Snake has not finished shedding after a month what do i do?

Question

i have been giving warm baths daily and feeding weekly until this week he wont eat. I bought some Repti Shedding Aid recently. It is just his head that wont shed and it appears that one eye is blind looking while you can see the scales over the other eye wanting t shed. It is a juvenile Ball Python about 12 inches long.

Answer 1

First off I am sorry for the people above that were so mean and un-helpful.

What is the humidity in his cage? Try raising it to around 70%. How long are you letting him soak for?

Try getting a Tupperware container with a lid. Put enough water in there to just cover his back(you don't want to make him swim) and put the lid on it. Let him soak in there for about 30 mins. When you take him out let him slither through a towel. That should take care of it. If not place him in a pillow case with a damp rag and tie it shut. Put him on the warm side of his cage for about 24 hours. If that still hasn't worked try repeating that ever other day until it is all gone.

As far as him not eating that isn't a big deal right now. If it is just the first time he has missed. They can go quite a long time without eating. His eye will be fine once the old shed has come off of it. Just make sure it does come off.

It sounds like you have a problem shedder so you may have problems like this every time. Next time just raise his humidity to about 70% from the time you see his eyes blue until he is done. Our girl is the same way. Good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the situation to me. Now, what you need to do in addition to the baths is to take a warm damp washcloth and gently rub it over your snake's face. This should help with the remainder of the skin. Also, what substrate (bedding) are you keeping him on? Newspaper is far too dry, and aspen can irritate their skin. Try a 50/50 mix of EcoEarth or Bed-A-Beast (they're both made from coconut fiber and come in bricks but EcoEarth is cheaper and comes in larger quantities) with Jungle Bed. This mix rettains moisture without mildewing and keeps the humidity up. Also, depending upon where you live, you may want to mist your snake's terrarium anywhere from once a day in very dry locales to once a week in damper locations. Ball pythons require a humidity of at least 50% in order to shed properly. This is a very common problem for them. Don't worry about your snake looking blind; if you follow these simple steps you snake should shed those eyecaps with the next shed or before with the washcloth treatment. Just be gentle when rubbing it's face. If it does not shed its eyecaps with its' next shed, go to http://www.arav.org for a list of reptile vets in your area. Don't try to remove the eyecap with tweezers or you could risk permanently blinding your snake. Best of luck.

Answer 3

My ball python will not eat until all the skin from his head has shed. I would get a clean spray bottle and fill it with water and squirt his head a few times a day. Also if you don't have anything rough in the cage like a log or rocks then put something rough in their for him to rub against. I wouldn't worry about him not eating for a few week.s In the wild snakes can go months without food. Also make sure that the cage is warm enough...this may be why he's not eating.

Answer 4

Well, if you've been giving him baths and have done all you can to help him shed, I'd have to say you're looking at a larger problem. He's a young Ball Python which means he's going to prone to complications like this due to his age, not to mention more susceptible to illness. I'd suggest taking him to an exotics vet and see what they have to say, ruling out the possibility of mites and skin diseases. If he's having problems primarily around the eyes, you could be looking at an optical problem, not just a shedding problem. Like I said, take him to an exotics vet and see what they have to say, I really don't think you're dealing with just a shedding problem at this point. Good luck and I hope everything works out!

Answer 5

my ball python doesn't shed his lower half. i give warm baths to soften skin and then lightly and gently rub dead skin off. do you have a good pet store around you? the one in our town will let us bring the animal in and tell us what to do. maybe a vet or internet site. i have never used a shedding aid. make sure he has enough humidity in his cage and plenty of fresh water.try searching " ball python eyecap", see what you find.

Answer 6

After a bath, rub him gently with a damp washcloth. He is probably very uncomforatable. Apart from the washcloth treatment, I don't know. Take him to a good vet who specializes in exotic pets if the washcloth treatment doesn't work.

Answer 7

They have got to keep hot or their our bodies will begin shutting down. The hot facet demands to stick within the top 80s. You can cross to the puppy retailer and get a warmness emitter that may keep on all day and night time, it does not supply off any mild. My bet is that he is now not losing given that he's too bloodless.

Answer 8

put it in a container of water for a couple of hours then take it out and run your hand down it gently and it should come off. I had the same prob. I called my vet and that is what he suggested, it worked for me

Answer 9

let him take the process naturally and make sure he has lots of stuff in the tank that he can use to rub up against. Little twigs and stuff help to exfoliate the dead skin.

Answer 10

My dad finished his sheddin two days but it was sold as a kit.

Snakes don't have opposing thumbs and that make it difficult to handle tools. It bound to be a bit slower.