Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had alot of difficulty with my kingsnake not shedding its eyecaps. When I first moved in with my fiancee he thought his kingsnake was blind. I successfully removed the eye caps and everything was fine for a while. But now this seems to be a reacurring problem. He has a 55gallon tank to himself with lots of great things in it to aid in the shedding process. He laso has a water dish in his tank that is large enough to accomidate him without overflowing. I recently changed his bedding to reptile bark because it holds moisture better.(I realize it isn't ideal for kingsnakes). He normally has a great appetite even when I first came into the picture and he was blind. But after this last shed with his eyecaps still intact, he doesn't want to eat a thing. Now I have to soak him again, which he hates and go through the whole tedious process of getting them off again. What I'm wondering is why this keeps happening? What can I do to prevent these extra steps to help the shedding process? Any suggerswtions would be greatly appreciated.

Simple remedy: provide a moister option for the ecydisis process.....either mist the tank during this process daily, OR, provide a moist hide (as simple as a plastic tupperware container with hole cut on top or on the side) using damp sphagnum moss during this process. Easy squeezy. Done. Do it. And let us know how it goes.
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Jerry Kruse
www.zonatas.com

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."

A moist hide with moist Spagnum moss should do the trick. Check it once a week and spray as needed. You may have to change the moss occasionally too. I bet he spends lots of time in there. Place it on the warmer side of the cage but not directly on any heating strips or pads.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

I have the same problem with a cobra, so it’s an extra pain in the neck to grab it and remove them. I have pretty good luck with taping a Q tip cotton swab on the end of a stick with a dab of baby oil and rubbing it on each eye cap a day or two before it is due to shed. The snake doesn’t really even seem to mind the poke in the eye. Done very gently, of course. Seems to lube the cap, or that deep groove around it, just enough to get the cap to stay connected to the rest of the skin.

Great idea for dabbing the cobra's eye man!..LOL!

Yeah, that baby oil(mineral oil) works fabulous for lubricating eye caps!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I wish I had followed my own advice, I had to take eye caps off this morning! The oil helps remove them if they are stuck too. Sometimes you get lucky and you can just sort of wipe them off with a paper towel, as I’m sure everybody has had to find out at one time or another. I put a drop of baby oil on each and let him chew on a paper towel while I peel them off. Just takes a few seconds. It is really dangerous to get the oil on your hands or fingers that are used for the grip!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Although I bought the peat moss with full intentions of using it, the misting alone got those little buggers off his eyes finally. And he was back to his old self, trying to get at the mouse I was feeding my savannah monitor in the cage next to his.