Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently aquired an adult female that seems to have some eye caps in place. She is otherwise fat and healthy. To be honest I didn't see them until I got her home. I am keeping her in pretty humid conditions (>90%) I took a gentle tug at them today but they seem to be pretty tough. I havent encountered them this resilient before. She is a pretty big girl. Got any suggestions as to how to relieve her without too much stress or ANY danger of harming her or myself?

Soak her good, or hold her and mist her with a spray bottle for about 10 minutes and try to take if off that way.I've gotten eye caps that way with rainbow boas and my bloods.If there isn't already an edge to get a hold of I'd wait untill the next shed as its hard when its on there tight.Anymore if it does happen I just wait till the next shed.I've read it isn't that bad for one shed to go with an eyecap on and I've had no problems.Are you sure its a stuck shed it almost looks like a dimpled eye from my end.

I think it is stuck shed. It looks like dimple cause I tugged on it. The other side is just gray. I think I'll wait this one out until the next shed. If no luck then I'll let the vet do it.

Hey,
I would guess from the photo, that the eye caps, are not stuck eye caps at all, but rather, a crushed cap. I would wait for the next shed, and just keep him/her, very humid and place a damp bath towel in with him/her when the opacity clears up about a day or two later, and this will help with the shedding process. I don't like to tug on presumed stuck eye caps as I've had a female Borneo blood that came with very bad eye caps, and they healed on their own, after sometime, but it took about 6 months or more for them to start looking normal. I think that the cause of this, is probably very bad husbandry on the part of the previous owner. Also, some bloods and Stp's, have a propensity to develop this condition more so than others. JM2C!
-Angel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.

Angel

This girl was kept in very low humidity. I would guess no more than 25%. I try to do things as gently as possible and prefer to let such things work themselves out. I've got the humidity wayy up and I'll drop her in the tub for a warm soapy bath a few times before I start to worry. I've watched vets work on eye caps and have removed some myself but I still dont trust my skills or my eyes enough to get too frisky. I gave them a little pull and that was all I could confidently muster. I would feel like a real dope if I harmed her eyes by my efforts. I think I'll just keep on doing what I am doing and watch for the next shed. If that isnt productive I'll drag her in to the vet for professional help.

Thanks for your input, goodluck with the new kids

Steve

Did I read that right? isn't soap bad for them, or did you mistype?

Hey,
I use soapy water when treating for mites on the rare occasion, and also, have used it with some success for very bad sheds. It works great in either case, so long as you do not over do it with the soap. I use a simple Pamolive or Ivory dish detergent in the warm water. Just a few drops for large sweater boxes and a small drop for smaller shoe boxes will do the trick.
-Angel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.

Soapy water is a common treatment for mites but also works well for poor sheds etc. I generally use just a few drops in a tub (5 gallons or so) for sheds and 1/2 a spoon full in 10-20 gallons for mites, which thankfully I havent had to do in a while. (See Dave Barkers site for more exact amounts )Normally I dont use soap for bath time. If the snake is dehydrated I tend to want to hydrate them with a bath of plain water before I address other issues. I have never wanted to take a chance on a snake drinking a bunch of soapy water though a little would probably not do them any harm. The snake in queston is internally hydrated but externally seems to be suffering from a bad shed or two. I also dry them off to avoid the after effects of soap drying on the skin.

learn something new every day. Thanks!!!

Hey,
Like I said, wait for the blood to go into a shed and see if the eye caps shed on their own. If you still see the crushed appearance after the shed, that will heal of them selves, but you have to be patient and not try to pull on them as you can actually do more damage to an already temporarily damaged cap. Just wait! they will heal. It is not always a stuck cap as mentioned in my earlier reply!
-Angel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.

You must have misunderstood my reply. I was agreeing with your advice. I think I rambled too much but my moto is always be patient and try the lowest risk thing first before worrying about anything else. I'd never sleep at night if by my ignorance or haste I harmed a snake or any other creature for that matter. So far so good.

No harm done! I'm just trying to look out for you and your blood, as I know from experience that these guys are prone to the occasional crushed looking eye caps and they heal up with good or improved husbandry.
-Angel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.

I had this problem with my ball python once.I sorted it out by:

Soak your snake in water 25C for 10 mins, try to get it to put its head under a few times, don't drown it!

Taking a large towel and soaking it in warm water.

Roll the towel lengthways loose enough for the snake to pass through the middle, but tight enough so that the snake will rub against the sides.

Introduce your snake at one end of the open towel tunnel and get it to go through.

The caps came off when I did this. Good luck!

You might want to add another water bowl to your enclosure to try and raise the humidity in there for next time.

a piece of tape has worked for me. Soak the snake in a container with a towel floating in it...the towel serves as a gently abrasive addition that may help loosen the cap. After a few minutes remove the snake from the water and touch a piece of tape to the eye cap and pull it away. Snake's eyes are tough but you still have to be very careful.

All the best-
Jim
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There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1

That an interesting technique. I hadn't heard that before. I'll probably leave well enough alone for the time being. I tend to get nervous when there is a possibility of anything going wrong. That also explains my poor probe technique. These guys are big and strong and it is tough to keep em still. I always try to think of the down side of what I am doing and it make me cautious, maybe too cautious.

Thanks for the tip.

Steve

Hey,
The recommended technique is an old one that works when you know for sure that it is actually a stuck cap, however not knowing will only cause damage; and like said, it is best to leave well enough alone for the time being. Best advice!
-Angel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.