Hi guys,

I'm late to this discussion, but I think I have some experience to share. I have 4 couperi; 2 are '12s, 2 are '13s. I've also had many thousands of snakes in my life.



My oldest male couperi has the eyecap issue, every now and then. DO NOT IGNORE IT! It won't go away with the next shed, it will double up. That said, right after the next shed will be the loosest the eyecaps will be. You NEED to get them off immediately with the next shed.



If the edge of a fingernail doesn't work pretty much immediately, I suggest eye drops and tweezers. The eyedrops I have used are "GenTeal", a lubricant eye drop, over the counter, sterile. The eyecap will have a rough edge, like a contact lens with flaws. Lubricate the eyecap, then push gently towards the center with your fingernail a few times - you'll then see an "edge" appear. Just grab that edge with tweezers, and the cap will slide right off.



The very best part of all this is that the snake knows you're helping him. You'll be restraining the head, only for an accurate procedure. Unlike other snakes, your indigo will understand, and resistance will be little. If the procedure takes a few minutes, your first time, you'll be able to release the head, and regrip after a rest, with no resentment.



As soon as my snakes turn blue/opaque, a week before a shed, I increase general cage humidity to ~70-75%, and the hide box gets sprayed every couple of days, for 95% humidity. This has seemed to ALMOST eliminate the issue. The hidebox needs a hole in the front or side, not the roof.



By the way, peat moss/sphagnum is extremely acidic; I prefer cyprus bark in the hidebox.



For a general substrate, I use indoor/outdoor carpet, like fancy astroturf, from Lowes. You can spot clean with Disinfecting wipes for "little" poops, then pull the carpet out once a week or so, hose it down, then throw it in the washer (ON DELICATE, but hot water!) If you have an extra set of cut carpets, there's no easier way to keep up with the cleaning.....and you can have an attractive substrate, too! (Comes in grass-green, or jet black)



All the very best to my Indigo-loving friends; hope you'll find something useful in my experiences.



Chris

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