Stuck shed in an awkward place, should I try to remove it or wait?

Due to my health a couple weeks ago (dealt with a brutal viral infection) I wasn't on point with humidity during my BP's shed cycle and he had a really bad one. Bits and pieces everywhere and stuck shed all over his body.

Did some tub soaks (made sure to check water temps and that the levels were safe to prevent drowning) and managed to rub/very carefully peel most of it off with a damp towel and my fingers respectively, but there's still some left on his neck and on top of his head. As amicable as he is he understandably doesn't hold still well enough to comfortably remove the dead skin from such areas, and I didn't want to force things as he'd already been stressed enough.

To make matters worse all this happened right before I had to leave for a week-long vacation. I tried to spray the enclosure down to see if he'd naturally slough it off and his humidity hide was left available (though I think I need to get a bigger one as he hasn't been using it for some time), but no dice.

So at this point the stuck shed's been on there for a while so, what should I do? More tub sessions and try to get it off or wait until his next shed cycle and ensure it comes off with the next set?

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I had an experience with a girl I had purchased that had a shed like that and some pieces in the neck area just were not ready to come off even after soaking. I left her alone and they came off with the next shed, though that spot I did have to assist her with. After that, she has been doing full one piece sheds like she should.

The parts I would want to make absolutely sure came off are eyes, heat pits, and the tail tip. Any of those can cause bad problems.

Personally, I don't leave areas of stuck shed on snakes- they have to put up with my gentle persistence (using water) until it's gone. The scales on a snake's neck are often smaller & very prone to getting stuck (ditto for their heads- usually their chin is the worst though- might double-check that, it can be hard to see), & they don't seem able to deal with it- if you wait, it only gets more dried out & stuck.

Just get a very damp rough textured towel and wrap the snake in it - keep letting the snake slither around for a while and apply very gentle pressure to the area where the stuck skin is .

The skin will come off easily enough on the towel


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Today I finally sat down and went to work removing what was left. After close to an hour and a half I finally managed to rub off the last piece of stuck shed with a damp rag in combination with a bath soak between rubbing sessions. Kudos to my BP for not biting me during the whole process, I'm sure having his head touched over and over (where some of the old skin still was) wasn't pleasant, but he was a good sport all things considered.

Hopefully by next time he'll be in a tub setup I've been planning (I have a T10 on order but it will be who knows how long until it arrives) so humidity issues will be far easier to deal with compared to this horrendously clunky glass tank arrangement.

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:gj: An hour & a half is a long time for a snake to put up with "stuff" but I've found most snakes with stuck shed seem to be relieved when we help them out of it. And the gentle restraint needed to do this helps to reinforce that they're safe with us, even if they don't seem to appreciate it at the time. I've never had a snake bite me for such assistance. ;)

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

Today I finally sat down and went to work removing what was left. After close to an hour and a half I finally managed to rub off the last piece of stuck shed with a damp rag in combination with a bath soak between rubbing sessions. Kudos to my BP for not biting me during the whole process, I'm sure having his head touched over and over (where some of the old skin still was) wasn't pleasant, but he was a good sport all things considered.

Hopefully by next time he'll be in a tub setup I've been planning (I have a T10 on order but it will be who knows how long until it arrives) so humidity issues will be far easier to deal with compared to this horrendously clunky glass tank arrangement.

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Try the damp towel trick I mentioned next time ..

They don’t struggle at all


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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

:gj: An hour & a half is a long time for a snake to put up with "stuff" but I've found most snakes with stuck shed seem to be relieved when we help them out of it. And the gentle restraint needed to do this helps to reinforce that they're safe with us, even if they don't seem to appreciate it at the time. I've never had a snake bite me for such assistance. ;)

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The timeframe was sheer inexperience and cautiousness on my end. I knew he was uncomfortable but I'm sure the prolonged discomfort of having that stuck shed on top of his head and neck was worse. I'm just happy I got it off safely at this point.

I have a rat thawing as we speak as a reward for his troubles at least. Even despite the ordeal he has his head poking out of the hide so I know he's hungry (and it is a feeding day anyway haha).

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Try the damp towel trick I mentioned next time ..

They don’t struggle at all


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The shed was REALLY crusty and hardened since it had been on there for two weeks (vacation plus other things going on after I got home) so I kind of mixed in your advice. Basically "petted" him with the rag with just enough firm but gentle force to slowly slough the skin off. Him just slithering under a towel wasn't going to be enough on its own I didn't think.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

The timeframe was sheer inexperience and cautiousness on my end. I knew he was uncomfortable but I'm sure the prolonged discomfort of having that stuck shed on top of his head and neck was worse. I'm just happy I got it off safely at this point.

I have a rat thawing as we speak as a reward for his troubles at least. Even despite the ordeal he has his head poking out of the hide so I know he's hungry (and it is a feeding day anyway haha).

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At least if it ever happens again, he'll be less likely to think you're trying to kill him, lol. Snakes learn thru experiences too & they seldom hold grudges. Glad you got it done.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

The shed was REALLY crusty and hardened since it had been on there for two weeks (vacation plus other things going on after I got home) so I kind of mixed in your advice. Basically "petted" him with the rag with just enough firm but gentle force to slowly slough the skin off. Him just slithering under a towel wasn't going to be enough on its own I didn't think.

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A damp / wet , rough textured towel works wonders to be fair .. especially after a little soak


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I think you have a point about feeling relief, Boger. Fed him just now and he was notably more enthusiastic than normal.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

I think you have a point about feeling relief, Boger. Fed him just now and he was notably more enthusiastic than normal.

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That's great! I've noticed that even if snakes shed most of their old skin, they instinctively hesitate to eat when they still sense some of the shed remains. Also, it's hard to quantify but when I've helped snakes shed, they're clearly more comfortable even though they may fight the process (that too is just instinctive "self-defense") & I assume it's like wearing an article of clothing that's too tight- you can't wait to be rid of it, right? If you're a guy, you've probably never used a therapeutic facial mask, the kind that tightens on your skin as it dries, but I have, & when it's on your whole face, it's NOT a pleasant feeling. ;)

Hi! I'm new to ball pythons.net and am glad I can help in any way I can...

I had a very similar issue with my bel ball python a few weeks ago. She has a history of very difficult sheds even if the humidity is on point. Her sheds take forever and I usually have to assist with soaks and occasionally use mineral oil. I took her to the vet about a month or two ago because I saw some signs that had me very concerned about an RI. I saw open mouth breathing, very loud breathing sounds and a puffed up throat. I took her to the vet who explained that it was all because of an extremely bad shed and even in some areas shed was built up in multiple layers. They were able to get most of it off but not all of it in the nostrils ( I went to the vet again to remove the remaning shed in the nostrils so it wouldn't build up.)
All of this is to say that some people on here have recommended leaving it and waiting for the next shed when it will all come off but from my experience the longer you let it sit and let more shed build up, the harder it will be to remove it all off. It got so bad for me that it was causing health issues and 2 vet visits. If you have remaing shed try a warm bath and mineral oil (that's what the vet recomemded) and if nothing works eventually maybe a vet visit would be in order (it was $52 for an RI check and shed removal). I doubt it would get as bad as mine got, but you never just want to let it sit and build up, that's why it got to be so bad was because I kept waiting for the next shed to remove it all. :)
Hope all goes well for your little guy, praying for him! :)

Also quick question, I'm trying to figure out how to post a new post about stargazing and I can't figure out how...any advice or direction would be much appreciated, thanks!)