells, force fed it horribly ...they were straight up the most ignorant specimens I've ever seen..so I was just pointing out that there are alot of ppl out there that would win every challenge in fail land. They read something and walk away with their own unique interpretation.
Also for the record my first responce was to tell them they needed to take it to a vet ASAP. They said they couldn't. I told them to give it to me and they told me it was their sons and he would be upset. I told them I'd fix it and teach them the ropes of iguanaism and give it back to them with a seious upgrade from a shoe box..and they declined. So there wasn't a whole lot I could do.
Stupid is as stupid does.

[Little Wise Owl]

I'd just soak him for 30 minutes and let him go through a wet towel. Usually works for me.

Stormy Night - What are you even talking about...?

[Stormy Night]

Omg....*sighs*
Jendee said something to the effect of it not being rocket science to know you don't put a snake in a bag in a sink. Which stemed from me saying I'd hate to see some dumb azz misread what she said and think its ok to toss a bagged snake in a tub to soak. Which I followed up by an example of the supreme stupidity people are capable of, and the moral was "don't think stupid doesn't happen"...was I really that vague? Oops....
Bored...moving on now

[Jendee]

wow what a story.

yes they can breath, same as they could in a shipping box or a tub little tiny lungs can live off little tiny air. Most snake can submerge themselves fine for several minutes at a time some species more. Shedding problems don't just come from lack of humidity so adding humidity isn't gonna just fix the problem. The snakebag/tube sock is a quick fix to a bigger problem. Everyone deals with a stuck shed at least once in their reptile keeping life, especially as your number in snakes increase the odds of an issue coming up is greater. I find it impossible to believe when I hear "I have never." I have never is believable for someone who has had one or 2 snakes for a few yrs I have never is not believable for someone who has had 20 plus snakes for 10 plus yrs...

to op..stuck sheds can come from temp/humidty problems, stress and health problems. It sounds to me like you have all the humidity basis covered. Id start looking for other factors that would upset your snakes health and security. and to avoid eye cap problems/tail tip issues...snake bag.. :D

[Stormy Night]

Can't help the truth. I have 45 BPs, two Boas, and a corn. I've been a collector for 15 years and I've never once had a shedding issue. No stuck eye caps, no missed pieces. I'm a humidity natzi and I've also never had a sick snake. I still have my first snake that I got when I was 15. (15 years ago).

[sickvenom]

i put myself in a wet bag and i could breathe just fine.

[Stormy Night]

LMFAO! ....make it plastic and I may just pay to see that.

[stephanbakir]

Guy in my area who supplied pet stores with frozen mice/rats got arrested for using plastic bags to kill his rodents, terrible way to go.

[sickvenom]

Guy in my area who supplied pet stores with frozen mice/rats got arrested for using plastic bags to kill his rodents, terrible way to go.

i'm glad he got arrested.

[sickvenom]

and here's an idiot girl who puts her snake and food in a bag, and then buries it in sand. yay!!!

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-boa-forum/86574-put-snake-bag-bury-sand.html#post606526

[stephanbakir]

Can't think of a rational reason she would do this lol.

[sickvenom]

Can't think of a rational reason she would do this lol.

see, now usually i'd make an off-color joke at this point. but i'll refrain. i've taken enough flak for one week. :yes: