Retained Eye Cap

[guidofatherof5]

While feeding Nova this evening I noticed she had a retained eye cap.
I'm fortunate as there is a small piece of head shed attached to the cap.
Should be an easy removal.
Sorry about Nova's dirty face.

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

[EasternGirl]

Good thing to post a pic of..so that members can see what it looks like. Hi Nova!

[katach]

She looks like she just caught with her hand in the cookie jar.. :D
"What Cracklin' Oat Bran?"

[guidofatherof5]

A warm, damp micro cloth and the retained cap is off.
Nova wasn't to happy about the process but it is done.

[chris-uk]

Useful thread. Thanks Steve.

[EasternGirl]

Good to hear you got it off.

[guidofatherof5]

Just noticed this morning that this female Red Sided garter (T.s.parietalis) has a retained eye cap.
Since it has been on for awhile I will wait for the next shed to take care of the problem.

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

[Natrix]

Thanks for posting Steve.

[guidofatherof5]

*Update*

This is a strange retained eye cap or should I say partial retained cap on the above T.s.p.
Anyone ever seen this before?

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

[kibakiba]

Whoa that looks really weird. What might have caused that?

[guidofatherof5]

Possibly an abrasion to the cap or an infection. I just don't know.

[guidofatherof5]

While checking on my T.s.concinnus males I saw this one with a retained eye cap. Notice in the upper left and lower bottom of the eye there is shed attached to the cap.
This is always good to see as it aids in removal.
Removal for me usually entails a damp cotton cloth and a light rub at the shed skin location. The fibers in the towel catch on the shed and pops the cap off.
This time I tried something new. I have always been steadfast against any kind of tape and snakes but a post by thamneil started me thinking.( http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husbandry/10969-why-check-sheds-2.html#post218826 post #13)

I decided to try a piece of scotch tape, 3M brand. I felt the risk was minimal since the tape would only be in contact with the retained cap. If I were uncertain there was a retained cap I would have never tried this.
I lightly brushed the tape over the cap and it popped right off.
As I said before, I would have never attempted this if I wasn't 100% certain there was a retained cap. I do believe damage can be done if used on a normal eye cap.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//743/medium/eye_cap_retained.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//743/medium/eye_cap_retained2.jpg

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

This is a great thread indeed. I always check the ladies sheds for eye caps. We are lucky to have not had any issues, but it is good information to know just in case!!!

[mikem]

yea, I've heard about scotch tape to remove stuck eye caps. Never had to do it myself...yet. Glad everything went smoothly.

[thamneil]

Good to know that it worked for you Steve! I prefer masking tape myself as the adhesive is extremely weak. Can take multiple tries though. Whatever works!

[guidofatherof5]

Good to know that it worked for you Steve! I prefer masking tape myself as the adhesive is extremely weak. Can take multiple tries though. Whatever works!

I guess in my mind scotch tape would have the weaker adhesive.

[mikem]

you can stick it to a shirt or towel first. The tape will pick up lint from the material and isn't as sticky.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Whats scotch tape?

[guidofatherof5]

The desk dispenser type.

[guidofatherof5]

Just noticed this morning that this female Red Sided garter (T.s.parietalis) has a retained eye cap.
Since it has been on for awhile I will wait for the next shed to take care of the problem.

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


*Update*

This is a strange retained eye cap or should I say partial retained cap on the above T.s.p.
Anyone ever seen this before?

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

*Update*
This female shed the other day and the eye is back to normal.
It took another shed cycle to complete the healing but the eye is looking good.
This was one of those situations where doing nothing was best. The last thing I wanted to do was damage her eye.

[guidofatherof5]

Here is the fixed eye cap and the shed showing the problem cap.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//743/medium/fixed_eye1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//743/medium/fixed_eye11.jpg

[Invisible Snake]

Thanks for sharing the pics, very informative. It looks like you have her in a headlock lol :P

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks for sharing the pics, very informative. It looks like you have her in a headlock lol :P

They are not used to being grabbed and held still.
Most of the time they are in charge.:D

[EasternGirl]

Scotch tape is tape from Scotland...Greg has a whole bunch of it. Just kidding...lol.

Glad you got that eye cap off Steve! Very informative thread.

[guidofatherof5]

Scotch tape is tape from Scotland...Greg has a whole bunch of it. Just kidding...lol.

Glad you got that eye cap off Steve! Very informative thread.

I had nothing to do with it.:D

[mikem]

Glad the eye issue is resolving :)

[guidofatherof5]

Here we have the lone surviving baby T.ordinoides (Northwestern Garter Snake) with both eye caps retained.
She is soaking in a shed box for about 30 minutes then the caps should pop right off with a little assistance from me.
I will use a damp micro-towel to catch the edge of the cap.
It's easy to see the retained cap in the first photo. In the second photo you can see the shed eye socket skin on the front of the eye.
Eye caps are much easier to remove when some of the surrounding shed skin is left.
Great care must be taken to not injure the new lens (brille)

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//780/retained_eye_cap1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//780/retained_eye_cap2.jpg

The lens removal went without any trouble.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//780/to_eye_caps.jpg

[adamanteus]

Nice one, Steve.:)

[chris-uk]

Good information Steve. The photos are good as well, so they will help someone else spot a retained eyecap.

[Greg'sGarters]

Another one of my little tricks that I learned. How to remove a retained eyecap. You go to staples or another office supplies store and buy yourself a little rubber thumb cover (the thing cashiers have for counting money). You put that on and GENTLY AND I STRESS GENTLY rub it over the snakes eye. I like to moisten the area a bit before I do it. After a few rubs, it should come off. PLEASE REMEMBER TO DO THIS GENTLY AS YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE SNAKES EYE!!!

[guidofatherof5]

Bump