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[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husb...-shed-box.html

[kibakiba]

Don't worry about interrupting my thread, little Squirt is doing perfect now that the shed is off. He's been happily roaming around the tank and snuggling up with the others. The piece that's stuck on Selena's eye may come off pretty easily if you take a damp cloth with warm water and rub it softly on her face. She might fight you a little bit, but it's for the better. Retained sheds can kill them or cause a lot of problems.

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...I wish I could get a video of Selena..maybe I will have my son take one while I'm holding her. You guys have to see how she is when I hold her...putting a wash cloth on her face will not be an easy task. For starters, her head is still only the size of my pinkie fingernail...I am so afraid of hurting her...especially when she is squirming all over and jerking her head around. Last night, when I was trying to use the tweezers...she was jerking all over...and I had to hold her firmly, I was afraid I would squish her or break her neck...she finally flopped out of my hands and landed on the floor...and she is fast! I had to grab her before she could get away. The stress it must be causing her... The funny part was that she is so skiddish...she did not try to bite me once when I was holding her...then when I put her back in her enclosure...she kept looking at me and making these sad little attempts at a bite in my direction. I think the piece near her eye came off....I put her in a bowl of warm water last night. The other piece on the other side of her face is still there...it looks like maybe she didn't get the shed off of her whole face. I am going to put a vaporizer in the room she is in today to try to get the humidity levels up...maybe try the shed box. Thanks everyone for the help with this!

Oh...she did eat today, so I guess that's a good sign, right?

[EasternGirl]

Oh, Chantel...I'm glad that Squirt is doing well now!

[kibakiba]

Don't be afraid of hurting her, she may struggle but its better than her loosing an eye or something. I had to do the same with Squirt, Selena is probably 3 times the size of him or more. This was Thumbelina in early October, she's only grown a quarter of an inch since then, and Squirt is much smaller than her.

[guidofatherof5]

Remember, retained eye caps are a problem but if the old lens fuses with the new one injury(blindness) to the eye could occur if it's forced off.
I'm not saying you shouldn't try.
I've left old caps on and they came off in the next shed. That next shed can happen quickly since the snake is aware of the retained shed.
This will signal an emergency shed. They do the same thing with a mite infestation.
Do you do a soak or a shed box?

[EasternGirl]

I put a vaporizer in the room today to make the room humid. I also put a bowl of warm water in her enclosure...hoping she will swim around in it a bit. I did put her in some water last night. I will try the shed box later today if the water bowl doesn't work...then maybe the tweezers again.

Chantel....Thumbelina was really small! I'm really afraid of hurting her eyes, though.

[kibakiba]

Just do it really gently, you don't have to scrub her eye or anything, just a gentle downward motion from the top to the bottom works, and if that doesn't make it come off, it would at least help to loosen it for if you use the tweezers.

[guidofatherof5]

I put a vaporizer in the room today to make the room humid. I also put a bowl of warm water in her enclosure...hoping she will swim around in it a bit. I did put her in some water last night. I will try the shed box later today if the water bowl doesn't work...then maybe the tweezers again.

Chantel....Thumbelina was really small! I'm really afraid of hurting her eyes, though.

A wet paper towel or wet soft cloth would be much safer and do as good a job.

[ConcinusMan]

You guys have to see how she is when I hold her...putting a wash cloth on her face will not be an easy task. For starters, her head is still only the size of my pinkie fingernail...I am so afraid of hurting her...especially when she is squirming all over and jerking her head around.

Believe me, been there, done that. We don't need to see video, we know what you're going through. It's good to be very observant and mindful of your snake and to watch for potential problems but don't get overprotective and worry yourself. Garter snakes have been surviving far worse problems far longer than any of us has been alive.

If it's too much and your instinct is to leave it be, then don't worry yourself over it. Garter snakes are very resilient. An eye cap retained until next shed is far from the end of the world.

I would encourage the effort to provide humidity. I have kept ringneck snakes before when a lot of other people sometimes say they are impossible. It's all about micro climates. Same goes for very young garter snakes. Some people say that they have no problem keeping adults, but can't seem to keep little ones alive. It's all a matter of micro climate.

If could suggest one thing it is this: Try to provide not only a wide temperature gradient, but also moist retreats. If that means you have to lift a hide daily and mist underneath it, then that provides a micro climate.

I've never been a big fan of "shed boxes" since that kind of micro climate should be provided in their regular enclosure in the first place. My snakes generally do not soak or need a shed box. This is because of the micro climates I provide. Even a moist substrate in one corner with a hide, would be considered a micro climate. I try to provide that for very small snakes. It's important!

Perhaps someone with experience with this can elaborate?

Micro climates are extremely important for young garters and especially for T. ordinoides babies. Shed problems can be avoided but those little ones need those little pockets of moisture, humidity and temperature differences.