Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! I have a baby Plains garter that has recently developed a foggy kind of layer over both eyes. It has a wrinkled, almost mudcracked appearance to it, and is white rather than the bluish color eyes get when a shed is in order. The eyes look like they are heavily scratched sunglass lenses. At first I thought these were unshed eyecaps, and tried to gently lift them off. But they dent inward and I'm nervous about injuring the eyes. Has anyone come across this before, and are these unshed eye scales? Thanks a lot in advance!

It almost sounds like some kind of infection. Maybe the fluid you're seeing is puss? If this is the case, I think that veterinary care would be your only hope. I agree that it doesn't sound like a retained eye cap.

-Alice

Well I haven't seen any signs of a fluid buildup, really. The eyes look more dried out than anything, and they don't look swollen compared to the snake's brother and sister. I've also noticed that this animal has gained a rather crinkled appearance to its skin, and it folds like that of a boa or python. At first I attributed this to the animal overeating, hehe. Could these symptoms be connected somehow?

Could it be that the old skin separated, but was never shed? If you think this is the case give him a soak and see if it loosens.

What kind of set up do you have him in? Continuously moist conditions can lead to bacterial infections in the skin which also might explain what's going on.

It would really help if you could post a good picture.

-Alice

Hello again, thank you for your help! She's a little too squirmy for a good picture, but I'll try again tomorrow. I had her soaking on a warm wet towel for about half an hour today, I'll repeat the process tomorrow and see if she shows any progress. As for the humidity, I'd be worried about it being too dry, if anything. I'm in South Dakota and keeping things even mildly humid is a constant battle. I have to water my houseplants nearly every day! Plus I use corncob substrate which is very absorbent, so I don't think that's the cause of the problem. I may just wait until she sheds again and see what happens.

Hello, I have a 2 1/2 yr. old Ball Python. I've had him for aproximately 6 months. For as long as I've had him he's had a dent in one eye. And lately he's had a film over that eye, like skin that he hasn't shed. But he has a little pool he swims in, and it hasn't come off, and he's shed twice since. I know it's not dehydration cause he's healthy, and he drinks from time t time, and I keep the water fresh. Any thoughts?