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Ugly eye -stuck eye cap or infection? What to do?

azhketh

azhketh

New member
I feel so stupid, like I've let my boy Spyro down. Check this pic and let me know what you think it is and what I should do. It looks like a retained eye cap from a previous shed. I gave him a 'snake sauna' the first day I noticed it, and I've been misting his tub, checking on him occasionally without messing with him too much. Just let him do his thing. And now look at it. What is this? Did I wait too long? Can I do something at home or do I need to get him to the vet asap? :awcrap:

 
That does *Not* look good. If I were you, and it didn't go away after a shed, I would be at the vet.
 
Looks like it's infected to me, I'd take him to a vet ASAP. My favorite snake of all had something that looked similar, although hers had swollen up a lot more by the time I could get her into the vet. She actually lost the eye but did live for 6 months or so afterward, until she eventually died from complications from all the swelling in her head from the infection or so I think. She was a garter snake baby and only 3 grams when she got the infection, so that made everything harder, not as much the vet could do for a snake that small.
 
Damn, k, I'll call my vet straightaway. I feel like such a stupid n00b. He's never had a bad shed so I guess I just became complacent and that he'd work it out himself.
 
Don't feel too bad, if it's similar to what mine had, it can pop up really fast and there might not have been anything you could have done to prevent it.
 
Thanks guys.

Spyro had his vet appointment today and they said it is a retained spectacle; actually, the left eye had looked fine until this morning when I went to put him in a tub to take to the vet, so looks like he retained on both eyes.

Vet said it could damage the eyes to remove the spectacles, so instead prescribed an antibiotic ointment to put on the eyes every 12 hours for the next 7-10 days. Also, I need to (and have) put a shoebox with a damp towel inside, closed with a hole somewhere for Spyro to get in. If I don't see him use it, I have to give him a 30min soak that day. The spectacles should come off during the next shed; if they don't, I have to take him back in.

However, I saw what looked like a white mite on Spyro's head when I gave him his treatment! He either got it from the vet or the new bag of aspen I bought to change out his cage. Are snake mites typically white? I thought they were red/black.
 
Oh. I just saw a post in another thread by you, Nanci. Aspen mites? Hmphf. First time I've seen mites from that Walmart aspen. Guess I'll remove it from the tank, and freeze the two bags I bought.
 
Wow- I guess I was wrong! The retained spectacle I experienced, with Fred- what an ordeal. His eye looked almost normal, though, you could only see it in a photo.

I was first instructed to put Vaseline Intensive Care lotion on it, and soak him in Betadine (weak tea strength) twice a day. After a recheck, we went to opthalmic ointment, on as many times a day as I could manage- so his eye was never dry, and continue soaks. He shed it right off. He also had an inflammation from rubbing it, so he had to have drops inside his mouth, that would run up into his sinus. He loved that!

Aspen mites won't hurt the snake. They are just bothersome.
 
Whew, that does sound like a bit of work! I had to apply the ointment for about 10 ten days at 5am and 5pm, and mist the shed box every day, but that's all.

Spyro shed today! Left eye looks normal, right eye (the one pictured earlier that looked really bad) looks better but still a bit hazy. Not sure if it's a bit of damage, or if he shed the bad eyecap but still has on the more recent one?

I need to check his shed in a minute to see if I can actually see the eyecaps. Might try sending the pic to the vet as well, see if they'll respond without me having to actually go in.

The...pupil? The black part? (lol) It does react to light shined at it, so I'm taking that as a good sign.


(click for larger pic)
 
Well- it looks better! It's hard to say without seeing it in person. I don't think (but I'm not a vet) he can actually damage the eye just by a retained spectacle.
 
Ah, well that's good. Hopefully by next shed he'll be back to normal.

Here's a better pic, which I'm going to send off to the vet to see if I need to take him back in.

(click for larger)

 
Ew. I just looked. Yes. lol. That ain't pretty. I can tell the extra attention to humidity has helped though, this shed skin is quite soft.

 
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