Stuck shed - do I bother removing it?

James the Stimson's Python had a bad shed last week, and I can't get this one piece off... it appears he got the underside piece stuck in his chin (where their skin "cracks"), and that caused trouble with the rest of it. I managed to get about 95% of the stuck shed off with a rub-down, but I've tried 3-4 times on the neck with no luck!

I'll post some photos below, and would like to know if I should keep trying - or wait for it to come off with the next shed? He was very cooperative through the rub-downs (wet towel), but I could tell it was stressful as he started to wheeze/whistle... which is something I've noticed my Antaresia always do when they're excited or stressed out. He also refused his meal tonight, so I'm worried that piece is still bothering him. Anyway, here are the photos:

Here you can see where the trouble started, at those little pieces hanging from his chin...
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1010355.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1010349.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1010351.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1010353.jpg

Soak him for a few minutes (15-30 minutes). Then put him in a pillow case along with a damp wash cloth. Tie off the open end of the pillow case. Put him back in his enclosure (to keep him warm). Take him out the next day and the shed should be gone.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

I tried a soak and putting a wet towel in his enclosure, but I didn't secure him inside of it... maybe I'll try that tonight!

i've pulled the stuck shed off of a more then a few snakes if done properly it is less stressfull then what it would of been to have a stuck shed. first soak them in luke warm water (keep the water warm by putting snake and stuff on there heater only works good if you got a thermostat to control just how warm the heat tape or under the tank heater stay if no thermostat don't do it) but leave them that way for at least an hour to let the skin get good and saturated soaking up as much water as it can. tools you will need some tweezers i like the rubber tipped so no chance of poking a hole in snake as it reflexes and it will reflex.

ok after the snake has soaked for at least an hour in luke warm water and you got the tweezers (you can make any pair coated by getting you some of that stuff they use to coat scissors holes for kids to use it's a liquid but toughens up to a squishy like coating) once you got that and snake is soaked you gently start pulling the skin got to work several parts at once if it's stuck at the mouth hope your snake won't mind you working around the mouth get it started then once you get it top and bottom where it flips then you won't need the tweezers anymore unless it tears and leaves no way to grab it once you get it behind it's head he should be able to work the rest the way off himself.

i had this happen to a green tree python neo and thats how i got it off recently the neo was literally laying on the floor of the cage close to death with the stuck shed dried out and snake stuck where he couldn't move. and only if it is stuck that way is this method recommended. cause you got to get the stuck shed from around mouth first so it can be stressful. but when it gets to the point where the snake is so tired from trying that it gives up on normal way of shedding. you got to choose between loosing the baby to a stuck shed this is the method you use cuase even if soaking and getting the stuck shed wet again the snake is so stressed out or tired from trying it can't or won't try to move.

mind if i pm you with a few questions about your Stimson's Python it is a species i planned on trying to breed and can't find vary many caresheets for them that is all that informative

Thanks for the tips, and feel free to PM me with your questions! ;) He's still got a small piece stuck under his chin, so it might be time for those tweezers...

My vet does not encourage removal of a stuck shed. He feels it will come off the next time. THe only time it is an issue is when the eyecaps do not come off, they need to be removed.

i personally feel there is no reason to remove a stuck shed. the only thing you should do with a stuck shed is correct your husbandry and feed the snake heavily so it has lots of nutrition and can shed again soon.

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

i personally feel there is no reason to remove a stuck shed. the only thing you should do with a stuck shed is correct your husbandry and feed the snake heavily so it has lots of nutrition and can shed again soon.

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At this point, I'm thinking I may just leave the piece that's left... it's only a small piece, and trying to get it off is stressing out poor James. :( My husbandry is perfect, as proven by the fact that 3 snakes who share his rack have perfect sheds - so I'm really not sure why he's having trouble! He's been refusing food the last few weeks, so hopefully he'll start eating again & have another shed soon.

refusing food, stuck sheds... something's wrong with him. i didn't really mean your husbandry, rather, i meant treat the issue causing the problem, rather than the problem (stuck shed) itself.

