# Ball Pythons > BP Husbandry >  Does it hurt the snake if you peel off its skin?

## rmune0750

My snake didnt shed in all one piece and there are pieces of skin still on the snake but my question is.....

Does it hurt the snake if you peel off the leftovers???

P.S.  No, I haven't peeled any off...

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## Adam_Wysocki

Not at all ... I peel sheds off of snakes ALL the time ... They hate being restrained, but IMHO it almost seems like they "feel better" once you get that dry stuck skin off of them ... git r dun!!!  :Wink:   :Sweeet: 


-adam

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## rmune0750

> Not at all ... I peel sheds off of snakes ALL the time ... They hate being restrained, but IMHO it almost seems like they "feel better" once you get that dry stuck skin off of them ... git r dun!!!  
> 
> 
> -adam


awesome....exactly what i wanted to hear...now i can go get it dun!

 :Sweeet:

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## Entropy

They come off much easier if you moisten them first with some warm water.

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cfd701 (11-24-2019)

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## Adam_Wysocki

> They come off much easier if you moisten them first with some warm water.


I soak for large pieces, but usually when it's just a little bit stuck on the head or the back of the neck, a quick rub/peel is easy enough.  :Very Happy: 

-adam

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## Nate

this has worked for me in the past...a warm towel (not too warm!) and letting them slide through it... Good luck!!  :Good Job:

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cfd701 (11-24-2019)

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## recycling goddess

kinda like peeling a sunburn, if it feels really stuck... stop pulling.  :Wink:

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## Dusty

would just like to add... 


if it is a retained eyecap ... leave it alone, most the time it will come off with the nexted shed if not PLEASE take it to a vet to have it removed

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## recycling goddess

won't bumping up the humidity assist with a stuck eyecap as well? 

under normal conditions (i thought) a vet wasn't needed. perhaps that changes if you have a snake with many retained eyecaps... but otherwise, isn't it a no-brainer-easy-to-fix?

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## rmune0750

Yeah, I soaked the snake in warm water and then kinda just rubbed it all off....and there is no retained eyecap on him

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## gncz73

i soak my snake once a week anyways so i will pull any skin off at that time

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## SiscoReptiles

Keep in mind also, if the snake has stuck shed repeatedly, you need to make some adjustments to your husbandry, specifically in the area of humidity. With proper humidity stuck sheds should be a rare occurrence.

Rick

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*bcr229* (11-24-2019)

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## Adam_Wysocki

> Keep in mind also, if the snake has stuck shed repeatedly, you need to make some adjustments to your husbandry, specifically in the area of humidity. With proper humidity stuck sheds should be a rare occurrence.
> 
> Rick


Over the years, I've found that some snakes are just prone to stuck sheds even with the correct humidity ... I could have a room with 180 snakes in it and it seems to be the same 5 or 6 that have problems while all the other animals set up the exact same way (open air racks, 82/92, 50-60% RTH with a full room console humidifier) have perfect sheds every time.

I notice is a lot in my hyper and hypo mels, but I have some normals too that are just stubborn.

I guess my point is that sometimes it's not the husbandry, it's just the animal.

Hope this helps.

-adam

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cfd701 (11-24-2019)

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## Sausage

:Smile:  Lol, funny this thread is here, I just peeled some skin off my snake. He seems to feel much better now.

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## rmune0750

this is the first time that my BP has ever not shed in 1 piece

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## Ccolmen9889

My ball python started shedding yesterday but when I left him for a while I came back and all that came of was his head (the eye caps included) so what I did is a gave him a warm bath and helped him shed by peeling it off, his humidity was at 65-70 so I thought he was gonna be fine all of skin is off but I was just wondering if it was okay for me to help him shed also some of his scales look like there not there will that hurt him also his he going to shed in pieces or was it a 1 time thing

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## Zincubus

> My ball python started shedding yesterday but when I left him for a while I came back and all that came of was his head (the eye caps included) so what I did is a gave him a warm bath and helped him shed by peeling it off, his humidity was at 65-70 so I thought he was gonna be fine all of skin is off but I was just wondering if it was okay for me to help him shed also some of his scales look like there not there will that hurt him also his he going to shed in pieces or was it a 1 time thing


I tried that ONCE when I first started keeping snakes ... a baby boa and he got me good  :Smile: 


After the soak its better to have a damp  , rough textured towel to hand then wrap the snake up in it on your lap then let it wriggle around inside the towel as long as possible .. apply very , very gentle pressure as it slithers around .. all the loose skin will come off painlessly..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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