Shedding issue

BillyCostume · 02-09-17, 12:24 PM

Hey all, I brought home my amazon tree boa on Monday and he shed the same day. The problem is that he must have been kept rather dry at the store because he had a pretty bad shed. I managed to get the majority of it off by soaking the little guy but I can't seem to get the tail off. It's a pretty large portion from about just below the cloaca to the tip of the tail. It's really dry and even after multiple soaks won't come off. Should I leave it and wait for the next shed to see if it comes off? Now that it's in my care hopefully the next shed will go well.

sattva · 02-09-17, 04:14 PM

Are you soaking him long enough? I soak my guys for an hour in pretty warm water and that seems to do the trick... Also it could be to soon???

**Andy_G** · 02-09-17, 04:25 PM

The best thing for a stuck shed on the tail is to take a wet facecloth, grasp slightly before where the shed skin is all the way around the snake with the cloth, and let the snake crawl forward, the skin will come right off. Extra care is required with arboreal species and their tails so be certain to be gentle and let the snake do the crawling.

TRD · 02-09-17, 04:33 PM

Just soak the guy for at least 30-60 min in lukewarm water (just care that the water isn't that deep he can drown), then just gently rub it off. Don't leave stuck tail or head sheds on your snakes.

If it still doesn't come off, then do not force it. It is stuck for a reason. Either wait for the next shed or seek support from an experienced vet if you believe it may become troublesome.

PS. make sure he actually does have this section stuck by checking his shed. I'm assuming you did that and you're 100% on that he has a stuck shed on his tail..

**Andy_G** · 02-09-17, 04:39 PM

...he's soaked it multiple times and the skin is dry and clearly old shed as mentioned in the original post...perhaps a different method would work better than retrying something that hasn't, especially since the snake hasn't been in posession for more than a couple of days and soaking causes a fair bit of stress...

BillyCostume · 02-09-17, 04:54 PM

I hate all the stress I'm putting him through. I'll try soaking him one more time and gently try to run the retained shed off with a wet face cloth. His tail is just so incredibly thin and fragile I don't want to do him any harm. I'm 100% certain the tail is retained. If it doesn't come off tonight I suppose I'll contact my vet. Never had such a stubborn piece of skin stuck on a snake before. Thanks for the help I'll keep you updated. On the bright side he's only managed to bite me twice lol

BillyCostume · 02-09-17, 06:16 PM

Also how likely is it that this retained piece will cut off circulation to the tail? Is this something that normally happens with multiple bad sheds? The though of him losing his tail is freaking me out a bit

**Andy_G** · 02-09-17, 06:38 PM

The head and the tail are the areas that should always be paid extra attention to as those are what will cause problems such as the possibility of damaging the tail like you mentioned. Especially with an arboreal species having such a thin and delicate tail, the sooner you are able to get that shed off, the better. It does sound like more than one layer.

BillyCostume · 02-09-17, 06:38 PM

Well all has been resolved! I came home from work pulled him out and noticed 90% of the retained shed had been worked off. I guess the couple of soaks and keeping his humidity closer to the 90% range helped. I got the remaining little piece of using a damp face cloth(thanks Andy). Very relieved thanks for all the help folks. Now that he's in my care only perfect sheds from now on...fingers crossed

**Andy_G** · 02-09-17, 06:41 PM

Fantastic news. Now you can leave him be to settle in and try to feed him in a week or so! Enjoy.