My little hognose had a retained eyecap (several sheds worth) when I got him. He shed and it was still there so I did the qtip method and it worked great. It was really hard to get off though, it was rock hard in the middle, but soft enough on the edges that I was able to work it out. I wish I had known about the pillowcase method though. I will remember this just in case it happens again! Glad to know it worked in this case.