Sal, short for Salazar (for you HP fans)

cwburns32 · 08-12-16, 08:43 PM

Thought I'd share a few pics of my lil Tara, Salazar. Yes, Salazar Slytherin from Harry Potter. He is about 190 grams, around 24" long and 11 months old.

He hasn't pooped in 2 feedings/43 days but doesn't seem fluffy or blocked up so he was fed today for the 3rd time as he was cruising after he shed earlier this morning. He has a about a 1/4" left on his tail - what is the best way to help him get it off. I heard a little bit of olive oil can easily do the trick? I will of course leave him be for 48 hours but then I'll try helping him get the little bit off. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the pics!

cwburns32 · 08-12-16, 08:46 PM

A few more!!

**Minkness** · 08-12-16, 09:14 PM

What a perfect name for a beautiful snake!

As for the shed. Lightly warmed water in a tupperware for 10-15 mins then gently rub off with a towel. =)

SWDK · 08-12-16, 09:21 PM

Sal is coming along nicely. You would want to get that section of stuck shed off sooner rather than later. You can do what mink said and do a warm water soak, which will loosen it up nicely. Or you can spray down the enclosure and see if it comes off naturally. I normally do the warm water soak to get it off quick and easy.

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-12-16, 10:24 PM

If it isn't stuck, I generally just roll it off with my fingers. If it's stuck, give it a quick soak first.

He's looking good, coming along nicely. Really love how dark and thick that head spear is.

REM955 · 08-12-16, 10:49 PM

Another note: didn't we just have another thread where the OP used olive oil and it did badly for him? Or was that just what someone else mentioned, like caused more bad then it did good?

cwburns32 · 08-12-16, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

What a perfect name for a beautiful snake!

As for the shed. Lightly warmed water in a tupperware for 10-15 mins then gently rub off with a towel. =)

Sounds good, thank you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWDK

Sal is coming along nicely. You would want to get that section of stuck shed off sooner rather than later. You can do what mink said and do a warm water soak, which will loosen it up nicely. Or you can spray down the enclosure and see if it comes off naturally. I normally do the warm water soak to get it off quick and easy.

I helped him a bit before I let him go bask and digest but couldn't get it all. I know you are supposed to leave them be for a few days after eating but it sounds like you think it'd be best to get it off ASAP and not worry about letting him be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

If it isn't stuck, I generally just roll it off with my fingers. If it's stuck, give it a quick soak first.

He's looking good, coming along nicely. Really love how dark and thick that head spear is.

It is stuck, I'll give it a soak but like mentioned above considering waiting until Sunday evening or a full 48 hours so he can digest properly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by REM955

Another note: didn't we just have another thread where the OP used olive oil and it did badly for him? Or was that just what someone else mentioned, like caused more bad then it did good?

I just have heard of people using olive oil in the past. Not a ton, and certainly not whole body use but this is a small 1/4" piece at the very back of the tail. In any case, I'll likely just soak him for 10-15 minutes.

Thank you all for your insight!

**Minkness** · 08-12-16, 11:18 PM

If you have to use oil, I suggest mineral oil. It's lighter and not as greasey and in my experience doesn't do any harm.

**Tsubaki** · 08-13-16, 04:18 AM

Never use oil if you can avoid it, I was the one warning about oil. Posted a video of a snake that was treated with oil, that promptly went into shed a few times in a row until it had 3(or more?) layers of cardboard like skin stuck on its body and couldn't move anymore. On my phone right now I'll try your find the topic later.

cwburns32 · 08-13-16, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

If you have to use oil, I suggest mineral oil. It's lighter and not as greasey and in my experience doesn't do any harm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Never use oil if you can avoid it, I was the one warning about oil. Posted a video of a snake that was treated with oil, that promptly went into shed a few times in a row until it had 3(or more?) layers of cardboard like skin stuck on its body and couldn't move anymore. On my phone right now I'll try your find the topic later.

I don't have to use oil, I can of course use some warm water but my concern is that he is in digesting right now and I know typically you are supposed to wait 48 hours after feeding before handling. Do you think it is safe to soak him Sunday evening and wait 36 hours or should I get after it today?

**Minkness** · 08-13-16, 08:27 AM

I've had one I had to help shed 12 hours after feeding. She did fine. So long as you don't have a particularly nervous snake, I don't see it being a hard rule to wait a certain number of hours. Thisbis my opinion and pwrsonal experience though. I am by no means an expert, and there are people with far more experience than me who can chime in on this.

**Andy_G** · 08-13-16, 10:29 AM

One great reason to not even offer food in shed is to be able to offer help immediately after if there are problem spots. Food for thought.

A damp cloth that's held while the snake crawls through it works extremely well for this situation. Just grasp firmly but gently before the stuck tail shed and the snake will crawl forward and the shed will come rolling off. Easier than soaking or doing the sauna and adding extra steps.

cwburns32 · 08-13-16, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

I've had one I had to help shed 12 hours after feeding. She did fine. So long as you don't have a particularly nervous snake, I don't see it being a hard rule to wait a certain number of hours. Thisbis my opinion and pwrsonal experience though. I am by no means an expert, and there are people with far more experience than me who can chime in on this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

One great reason to not even offer food in shed is to be able to offer help immediately after if there are problem spots. Food for thought.

A damp cloth that's held while the snake crawls through it works extremely well for this situation. Just grasp firmly but gently before the stuck tail shed and the snake will crawl forward and the shed will come rolling off. Easier than soaking or doing the sauna and adding extra steps.

Soaked him for 10 minutes in a tub of warm water, he seemed to enjoy it. Then took him out and used a warm wash cloth to remove the last 1/4" of skin on his tail. Came off after a few rubs. Went right back in to his warm hide, all skin off. Thanks for all the insight everyone!

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-13-16, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REM955

Another note: didn't we just have another thread where the OP used olive oil and it did badly for him? Or was that just what someone else mentioned, like caused more bad then it did good?

I think it was mineral oil, not olive oil. Mineral oil is really really harsh on their skin, I'd advise olive oil over mineral oil, but there's really no need to use either. A 20-30 min soak in lukewarm water should do the trick.

Usually it takes excessive use of mineral oil to slough the coating on the skin, but if we took what that person said at face value, even just once can damage their skin.