Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For all my years of snake keeping I never had an issue with stuck or remaining eye caps after shedding. One of my snakes has one. I just recovered from a wicked leg injury and just did not pay the usual attention to the snake. I have heard you can use scotch tape to remove the eye cap, mineral oil and cotton balls, or soak the snake and put him in a wet pillow case/sack and his motion inside the sack will remove the eye caps. Any new tips or suggestions that have worked well for you? The python is a retic, so removing the eye cap will be an adventure to say the least. Thanks for your reply. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

We don't have eye caps often, but I usually will dab on a little mineral oil, and a few hours latter, use tweezers to gently peel it off. Lucky for me my husband is a very good holder for these types of things, and I no longer have a retic

One word of warning, a little mineral oil goes a long way! the first time I did this I put way to much on her eye, and she ended up getting some in her mouth, generally harmless, but her next stool was DISCUSSING!!

I have head of the tape thing, seems like it would work, I have just never tried it.
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hanging out under heat lights burns up my brain cells!!

Removing stuck eye caps from most snakes really isn't bad at all. The stress on us humans of dong it right, without any damaging results,Is tbe toughest of it all. However, it's not heart surgery.

However, removing stuck eye caps from some retics can be quite challenging - mostly restraining the retic. Anything aprox. 3ft or longer and I strongly suggest at least one good helper.

Sotch tape works in some cases. but not in all. I've had better reslts working from the head, down towards the tail, in a slow, deliberate method. Peeling the eye cap off from the front of the eye to the back of it. Sometimes there is stuck skin surrounding the eye, nose, head that can easily be loosened with plain water applied with a papertowel gor a minute or two. I usually use my fingernails or tweezers.

Wuth me and my techniques - a few minutes of soaking in a tub of neutral-temp water (aprpx. 82 degrees (F)) will usually loosen stuck sheds that cna be removed with fingernails or rubbing th snake with hands/fingers.

Best wishes!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

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