Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK So I got 3 popes vipers 2 years ago. One male, 2 females. The male had a shedding issue when i got him and eventually died. He had one section around his neck that just wouldn't come off and no vet around me would look at him. So two years have gone by and the 2 females have been flawlessly shedding and eating. About 3 weeks ago, they got a little cranky and the one bit the other in the head... I immediately separated them and put her (the wounded one) in a tank with lukewarm water and branches for a week to keep her hydrated. Honestly I didn't think she would live because she was bleeding from her head quite a bit. She made a full recovery however and then began to shed as wounded snakes sometimes do... The problem is only her head skin came off, and I have been spraying her, soaking her and using tweezers to get any skin off I can- but that old skin is literally glued on, I cant even get one scale off. Its been a week and I am afraid there's nothing I can do to save her. I cant get her to stay in water as she just clings to the top of every bathing tub I put her in, and when I physically hold her body in the water, it doesnt seem to do anything except . I have all the shedding sprays, I am as hands on as you can be with a venomous snake trying every day to pry any of her old skin off. No matter what I do though it just seems to make it worse. The old skin goes from her bottom jaw to an inch from her tail (her tail shed and the top of her head and thats it). I know if it doesnt come off soon and she goes through another shed cycle then she will probably constrict her skin to the point of death, is there any way i can save her? Keep in mind she is venomous so it is tricky getting near her jaw to help this shed... I really dont want to lose her though.

I can only offer a little advice:

1) Try something like a tall trash can (with a tight fitting lid) with an inch or two of water in the bottom for soaking (if she can't reach the top, she can't get out of the water completely). Even if she insists on holding most of her body out of the water, you can at least get an idea of whether soaking will help.

2) I've had several snakes that occasionally had one shed that wouldn't budge, and it came off fine along with the next shed.

3) I've never tried it myself, but some people swear by putting the snake in a wet pillow case for stuck sheds.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

I agree with Larry's ideas.

There is really no need to be so "hands on" with this. The suggestions that LarryF mentioned are very good suggestions.

There is no offense meant by this, but honestly, if you do not have a vet that will work on venomous snakes, then you really shouldn't be keeping venomous snakes. To care for venomous snakes you really need to have mastered a wide range of husbandry, know the ropes, and have a vet that will look at the animal if need be.

Sorry to hear about your situation. I have experience with Pope's, and understand exactly what you are going through.

Most snake skin comes off relatively easily when you soak them, but Pope's are another story. The skin absolutely adheres like glue if they miss that critical shed window, and even after 24 hours of soaking, the best you can usually do is get one scale off at a time.

I tried looking into a commercially available product, with no luck. Maybe someone else has a water additive that helps. I even tried using a mild human skin moisturizer (Aveno) with no luck. My snake was a juvenile, and eventually the shed came off with the next shedding cycle, so that's the only advice I can offer. Feed the snake hard to induce the next shed ASAP, and keep the enclosure humid when the snake enters the final stages of the shedding cycle and hope for the best.

If you can remove some of the shed, maybe the ventrals, so the skin doesn't ring the snake, that may help.

The only other option I can think of is to find a herp vet that will see venomous, soak the snake for a day or 2, anestitize the snake, and then work on removing as much as you can while not worrying about a wiggly venomous snake.

Would love to hear about a good soaking additive if anyone knows of one.

Good luck.