Rescue with Bad Eye Caps

[Lusiphera]

Hey all, I got an emergency surrender today. Gives to me as a female but I’m thinking a male. Very sweet, came to me cold and stiff as a rock with stuck shed and what I can only assume are eye caps. It made me sad because a lot of the stuck shed came off just as I was looking him over which tells me he hasn’t been handled much. That was a given by how terrified the previous owners were to pick him up. Hey I understand fear of snakes but if you’re too scared to touch one you likely should not own one. He didn’t even have a hide in his old enclosure. Just aspen and a small water bowl. I let him warm up to room temp of my reptile room and then placed him in his temp tub to warm up. My biggest concern is the eye caps. I don’t have experience dealing with them so I wanted to ask advice. I’ve heard of using tape, making sure to tap it against your finger first so it’s not too sticky. I am comfortable doing this but it sounds like it leaves a lot of room for human error so I was wondering my other options. I’ll try to get a pic. I also haven’t sexed him yet but I’m guessing by size and the spurs. I’ll see if I can get a pic of those too. Thanks for ant tips!










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[Bogertophis]

Did he shed any of his head while he was with you? Because I don't think those are stuck eyecaps at all...he may be just showing creases in his eyes where they
were buckled at some point from insufficient humidity.

Using "scotch tape" won't hurt anything either way, if you really think there is something that needs to come off, but don't get aggressive (as some have, mistakenly
damaging the actual eyes in an effort to remove eyecaps). Scotch tape has worked for me before, just a light touch if & when the old eyecaps are ready to come
off, but it's not strong enough to damage the actual eyes if no eyecaps are retained.

Another thread right now has been discussing creases like you're seeing in his eyes, btw.

Here it is: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-going-on-here

I agree, looks like a male...and why ppl get snakes they are afraid of is beyond me. Poor baby, glad he's got you to help him now.

[Lusiphera]

Did he shed any of his head while he was with you? Because I don't think those are stuck eyecaps at all...he may be just showing creases in his eyes where they
were buckled at some point from insufficient humidity.

Using "scotch tape" won't hurt anything either way, if you really think there is something that needs to come off, but don't get aggressive (as some have, mistakenly
damaging the actual eyes in an effort to remove eyecaps). Scotch tape has worked for me before, just a light touch if & when the old eyecaps are ready to come
off, but it's not strong enough to damage the actual eyes if no eyecaps are retained.

Another thread right now has been discussing creases like you're seeing in his eyes, btw.

A little bit of stuck shed came off just the center top of his head, just like four little dots, no where near the whole head. I have no experience with layers of eye caps. The only time I ever dealt with it was with my Dekays who just needed help getting an otherwise healthy shed going past his eyes. So my eye cap guess could easily be way wrong. I did see that eye crease thread. It didn’t even occur to me it could be the same. I’ll go back and check it out again. I may try the scotch tape just in case and I promise I will in no way be aggressive. Do you think it’s okay to let him rest for a few days first though? I don’t want to stress him out to much right now. If it’s important to figure out the eye thing ASAP I will though. Thank you!


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[Bogertophis]

A little bit of stuck shed came off just the center top of his head, just like four little dots, no where near the whole head. I have no experience with layers of eye caps. The only time I ever dealt with it was with my Dekays who just needed help getting an otherwise healthy shed going past his eyes. So my eye cap guess could easily be way wrong. I did see that eye crease thread. It didn’t even occur to me it could be the same. I’ll go back and check it out again. I may try the scotch tape just in case and I promise I will in no way be aggressive. Do you think it’s okay to let him rest for a few days first though? I don’t want to stress him out to much right now. If it’s important to figure out the eye thing ASAP I will though. Thank you!


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I'm not seeing stuck eye-caps either but it's hard to be positive, & there's nothing wrong with trying a damp towel either (if/when you suspect stuck eyecaps);
I really think he just has some harmless creases in his eyes, that in time with good humidity may or may not disappear.

