Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The eyes of my snake has blurred and the skin turned milky again for the 2nd time in 2 weeks....just last week it went into shed..it didn't shed properly that time and i had to peel the skin off. it ate one mice in that period..but after the first shed..instead of the skin darkening it remained pale and now milky and the eyes have blurred....this is the first time i've encountered this...any idea why? is it a problem?

Did the snake ever shed its eye caps the first time?
What kind of snakes is it

actually...i think it didn't shed its eye caps the first time...cause i only peeled off the skin on the body...just a bit off the head..don't think the eye caps got off...
isit dangerous to the snake?
its a black headed cat snake - boiga nigriceps

Is not all that uncommon, especially when a snake has incurred a dermal injury, harbors external parasites or is simply experiencing a growth spurt.
Eyecap retention can lead to serious infections of both the eyes and nasal-lacrimal ducts id left unchecked for an extended period of time and could be a possible cause for teh repetitive ecdysis you mentioned. Do not use any instruments to peel the eyecap off, as doing so can lead to serious complications.
I believe you should now wait until the snake clears and is ready to complete ecdysis, when this occurs, place the snake into a bag filled with wet towels and allow the snake to crawl around within the sack and towels for an hour or two, as doing so will provide sufficient moisture and texture to allow the snake a complete shed on its own. Should the towel and sack trick not work for eyecap removal, I would advise you purchase a bottle of artificial teardrops, not just eyedrops, as artificial tears are hydrophilic (water loving) and the eyecaps will retain the moisture from such. Once the eyecap is sufficiently moistened use a small piece of scotch tape, not masking or duct tape, and roll it across the eye slowly and gently in the same direction it would come off should the snake have shed on its own. Should you still be unsuccessful at removing the cap, you would be well advised to seek the assistance of a veterinarian well versed in the care of herpetofauna.
Also, some folks will recommend the use of petroleum product, such as vasoline, to coat the eyecap. This should be avoided, as such products are hydrophobic (water hating) and will only cause the retained eyecap to lose moisture, in turn making it more traumatic to the specimen to remove...

Good luck,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

It sounds as though you need to review your husbandry practices, as proper environmental conditions will go far in reducing complications associated with ecdysis, as such can generally be viewed as an early warning sign with more complications, especially respiratory related, commonly following close behind...

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

i supplied sufficient moisture prior to its shed....misting at least 3 times a day..plus i stay in malaysia where humidity is high and consistant all year round...don't know why this particular didn't shed properly..my other snakes did..

Hmmm.. Sounds as though you have all the key factors to facilitate good ecdysis in place and I apologize for my latter comments. Guess your Boiga simply incurred a bad shed, which can happen from time to time..

Again, I apologize if I came across as being cross,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

nonono..i didn't mean it like that hehe..my husbandry techniques are far from perfect..would welcome any tips...esp from more experienced keepers.
the boiga pair i have are wc....trying to get them to breed..any tips? do i have to provide any kind of special atmosphere to induce the breeding process?

They do need to come off. Try soaking it for several hours or putting it in wet pillow case for a few hours. Make sure the temp of the water isnt to hot or to cold. Always check to make sure the eye caps came off on a shed...