Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My snake shed a week ago, the only problem is that her head didn't shed off, and she won't let me help get it off.
I soak her and it still won't come off.
Should i try the mineral oil?
or should i just wait until the next shed?
But isn't there a risk of infection?

please help

I recently managed to get an entire shed, that had been baked on for weeks, off of a snake (not my snake). You could try using the same method: Wrap the snake in a moist flannel/towel for a few hours and try again. If it still won't come off, lather the animal in PURE, UNPERFUMED soap and wrap again for a few more hours. You should find that the shed softens and the animal can get it off itself after about a day of such treatments. I rinsed all the soap off after the snake shed, and it didn't suffer any ill effects from using the soap. I used this method with a tropical snake, don't think i'd recommend it for a desert snake though, because of the risk of RI

Another option is to put a humid hide in the cage. Example, a plastic storage container with damp sphagnum moss or other bedding that can be kept moist.
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Mark