Help! Retained Eye Caps!

[Sisuitl]

Okay, this isn't for a corn, but since corns get the exact same problem it should be ok here (right?).

Anyway, I went for a hike and found a very young female pacific gopher snake that was very dehyrated and near death. She had scale rot, and was in the middle of a very messy shed with chunks of dried skin flaking off.

When she got home, I set her up in a hospital/quarantine tank with a humid hide and a good soaking bowl. She shed most of her skin except for on the lower half of her body, and over her eye caps. The scale rot is under control and is being treated with neosporin. She has been examined for mites several times, and none were found.

How do I get the eye caps off without hurting her? I tried to gently manipulate them with a pin, and they seem to be fused with the underlying new eye caps. I tried "greasing" them up with a tiny bit of vaseline on a q-tip, but it hasn't worked. Also, no matter how humid she gets, one of the eye caps looks shriveled. She's been with me for 2 weeks now. I offered her a brained F/T pink, but she wanted nothing to do with it. I suspect she is one of those snakes that will only eat what they can see. She has a good body tone, and doesn't look bad now that she is hydrated again.

Does anybody have any suggestions for her? I'm really worried about her eyes getting infected. :shrugs:

[mrweaw]

I have had problems with my boas shedding in the past and Paul at Reptiles of Ra here in Oregon gave me a good suggestion. Get a predrilled shoe box (or whatever size is appropriate for the snake) and place a warm wet bath towel halfway in the container. The snake goes in next and is loosely covered by the other half of the towel. The lid is placed on the container and it is kept warm but not hot. You really have to keep an eye on the temp because it is a small humid space and they can quickly become overheated or chilled. I then leave them in the warm moist container overnight and as they move through the towel, it gently removes most of the dried skin and the eye caps usually.

I hope you get a solution that works for you. Good Luck!

[Sisuitl]

Okay, for once Murphy's law worked out in someone's favor. After making no progress for 2 weeks, the little booger managed to pry her eye caps off and completely shed on her own, 5 minutes after I first posted. :rolleyes: Thanks for your tips though, I'll keep them in mind for next time!

[PtDnsr]

Just for future reference q-tips and water work well too. The three ball pythons we got all had retained eye caps. I got both sets (2 sets - can you believe it?) off of the male, the set off the first female, and the second female still has one set on (of 2 sets). The male just shed and shed cleanly, albeit with help. Q-tips worked well - soft enough and we just used warm water.

~Katie

[Alias47]

After the wet towel procedure (I use paper towels instead of a bath towel...I also only leave them in for an hour or two)...I usually assist the shed at that point...if possible...and hour or two should be long enought to moisten any of the shed...I either keep wetting them and work the shed slowly and gently by hand...or let them run through a wet towel in my hands...
For the eyecaps and face/head I usually dab/rub at it lightly with a wet paper towel...
If there is any resistance from the stuck skin...don't force it...use more moisture...

Never had a problem removing a shed this way...

Glad to hear the little guy shed for you on his own...

[Sisuitl]

Thanks everyone! As soon as her scale rot clears up completely she'll be ready to go and start eating mice in the fields again. Hopefully she'll live long enough to lay a clutch of eggs some day.

[Alias47]

Mighty kind of you to fix her up and send her back on her way...