shedding trouble

[drache]

hi
Coffee, the very one of my new Xenochrophis, who's been in less good shape from the beginning, is trying to shed. the problem is that while his skin is kind of loose already all over his body, it's not on his head. Either his head just isn't ready, or it's already shed. But if it was the latter, the rest of the skin should come off easily, since it's loose, so I think it's the former.
I've got him in a wet bag since this morning. Last night I still thought he was going to do it on his own.
Any additional hot tips will be most welcome

[Cazador]

Be sure to keep the wet bag in a fairly warm place, like in his enclosure, so he doesn't get too cold. You could also add a rough rock or fine sandpaper (~120 grit) to give him something to rub against. Just don't carry the bag around with the rock and snake both inside it at the same time.

Rick

[LeapinLeo]

But you dont want to rough of sand paper because that could shred its real skin underneath

[adamanteus]

The wet bag should do it Rhea. Keep us posted!

[drache]

the wet bag
and the stuff came off in shreds
some of it I helped rub off with the wet bag
never found the brille of either eye
the eyes look normal to me and Jeff
how obvious is it when the brille has not been shed?

[Cazador]

Hi Rhea,

I'm glad it shed for you, but the "brille" is very subtle and hard to see unless there's a bit of whitish skin showing in the corner of the eye or around the edge. Try taking a very close, macro picture of each eye and zoom in on the picture to look for that tell-tale extra bit of whitish skin.

Rick

[drache]

I tried that last night and the little guy just wouldn't hold still for me.
I did look with a magnifying glass, but again - I didn't see anything.
after how that shed came off, I do think there's a good chance the brilles are still unshed.
I didn't put the snake back in the wet bag, but I did make sure there's a hide with damp moss in the enclosure.
more later

[Ameivaboy]

"IF" it's still there it will surely come off with the next shed, when i got this python regius it had it's eye cap stuck (crappy picture but you can see it)
I couldnt get it off with any of the usual methods and was too stuck to pull of safely with tweezers so i let him ride it out tell his next shed and no more eye cap



http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/Ameivaboy/AGF00102.jpg

[Cazador]

The biggest problem is that when that old skin dries, it hardens and contracts and can lead to blindness. If the brilles/spectacles aren't on the old shed, they're almost certainly still on the snake. I'd at least give it one more overnight wet bag attempt because it's a harmless procedure, and there's nothing to lose by trying it even if the brille/spectacle has already come off during the last attempt.

Rick

[drache]

I've already put him back in the bag this morning
because I found some more shed on his side
you know, his shed came off in so many shreds
and then he was in the bag
then back in the cage . . .
I'm not sure that I'd necessarily find the brille, if he lost one
this morning, I looked straight down on his head, and it seemed that one eye was bulging out more than the other

[drache]

I checked him again and there was more shed coming off his neck
so now I think the head hasn't shed yet
he took two pinkies
and back into the bag
he's been in there forever, it seems

[adamanteus]

The wet bag won't do any harm Rhea. More important to get that old skin off him, especially the brille. Stick with it, it will work, but keep him warm!

[drache]

the female shed as well and I haven't found the head part of that shed yet, so I put her in the bag with him
the other male is getting ready to shed
there are pieces of shed all over the tank and floating in the water
nothing looks like head, although there are some stringy wet pieces

[drache]

I'm giving up
by this morning the damn bag was dry and there weren't any new pieces of shed
I'm just gonna see whether Sean from the rescue can look at them
I want to know whether they need to be in the wet bag, not just assume that they do, because I haven't found the shed
he'll know what he's looking at and I'm sure he's got better eyesight than me

[Cazador]

As I was reading your last couple posts, I was thinking that it might be time to see the vet. It's not the shedding issue... that's just the symptom of the problem. Hopefully, the rescue guy will be just as helpful.

Just a thought, Rhea, but you might consider waiting till your other male finishes shedding and take them all three at once.

[drache]

As I was reading your last couple posts, I was thinking that it might be time to see the vet. It's not the shedding issue... that's just the symptom of the problem. Hopefully, the rescue guy will be just as helpful.

Just a thought, Rhea, but you might consider waiting till your other male finishes shedding and take them all three at once.

I'd just taken them and the vet said that the sheds might be weird until they shed out the remnants of parasite damage

Sean said that if they were doing otherwise okay, I needn't freak out
to give it another shed cycle
and meanwhile to make sure they have access to a damp hide

they're doing pretty well otherwise . . .

