Shedding with a Scab

[jagodzinski]

So, for those who don't know, Jag has a little scab on her head from rubbing on the screen top (my vet thinks its some sort of breeding season action) and thankfully, that behavior has stopped. The scab is about the size of a mechanical pencil eraser, right on her head.

Jag has not eaten in 14 days and was going to eat tonight, but when I checked on her, she was full-on blue. While she has never had a problem eating in blue, I thought that stress of digesting + shedding with a scab seemed like a bad idea.

So I am trying to make sure this shed is perfect as it can be, considering the scab. And since my humidity is always slightly on the lower end of acceptable, I did something (tell me if this sounds like a bad idea). I dampened some papertowels and put them across (the long way) half of the screen and then I wrapped it in saran wrap to boost the humidity. I only plan on leaving it like this until I go to bed and then I will remove. And Jag also has a humid hide which she is half in/half out of.

So now, the point of this rambling post....
Does anyone have experience with shedding with a scab (especially near head)?
Does my method to raise humidity seem safe?
Do you agree I should put off feeding until after the shed?


Thanks!

 

[jagodzinski]

*Also - just to clarify, there is only saran wrap over half of the screen for obvious reasons.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Do you have a hygrometer in the cage to tell you what the humidity is? If not, how do you know it's too low?

Your method does not sound out of the ordinary.

I do something similar. I have saran wrap over half of the top (screen) and provide a humid hide. I don't do the moist paper towels like you are doing but I do sometimes use a spray bottle and Mist the cage lightly. With all this (Humid Hide, Misting, Saran wrap over half) it causes an increase in humidity from 30% to 55%.

I only do these things during shed - the rest of the time Rufus is fine with the Humidity just the way it is. Keep in Mind, Corn snakes thrive mainly in the Southeastern USA where Humidity can range from 20% to 100% and temps can run from 0 to over 100 and the corn snakes are thriving. They are more Hardy than people give them credit for, unlike some tropical species that need special requirements.

 

[daddio207]

So now, the point of this rambling post....
Does anyone have experience with shedding with a scab (especially near head)?
Does my method to raise humidity seem safe?
Do you agree I should put off feeding until after the shed?!

Yes. The scab will either come off with the shed or that part off the shed will stick to the scab. Hard to say which will be the case.
Your method doesn't seem in anyway harmful really...
Always put off feeding until after a shed. There is no point to feed during one.

They are more Hardy than people give them credit for, unlike some tropical species that need special requirements.

Keeping and breeding both I can't agree more !

 

[jagodzinski]

Thanks guys! My humidity is usually around 30% but obviously in the micro-climate of the moist hide its higher (I estimate around 45%). I usually don't do anything special about humidity except for during winter when heater dries the air I run a humidifier in Jag's room.

And Karl - I know they are hardy! I have reassured many people that very thing. But I still think of my own snake as a precious creature I need to protect very carefully

Hopefully the scab will not interfere with the shed, my concern is that the shed will pull the scab off and it will be an open wound that is more likely to get infected.

Thanks again!

 

[daddio207]

Hopefully the scab will not interfere with the shed, my concern is that the shed will pull the scab off and it will be an open wound that is more likely to get infected.

If it does then dab a small amount of triple antibiotic with no pain killer on it once a day till it scabs over again.
No worries

 

[jagodzinski]

UPDATE: So this morning I woke up and found the Jag had shed. I went through the whole viv and I cannot find the eyecaps or the headpiece. Also the scab is still there. However, her head looks like it shed and her eyes look clear. Unfortunately, I won't be back home until almost 5 but I will search again then.

Any advice?

 

[daddio207]

The head piece could be stuck in a hide or other object where he was rubbing his face to get the shed started. Or it came off in flakes. If you are sure his head and eyes did shed then I wouldn't worry about. If the scab is taking along time to heal then a dab of triple anti-biotic will help speed up the healing process.

 

[DollysMom]

Yeah, i agree with Daddio. I had a head shed piece I only found when I went through every shred of aspen. If the head looks shed, it is. When you can't find a piece of shed it is an alert to examine the snake, but does not definitively mean that part did not shed.

Just want to add to Daddio to say to make sure the triple antibiotic does not say "pain relief". You want it without pain relief. More and more of what I see on the drug store shelf is the wrong stuff to use on snakes.

 

[daddio207]

If it does then dab a small amount of triple antibiotic with no pain killer on it once a day till it scabs over again.
No worries

Just want to add to Daddio to say to make sure the triple antibiotic does not say "pain relief". You want it without pain relief. More and more of what I see on the drug store shelf is the wrong stuff to use on snakes.

Yes!
I mentioned it in an earlier post but neglected to repeat it

 

[DollysMom]

Yes!
I mentioned it in an earlier post but neglected to repeat it

You are probably where I learned it from! Knock on wood, so far I haven't needed to use it myself.