Is it ok to leave on a stuck eyecap?

[Shoyle]

Sorry if this is a repeat post, but I just wanted to make sure:
I recently moved my snake into a new cage and didn't have the humidity worked out by the time he shed, so now he has a retained eye cap. I was able to get the rest of his stuck shed off with a wet washcloth, but he would not let me get near his head. Is it safe to leave his retained eyecap on until his next shed in hope it will come off naturally, or should I attempt to remove it myself?
Thanks.

[Neal]

I personally wouldn't let it on, but you don't want to try and remove it yourself per say.

What you can do however, is soak him for a bit, then take a wet t-shirt, or a wet towel and cover his head and let him slide through it, this will allow him to get it off by himself. If you go to try and pull it off or grab it with something you can do more harm than good.

[Danger noodles]

In my opinion is one eye cap isn’t going to hurt to leave until next shed. However if it doesn’t come off the next time then I would get involved. I have done this with a ball that I adopted and I upped the humidity to 75 when he was in blue and everything went great. I didn’t want to stress a snake that was already mistreated and miserable.

[Bogertophis]

I wouldn't leave it on either...they seem to get more difficult to remove, not easier. Agree with Neal.

[Danger noodles]

I wouldn't leave it on either...they seem to get more difficult to remove, not easier. Agree with Neal.

Im in no way saying I’m right, but in my case of having a very stressed animal that was practically abandoned, it didn’t make sense to mess with it.

Also im curious, can one eye cap do damage? I know multiple can and if the animal is having trouble then yes I’d Intervene, but if it’s just one and u know it was the cause of poor humidity, then why stree the animal? I’m asking because I know u know more than me and I’d like to know.

[Bogertophis]

Im in no way saying I’m right, but in my case of having a very stressed animal that was practically abandoned, it didn’t make sense to mess with it.

Also im curious, can one eye cap do damage? I know multiple can and if the animal is having trouble then yes I’d Intervene, but if it’s just one and u know it was the cause of poor humidity, then why stree the animal? I’m asking because I know u know more than me and I’d like to know.

I've kept lots of "stressed" (rescued) snakes so let me explain a little more. It's not so much WHAT you do, but HOW you do it. I've found that when I stay calm & just
focused on helping a snake (with whatever challenge), it's almost like they 'feel' it & know you aren't trying to hurt them.

As far as your snake not letting you get near his head, you have to learn to be subtle with snakes...instead of directly coming at them, let them crawl over & thru your
palm, & gently encircle their head with your fingers...they learn gentle restraint this way. They may not love it, but it's also not going to cause real panic. Forcefully
restraining a snake, that's what you should never do...not if you want your snake to trust you. Sudden moves & force just means you're a predator to a snake & to most
animals. If you need to help a snake with something, use gentle restraint, persistence, & never hurry- it's a give & take. Absolutely no creature likes to feel over-powered.

But we are all individuals too, so if you cannot manage it, then don't try. IMO, it's far more stressful for a snake when you wait for something to get worse so that a vet
needs to intervene. It's also a lot more expensive.

[Toad37]

I've kept lots of "stressed" (rescued) snakes so let me explain a little more. It's not so much WHAT you do, but HOW you do it. I've found that when I stay calm & just
focused on helping a snake (with whatever challenge), it's almost like they 'feel' it & know you aren't trying to hurt them.
:

I've actually experienced this. One of my bps is very head shy. He doesn't mind handling just doesn't like it when you get too close to his head. He had a retained eye cap (and a lot of stuck shed) on him when I got him from his previous owner. I soaked him a few days after having him to get the stuck shed off and that was the one and only time he was completely content with me getting near his face. I VERY gently used a wet wash cloth to remove his eye cap. It's almost as if he knew I was there to help him out.

[Bogertophis]

I've actually experienced this. One of my bps is very head shy. He doesn't mind handling just doesn't like it when you get too close to his head. He had a retained eye cap (and a lot of stuck shed) on him when I got him from his previous owner. I soaked him a few days after having him to get the stuck shed off and that was the one and only time he was completely content with me getting near his face. I VERY gently used a wet wash cloth to remove his eye cap. It's almost as if he knew I was there to help him out.

This is exactly what I mean...I've seen this many times & so have others. And I cannot recall ever getting bit for doing such things...I think many are nervous about
helping because they expect to get bit, then they virtually radiate that nervousness instead of empathy, which is counter-productive. The focus must be on helping.
I've tube-fed and medicated snakes, & done all sorts of things- I get a real sense that the snake knows I'm there to help, just like with yours, and it works. Snakes
know a lot about our intentions by how we touch them, just as they do with each other.

[paulh]

There are records of snakes having more than half a dozen retained eye caps stacked up without damage to the eye.

An herper who is experienced with retained eye caps would probably take that eye cap off now. If the herper is not very experienced or if the shed was over a week ago, then I say leave the eyecap alone until the next shed and then really try to do a good job keeping the humidity up. If the retained eye cap comes off with the rest of the shed, the problem is solved. If the eyecap doesn't come off, then I'd recommend soaking the snake and taking the eye cap off with a wet rag as soon after the shed as possible. Choose the answer that best describes the situation.

Good luck.