[crayguns]

I had a common boa constrictor for about 27 years. During winters he would often have trouble shedding. I'd soak him in the bath tub for a while. If the eyecaps didn't come the first time, I'd let his eyecap stay till next shed. If it didn't come off then after the tub soak, I'd put him on the counter and use the roughness of a wash cloth, or my finger print to tease the eyecap off. If this didn't work, I took the tiny tweezers from my Swiss army knife and then removed the eyecaps.
The aforementioned operations were done V E R Y C A R E F U L L Y and S L O W L Y. Of course Desmond and I seemed to be on the same page. He seemed to understand I was on his side. A very patient and understanding snake.
Of course doing this with a foot long snake is quite different than with a 7 footer. I hope though this will be of some help.

[adamanteus]

It sounds as though you're quite an experienced keeper, crayguns. The use of tweezers is certainly effective, but I would advise caution for some of our less experienced keepers. One small slip could spell disaster.

One method I have used numerous times in the past is to roll sticky tape, sticky side out, around a finger tip, then press this gently against the brille (eye-cap). This will normally solve the problem.

[drache]

well
thanks for the advice
at this point he's shedding again and we'll see how that goes
tomorrow
which, as they say
should be a better day

[drache]

okay
so the little guy is going through another bad shed
this time not as bad as last time
but still
i haven't found any head shed
I have been wet-bagging him
and the shed has come off in pieces again
do the spectacles feel hard when they're wet?
I've always only felt them when the shed was done and they were dry and hard
if they're soft when wet, I might have missed them
I'm still wet-baggiing him now
I just can't imagine two layers of old shed on his head wouldn't somehow be visually apparent

[Thamnophis]

Rhea, the spectacles are soft when they come off.
Normally you can see it clearly when one or two shed are still on the head.

Do not worry to much. Some snakes always shed in pieces.

[drache]

I'm pretty sure that this one's just shedding out the damaged skin
this is his second shed in less than two weeks
I did manage to get a better look at his head in better lighting, and I believe there is still shed on his head
I am not too worried yet
he seems otherwise fine and is eating
I will call the vet tomorrow, if it doesn't come off

[Cazador]

Rhea,

Try something for me. Get the snake's head real wet, and rub it's bottom jaw downward with your finger and fingernail. Don't push/scrape too hard. You're trying to separate any skin that might be retained from the gumline. It is really important to get the skin nice and wet first, though. Rub it several times... maybe 15-20 before stopping, but move around the gumline/lower jaw. Maybe you'll loosen some skin if it's still there. Again, you're trying to separate retained skin from the front of the snake, starting at the gumline.

Rick

[drache]

thanks Rick
I've sort of tried to do that
except going the wrong direction - starting from the neck
I tried rubbing his nose, but even though he's really mellow and seems to get that I'm trying to help him, he wouldn't go for that
I'm at work now, so the next installment will have to wait 'til later
I'm spending so much time with this little guy, my beardie is giving me dirty looks

[Cazador]

Sometimes it helps to put the snake's body in a bag or pillow case so that it can't thrash around too much and hurt itself.

Rick

[drache]

yeah
I been rubbing his face mostly when he's still in the wet bag
he's really a mellow little guy
he just hates his face futzed with, so he yanks it away
he's still so skinny and seems a bit fragile, so I'm afraid to grip him too firmly

[KITKAT]

Are there hard items in the cage for him to rub on? A branch, for example...?

I have had one incident where the eyecaps did not appear on the shed, but they were also not on the snake. I am not sure what happened, but they somehow detached from the shed, and the next time he shed, there was no problem...

[drache]

I wonder . . .
I haven't looked today yet
and I did a really stupid thing yesterday (mostly to myself)

I have a vet appointment on Monday, reserved zipcar and everything
so yesterday, I get everything ready, go to the garage, get the car and go, wondering why someone keeps trying to get me on the phone
I'm on the parkway though, so I don't pick up
when I get parked at the vet's I call back
it's the zipcar people, telling me I have no reservation
I argue with the guy while I walk into the vet's, where they promptly tell me the vet's on vacation and that my appointment is on Monday - just about the same time the zipcar guy tells me I have a car reserved for Monday
fecal matter!!!
what a fricking waste of time just when I least need it
oh well
overwhelm just does not make for clarity