We've had "Hunter" for about a month and are new snake owners. He is about 22-24 inches long. Due to schedules (the snakes and ours LOL) he's been held only twice in this time and the most recent time exhibited very skiddish behavior. I moved my hand rather fast and he ducked and tried to get away...he's VERY fast! He is not used to being held much at all.
My problem is this: He shed his skin (about 98% of it) about 6 days ago. However, there is a small 1" x 1" piece that remains and it's about 2 1/2" - 3" away from his head, and then there is also a 1/8" x 1/8" piece just behind his head that remains. I put a damp wash cloth in his enclosure hoping he'd use it to rub the rest off. He never touched it. I also let him soak in warm water for about 15 minutes, but that didn't help either. Is it ok to leave those pieces alone or do I need to take him out and remove it by hand?
I'm trying to get him accustomed to being held (albeit slowly) but I also don't want him to become scared of people by being too aggressive taking the excess skin off when he's not used to being handled. Any ideas?
ANY suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thx in advance!