Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My male black milksnake shed his skin about 2 weeks ago, but about an inch of it stayed on his head, as if he was wearing it like a mask or hood. I've let him keep it for 2 weeks, hoping he'd rid himself of it, but he hasn't.

Finally, tonight I shredded a few paper towels, dampened them, and put them in a large deli cup with holes in it for breathing. He's in the cup now. -- Am I doing the right thing to help him remove the extra skin? --How long should I leave him in the cup, and do I need to do anything after i remove him from it if the skin is still on? -- Will it damage him if it remains on him until his next shed?

Thanks,

David Leary,
Durham, NC

I should also mention that he *did* shed his eye caps, as far as I can tell. His eyes are dark and clear.

No, that is exactly the right thing to do. Normally you won't have to leave him in there very long. The skin should rub off on the paper towels easily what it rehydrates enough and softens up. Normally (not always, but usually) that "stuck shed" syndrome is a sign of developing hydration problems. If he does it again, I would re-evaluate and adjust humidity levels in his cage, make sure he is drinking water from his bowl, etc. I've had snakes that would not drink from their water bowl, I changed to a different bowl ( a little bigger, a little shallower, whatever) and they would start drinking from the new one. Go figure...

Thanks for the input. I've seen him drinking from his water bowl at least once a week, so I'm not worried about him refusing to drink. But I think I'll mist down his aspen shavings once a week from now on. - Do you think that would do him any harm?

I'd be careful about keeping the aspen too damp, that can allow fungus to grow. I think I'd just lightly mist him and his surroundings once or twice a day but not get it real wet. Make sure his water bowl is big enough for him to get in and soak if he wants to, also.

I had a couple of really patchy sheds at the beginning of winter then got one of those "humidi pads" from Foster and Smith which fixed the problem perfectly! The central heat in my house dehydrates the air terribly during the cold months.

He was fine this morning when I looked in on him; the stuck skin was off. I am relieved. Thanks everyone for the advice and information!

David