help!

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

my milksnake shed but she still has a peice on her eye i heard this can make them blind, what should i do?

[Tori]

Try using scotch tape and barely touch it to the skin. It should pull off easily enough. I usually wrap a piece around my finger and use it that way.

Tori

[zooplan]

Thats a nice trick, Tori.
But Reed, be very carefull only to hit the old skin!
The trick with the wet bag may run as well.

[Loren]

I usually put them in really moist temporary housing- like a sterilite tub with air holes, filled with moist bedding or wet paper towels- and leave them overnight, or mist the cage really well.
I've never tried the scotch tape, but I guess it works. I'd leave it for a couple days trying high humidity first. A day or two with a stuck eyecap wont hurt him.
One of my hondurans seemed to have shedding issues, so I have started misting the cage lightly when I see she is in shed.

[drache]

I've heard about the tape trick, but never had to use it
wet-bagging usually works for me
when I wet-bag, I let the bagsit in a bowl with a small puddle of warm water at the bottom, so it doesn't dry up, and I set the bowl so it's half under a heat bulb and won't get cold, but doesn't overheat either

[Sputnik]

Using scotch tape on the eye seems a little dodgy. I'd go with the wet bag or spraying lukewarm water into the viv to increase humidity.

[tikichick]

So you just put a wet bag in the enclosure? Or do you put the snake inside a wet bag?

[adamanteus]

The idea is to put the snake in the bag. It usually works.:)
Having said that, I had a problem with my little female pickeringii this week..... she shed but retained the spectacles. I wet-bagged her but only one came away. I used sticky tape, wrapped sticky side out around the tip of a pencil, pressed gently against the adherent lens..... it came away easily first attempt.

[Loren]

Just remember that a wet bag- like a pillowcase- probably doesnt breathe well when its wet. Make sure they can get air. Otherwise that sounds like a good trick.

[Tori]

Scotch tape is not very strong, it will only "stick" to anything that is already loose. And you don't actually touch it to the eye, the eye caps will be sticking out from the actual skin. It is very safe.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i soaked her for a very long time and didnt come off i let her roam for a while then soaked her again and lightly touched the side of the eyeball and it came off very easily, there was a complete layer of sking over the eye so im 99.9% sure i did not harm it

[Loren]

Sweet. Glad it came off.
My 2 hondurans are growing like weeds. I got them as hatchlings- they were 14-15 inches long september of 06. I feed them a rodent a week on average, when I first got them I fed them a rodent every 5 days or so. They are 29 and 31 inches long now.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

did you ever have trouble feeding them when they were small??when you fed them when they were small did you move them into a different enclosure or just keep them in theirs? and did you feed them live? mine are around 19-20 inch i keep them in sterilite sweater boxes, is that good? im not really sure what is the best way to feed them i feem them two live fuzzies once a week

Sweet. Glad it came off.
My 2 hondurans are growing like weeds. I got them as hatchlings- they were 14-15 inches long september of 06. I feed them a rodent a week on average, when I first got them I fed them a rodent every 5 days or so. They are 29 and 31 inches long now.

[Loren]

2 fuzzies a week should be ok. When mine were hatchlings, I kept them in sterilite 6 qt tubs. I was going to move them up to sweater box sized ones ( 15 qt?) but when I built my new racks(15 and 32 qt tubs), I went ahead and put them right into the 32 qt tubs, cause I had the room. Eventually, I plan to build a 41 qt tub rack, which will probably be the final stop for the hondurans, but I have to get my rodent shed built first.
15 qt tubs should be fine for a while yet. It would be better to get them upgraded by about 24-25" or so, but realistically, they could probably be ok till about 30" if you cant get their next cage built fast enough.
When they were little, I kept them on paper towels and fed them in the enclosure. When they got to be like 17-18 inches, I put them on aspen, and still fed them in the tub. I just try to hand the mice directly to them with hemostats so they get a clean strike. I personally mostly just worry about impaction with hatchlings and really small snakes, as their systems are so small. Everything else of mine gets fed in the cage. Everyone kinda has their own techniques and opinions on that one.
If in doubt, just feed them in a separate tub on paper towels. I have 61 snakes right now, so it would just be too much work for me. With all my snakes, when I feed thawed, I try to make sure the rodents are dry so bedding doesnt stick to them, and always try to hand them right to the snake.
I think mine always ate good- sometimes live worked better than thawed, but they werent too picky. They eat anything now.

[Loren]

My male.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Honduran_male.JPG

My female.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/honduran_female.JPG

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i want mine to look like that in a year :eek: i think they might be scared of the live mice because they dont take them always ill try f/t using long tweezers and see if i can get them to eat

My male.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Honduran_male.JPG

My female.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/honduran_female.JPG

[Loren]

They are kind of a nervous snake. Disturb them as little as possible on the day of feeding and when offering them food. You can try frozen/thawed as you said, or you could also try fresh killed.
If you feed them in a separate tub- maybe give them a hide in the tub, and leave them in there for a little while so they can settle down before sneaking in there with some food. Make sure the tub is secure, and in a warm enough spot(if you set it on the cold floor- they might lose their appetite).
I just got done feeding mine. The male is in shed, so I just fed the female- she ate 2 small live rat fuzzies. Good chance to try to catch her up in size with the male- he's just a little bigger.
I'm only brumating a few of my snakes, so many of the rest are hit and miss with feeding due to the time of year- so I just feed a few here and a few there. I use alot more live rodents in winter- better feeding sucess. Spring through fall, I feed them all at once, and almost all f/t.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

ok ill see if i can get tthem on a good eating schedule because i want them to be fullgrown in '10 so i can breed them