Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One of my young snakes shed and everything shed good except for one of his eyes. What is a good way to remove the eye cap. Will a warm water bath be sufficient to remove it? Did not notice it right away, possibly has been there for several days.

A few days shouldn't be a problem. Years ago I had a gophersnake that had a retained eye a few times, and a water bath did the trick. I have heard of people using scotch tape (no other types) to remove an eye cap, so that might be an option.

good luck

A moist moss box in the cage can work both to prevent it happening again and the snake can remove it on its own.
Also, they are easy to remove, if you have a small amount of experience, but you do not want to injure the eye. Some folks are good at it, others are not.
The real problem is why its there. The two most common causes are, dehydration and mites. A moss box and limit air loss will help with dehydration, but will not address mites. Best wishes

Pulling it off dry can potentially injure the eye if it is stuck hard. My advice is to get the skin soft by either putting in the moss box as FR said or soaking the snake in tepid water until the eye cap feels more flexible. Giving the snake the opportunity to handle it itself is always the best 1st approach. Since kings love to hide in a box of moss, the solution is pretty easy. I think the New Zealand moss is the best, but any sphagnum moss will suffice.