Potential shed issue

[guidofatherof5]

Any breaks you put in the old shed will help reduce its ability to constrict. Any skin shed will come of with the next shed.

[d_virginiana]

Okay. I'll keep doing that then. The couple drops of vegetable oil I rubbed into her skin last night seemed to help a lot with that. Nothing was flaking off previously.

[Selkielass]

I read somewhere that papaya juice/ enzymes can help break down a tough shed and give some relief.Has anyone here ever soaked a shedbound snake in papaya juice? (Meat tenderizer is the same enzyme, but the salt levels are kind of scary.)

[d_virginiana]

I've been flaking the old scales off of her for awhile this morning. A LOT of them are starting to come off, and some of the belly scales as well. I can tell more of a difference in the areas I've gotten most of them off of now, both with the color and texture. She's not moving as stiffly as she was before, and the skin doesn't have that weird papery feeling any more.

[guidofatherof5]

Progress. That's good.

[Ruth]

I read somewhere that papaya juice/ enzymes can help break down a tough shed and give some relief.Has anyone here ever soaked a shedbound snake in papaya juice? (Meat tenderizer is the same enzyme, but the salt levels are kind of scary.)

I wonder if pineapple would have the same effect, it certainly removes top layers of human skin. Be a bit odd rubbing a snake with pineapple cubes though

i actually just read that its paticually good for removing dead skin but can have a dehydrating effect. I'm sure if it was a good idea someone would of thought of it before and I can't find any info of people having done so, so there must be a good reason why not.

[guidofatherof5]

I wonder if pineapple would have the same effect, it certainly removed top layers of human skin. Be a bit odd rubbing a snake with pineapple cubed though

Interesting thought. Maybe take an old shed and see how the pineapple effects it.

[Ruth]

Strangely enough one of my snakes shed today and we ate pineapple today lol if only I had known. Pineapple removes warts and such and you can remove your finger prints with it. I would think you would have to be incredibly careful though as snakes absorb much more than we do through their skin. Maybe if you had a horrendous situation where things were hopeless it would be worth a go.

[Selkielass]

I wonder if pineapple would have the same effect, it certainly removes top layers of human skin. Be a bit odd rubbing a snake with pineapple cubes though

i actually just read that its paticually good for removing dead skin but can have a dehydrating effect. I'm sure if it was a good idea someone would of thought of it before and I can't find any info of people having done so, so there must be a good reason why not.

But I have read of people doing so- but it was back in the 80's when papaya juice and enzymes were big in the health market. I don't know if it never caught on or if there were negative effects. We didnt have the intarwebs back then.

[d_virginiana]

Having just removed a large portion of her skin by hand, and feeling how soft the new skin is when it's first exposed, I'd be afraid to use the juice except as a last resort. I feel like that new skin could get irritated or even burned by the acid really quickly. I'm paranoid that just my fingernails are going to irritate it.

In other news, I'm done with the 'brushing' for today I think. After two sessions, Harley just seemed really exhausted. I got most of the scales off her sides and back, and a considerable amount of the belly scales off. She's still trying to get her shed started from the head but it just won't go. I haven't been messing with her face much yet, as I can't seem to get those scales started.
This whole thing just seems very strange. If the shed wasn't ready to come off, I don't think she'd have been trying to get it started or that the scales would just start flaking off like they are. At the same time, they're coming off fairly easily so I'm not sure why she couldn't seem to get it started on her own.