As far as using "scotch tape", all you do is touch it lightly to the eye...the eyes obviously must be dry, not damp, or tape won't stick at all, & as I said, I've used this
method successfully with eye-caps that lingered to gently lift them off...but never with "layers of eye-caps", that would best be resolved by an experienced herp vet.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this, then don't. But it's also the least disruptive way...you gently cup the head with one hand, & use the other hand to touch the
tape. I agree that he'd love to rest for a few days with proper warmth & humidity now that he (or she) is in safe hands...but in my experience, the longer you wait to
remove eye-caps & old un-shed skin, the harder it is. So it's your call.

[Bogertophis]

And as far as using "tape": we're not talking about duct (aka "duck") tape here!

I'm old enough to remember when "scotch tape" actually ripped paper if you tried to pull it off. They don't make it that way anymore...you can peel it off paper
now, without tearing the paper and then go on to re-use the tape on another item, lol. It's safe to use as I described. It just doesn't stick that well...

[Lusiphera]

And as far as using "tape": we're not talking about duct (aka "duck") tape here!

I'm old enough to remember when "scotch tape" actually ripped paper if you tried to pull it off. They don't make it that way anymore...you can peel it off paper
now, without tearing the paper and then go on to re-use the tape on another item, lol. It's safe to use as I described. It just doesn't stick that well...

Omg of course not! Hahaha. No gorilla tape! I’m actually thinking I might try Washi tape. Not sure if you’re familiar with it, it’s basically crafting tape. Not as sticky as scotch, very gentle and paper based. I have hundreds of rolls. I’m a reptile keeper and also a planner. Like my IG account where I take pictures or my planners has over 3,000 followers. Yes that’s a thing hahaha. I may just give it a go tonight, very slowly and gently just to check it out. I’ll give a Luke warm bath tomorrow then let him settle in for a while I think.


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[Zincubus]

Never use any tape on a snake and certainly not their eyes .. or even in their vivs !!!


I’d suggest a good soak but stay close at hand don’t ever leave it them .
Have a wet , rough textured towel ready then wrap the snake up in the towel and let it wriggle around .. all the time it’s moving around you can apply very , very gentle pressure to the head / eyes regions and when it’s head comes out just wrap it up again and continue . The eye caps will normally just come gently off ON the towel ..


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[Lusiphera]

Never use any tape on a snake and certainly not their eyes .. or even in their vivs !!!


I’d suggest a good soak but stay close at hand don’t ever leave it them .
Have a wet , rough textured towel ready then wrap the snake up in the towel and let it wriggle around .. all the time it’s moving around you can apply very , very gentle pressure to the head / eyes regions and when it’s head comes out just wrap it up again and continue . The eye caps will normally just come gently off ON the towel ..


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Ok, so no tape. I know there will be different views on tape but frankly I’m just not sold enough on its effectiveness in this situation to try it unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll definitely try the bath. And I would not leave him. I’ve seen people leave snakes in baths before and it makes me so sad. I always remember one video in particular of a poor baby sand boa left alone in six inches of water to swim for 45 minutes! Thanks for the advice!

I’m your opinion do they look like eye caps? And do you have an opinion on the sex? I know you can’t always tell based on spur size but I’m just curious other people’s thoughts.


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[Danger noodles]

I wouldn’t do anything, I got a pastel just like that in worse shape than that. Put him/her in a good tank with plenty of water and I kept the humidity at 70%ish when he went into blue and everything went well on his first shed and he was perfect the second shed. Sometimes it’s best to let nature take care of itself and not stress the snake.

Then if he doesn’t shed right u can intervene. But with the right care he should bounce right back and less stress this way

[Lusiphera]

I wouldn’t do anything, I got a pastel just like that in worse shape than that. Put him/her in a good tank with plenty of water and I kept the humidity at 70%ish when he went into blue and everything went well on his first shed and he was perfect the second shed. Sometimes it’s best to let nature take care of itself and not stress the snake.

Then if he doesn’t shed right u can intervene. But with the right care he should bounce right back and less stress this way

Thanks! He’s definitely far from the worst I’ve seen, thankfully! I don’t plan in doing anything for a few days regardless, I want to let him settle in and rest. Do you mean you have a snake with eyes that look like this one, it was eye caps?


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