Retained eye cap or injury?

[Lori P]

Guys, just noticed this on Curious-- retained eye cap or injury??

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Curious_retained_cap_crop.jpg

Thanks...

[crzy_kevo]

i dont have any experience with this but i think it looks like a retained eye cap
preggers had an eye injury but it didn't look like that you could still see through her eye cap

[GartersRock]

Hmmm... Yes it looks like a retained cap... I had a juvie yellowbelly racer who was WC with a retained eyecap like that. He was in shed again at the time so it came uf with some gentle help at the next shed. Scared the $^%! out of me though. DOn has him now I think...

[Lori P]

So... I sprayed some Shed Aid on him this morning but that cap didn't budge. I was scared to pull and pry!!!! Please send any more tips?? How do I know if I'm hurting him or pulling too hard???

[crzy_kevo]

i have heard of someone else on here using a piece of tape to get it off

[Lori P]

He was sooo squiggly and we tried some tape but were squeamish about it. I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt him. Sigh... ok, send me strength to try again tonite... if I pull his eye out at least he gets to wear a cool eye patch, right??!!

[crzy_kevo]

well thats true good luck lori but i dont think you will ull his eye out

[infernalis]

We have had a couple retained eye caps, I spray each day with the shed aid and let the snake do the rest.

The critter will rub it off as it loosens.

Not to long ago Limon had a stuck eye cap, I kept it damp with shed aid and in 3 days Limon rubbed it off himself.

[Lori P]

Oooooh thank you!!!! I'll try the less invasive approach!!! :-)

[Zephyr]

And if that fails, just do the tape trick; My female parietalis came with two retained caps and with little effort on my part using tape I was able to get them off. Although there WAS a lot of musk, possibly because I had to hold the snake with one hand and "pry" the caps off with the other. :P

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I have seen retained eyecap before... it happens occasionally... but I have never seen one that was cloudy.... they eyecaps are only cludy during blue and then return to almost normal coloring right before shed and will remain that way even if not shed off. is it just me or does that eye look swollen?!?!

I only ask this because my oldest garter minizack has something the matter with her eye, it appears it has filled with a fluid that was originally clear... now it is cloudy like that picture. Her eye is twice the size of her other one... and i have no idea what it is... needless to say she is quarantined!!!

If it is a retained eyecap... you can find out by examining the skin right under the scales surrounding the eye... and then grab at it with a pair of eyebrow tweezers and pull once you have soaked and softened it :)

[Zephyr]

and then grab at it with a pair of eyebrow tweezers and pull once you have soaked and softened it :)
Eh- I tried this once before. It made me and the snake about 10x more jittery. Then I found the scotch tape trick and both our worries were gone. :)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I have the steady arm of a detail artist, the paience of a stone at the bottom of the ocean... and the tolerance for musk as if I WERE a garter :D

[Zephyr]

I have the steady arm of a detail artist, the paience of a stone at the bottom of the ocean... and the tolerance for musk as if I WERE a garter :D
I have the shakey arms of willow tree, the patience of a mule deer... And the undying love of fresh garter musk in the morning. lol

[Lori P]

LOL!! Aaah, I love the smell of thamnophis musk in the morning.....

I am worried it's more than an eye cap. For one, Curious is not his normal self... he is low key, quiet, not... well, not curious. He's reacting to things but not initiating much movement on his own.

Here is a pic from this morning:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Curious_eye_003_crop.jpg

I emailed pics to my vet and can take him either this aftrnoon or tomorrow.

Poor little Curious!! :-(

[Snaky]

For me it also seems very blurry to be a retained eye cap... It could be, but it seems as if he is still in shed.

I think it's a good idea to go to the vet.

[anji1971]

Poor guy! Hope he gets all sorted out soon, Lori.
I've never seen an eye like that, but it looks like it could be some kind of infection.
Good luck!:)

[Garter_Gertie]

Poor thing! I hope it's nothing serious!

[Charlet_2007]

is it just on that eye?

[Lori P]

Yes, just that eye. I just found out my vet is off today... but he can see us tomorrow. I can take home an antiobiotic ointment for tonite...

[jitami]

Good luck Lori... keep us posted...

[Aundrea]

awwwwww Lori I hope he gets better soon!!! Keep us updated:D

[crzy_kevo]

thinking about it now it looks to me (now this is just a guess) like a retained eye cap that has gotten infected the color of it may be from a build up of puss inside that eye cap (going by pussy color)

anyways hope this all gets sorted out soon best wishes lori

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

like I said.... one of my garters has got the same thing going on :(

[Snake lover 3-25]

that really sucks.... hope they both are alright