I've found that even when everything is kept the same even with siblings some will require there cages tweaked a Lil different maybe this one requires 2 or 3 % more humidity. could even be when it was in shed heavy it rubbed something just a Lil to hard and put a hole in the old skin thus not letting part of the old skin separate like it should have thus causing the stuck shed it happens to everybody at some point in time even under perfect conditions I've had one die due to complications with a stuck shed (but it was a completely stuck shed took to vet and all 1 week to the day after seeing the vet it died)

i myself unless my snakes show signs on having problems or there is a whole bunch of unshed skin leave them be. only thing i do for them is spray them an extra time or 2 a day so it can work the old skin off as it moves around its cage and usually by the time it sheds again 99% of the stuck shed is gone. then when there eyes turn blue i put them in a smaller tote in-between wet towels then they shed all no problems

If the soaking hasn't worked and you've tried it that many times, I'd say just leave it, especially since it's only a small bit. It's possible that the soaking has stressed him out even more and that's why he's refusing meals, so just leave him be and wait for the next shed, maybe add a little more humidity until the next shed so that the stuck part is good and hydrated so that it doesn't cause more problems.

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

refusing food, stuck sheds... something's wrong with him. i didn't really mean your husbandry, rather, i meant treat the issue causing the problem, rather than the problem (stuck shed) itself.

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Definitely not my husbandry, since all 29 snakes are housed in the same conditions - and most eat & shed perfectly. This particular snake has a tendency to fast for 2-4 months in the fall, according to Skiploder who used to own him... so I'm guessing it's a combination of his yearly fast, combined with the stress from trying to get the stuck shed. He still has a bit left under his chin, btw, which I'm leaving until he sheds again. Everything else seems fine with his health & behavior, so hopefully it's nothing underlying that I haven't figured out.

But since you're suspicious of an "issue causing the problem," what do you think it might be? And how would you suggest taking care of that? I don't think it calls for a vet at this point, as he seems perfectly normal otherwise... my herp vet charges an arm & a leg, so I'm hesitant to run him to a doctor for no apparent reason. Since I wouldn't be able to pinpoint an issue, she'd probably just end up running $500-1000 worth of tests and saying "dunno." :oops:

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Originally Posted by ice#1

could even be when it was in shed heavy it rubbed something just a Lil to hard and put a hole in the old skin thus not letting part of the old skin separate like it should have thus causing the stuck shed

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That's exactly what I think happened... as I mentioned in the first post, it actually looked like he got the first bit stuck IN his chin. So that probably tore it from the rest, causing the whole shed to come off in pieces. He's been in the same tub & rack since I got him (last winter), and doesn't usually have a problem shedding - so what else could it be? :confuzd:

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

Definitely not my husbandry, since all 29 snakes are housed in the same conditions - and most eat & shed perfectly. This particular snake has a tendency to fast for 2-4 months in the fall, according to Skiploder who used to own him... so I'm guessing it's a combination of his yearly fast, combined with the stress from trying to get the stuck shed. He still has a bit left under his chin, btw, which I'm leaving until he sheds again. Everything else seems fine with his health & behavior, so hopefully it's nothing underlying that I haven't figured out.

But since you're suspicious of an "issue causing the problem," what do you think it might be? And how would you suggest taking care of that? I don't think it calls for a vet at this point, as he seems perfectly normal otherwise... my herp vet charges an arm & a leg, so I'm hesitant to run him to a doctor for no apparent reason. Since I wouldn't be able to pinpoint an issue, she'd probably just end up running $500-1000 worth of tests and saying "dunno." :oops:

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There's nothing wrong with the snake Laura.

From the feed charts on two male antaresia that I provided when you purchased your snakes, you can clearly see that they fast from mid to late summer for two or three months and have done so since both were sexually mature. We've had a cold summer here in Norcal and you told me both are acting restless which coincides with breeding which coincides with the fast. It's no coincidence that both male antaresia you own aren't eating and acting restless...........and it has nothing to do with any underlying medical conditions.

As to the incomplete shed - it happens. It could stem from a variety of things like being stressed from the newspaper substrate to being handled in the beginning stages of going into blue or due to him getting a lateral rip in his old skin before he could work the head free.

Thanks. ;) I figured they were fine, especially after checking their records... pretty close to "on schedule" for their annual fasts. As mentioned in the PM I sent you, I did introduce the spotteds to each other - not sure if they did anything, though. Unfortunately James' mate isn't big enough yet, so he'll just have to take cold showers until next year! :P

Skiploder mind if i pm you with some questions about breeding this species i been reading all the fact sheets but those aint the same as talking to people who has breed them