Is stuck shed anything to worry about?

[Ste]

So my ball python had a very bad shed, he’s got it all off now thankfully, but there’s still shed stuck to mostly his neck. It’s not effecting his eyes mouth or head. Would it be safe to leave it until his next shed or should I try and get rid of it? The best I can describe it is really small bits here and there that you’d need to look close at not big obvious patches of skin. He normally has every good sheds and mostly only needs help with his vent and tail.

[Zincubus]

Just get a rough textured bath towel and soak / dampen it thoroughly with slightly warm water then carefully wrap the snake up in it and let it slither around inside … you will be able to feel it’s head inside the towel so concentrate on that area , putting gentle pressure on the head / neck region and all the dead skin will come off painlessly onto the towel .

It may take a couple of attempts

[Argentum]

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what you describe. You could provide a high-humidity environment to try and loosen it up, but the areas to watch for are the tip of the tail and the eyes/face. Stuck eye-caps (shed on the eyes) can impede eyesight, and stuck skin on the nose can impede breathing. I've heard that the shed on the tip of the tail remaining on can cut off circulation.

[Bogertophis]

@ Ste: Yes. On the tail tip, please check your snake after every shed to make sure the tail tip was completely shed. They have very little blood circulation there, & it doesn't take more than one or two times with stuck shed to cause the death of tissue & the actual loss of their tail tip. Gangrene is no joke, & without medical care, can even impact the health (life) of your snake. Eye caps should also be checked after each shed- they can be horrible to get off (requiring some delicate work by a qualified veterinarian) once they are stuck on & pile up for a while.

Stuck sheds are best avoided: normal humidity for BPs should be 55-65%, but during a shed, raise it to about 75%. Use substrate that holds humidity, &/or provide a humid hide.

Don't feed your snake when you notice they're in or going into a shed cycle (ie. when eyes are clouding, etc) because both digestion & shedding requires good hydration from the snake's body, & many snakes aren't good at "multi-tasking" for this reason; for whatever reason, their body doesn't have enough water to do both at the same time. That's also why many snakes instinctively refuse to eat when in shed.

[Zincubus]

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what you describe. You could provide a high-humidity environment to try and loosen it up, but the areas to watch for are the tip of the tail and the eyes/face. Stuck eye-caps (shed on the eyes) can impede eyesight, and stuck skin on the nose can impede breathing. I've heard that the shed on the tip of the tail remaining on can cut off circulation.

Oddly enough that damp towel trick I mentioned above works a treat on retained eye-caps .. you just apply gentle pressure specifically the head region for as long as you can .. the eye caps come off nice and easily onto the towel ..

Obviously it’s best to try and avoid stuck shed or retained eye-caps by monitoring the humidity but it’s not always possible

For my part …

I spray their vivs whenever I'm doing water changes and whenever I think about it but when mine go into shed I spray the viv EVERY day then as soon as their eyes clear and they get their colour back I start spraying a few times each day ... You'll probably find the messy , rolled up lump of skin UNDER his hide afterwards ) .
Note they get their colour back and the eyes clear a few days BEFORE the skin actually comes off .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Argentum]

Oddly enough that damp towel trick I mentioned above works a treat on retained eye-caps .. you just apply gentle pressure specifically the head region for as long as you can .. the eye caps come off nice and easily onto the towel ..

Obviously it’s best to try and avoid stuck shed or retained eye-caps by monitoring the humidity but it’s not always possible

For my part …

I spray their vivs whenever I'm doing water changes and whenever I think about it but when mine go into shed I spray the viv EVERY day then as soon as their eyes clear and they get their colour back I start spraying a few times each day ... You'll probably find the messy , rolled up lump of skin UNDER his hide afterwards ) .
Note they get their colour back and the eyes clear a few days BEFORE the skin actually comes off .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I've used an old pillow-case, but the towel sounds even better, so long as air can still flow through it easily. Could even take an old towel and sew it into a large 'pouch' for the same effect. I've removed stuck eye caps before, but I ended up doing a long 'humidification' in a damp pillow case, then stroking a wet q-tip across the eye a couple times. The eye cap was already loose at that point, it just needed something to slide it off.

[montagma]

We use a q-tip soaked in warm water. I swear he loves it! He stays perfectly still and helps rub his skin on it.

We also do feed during shed. He's never refused.

[Homebody]

We also do feed during shed. He's never refused.

I don't feed during a shed. Both shedding and digestion require a lot of my snake's resources. Overtaxing him may result in a poor shed or regurgitated meal. So, if I know my snake is going into shed, I don't feed. An otherwise healthy snake can miss a meal or two without harm.

[Bogertophis]

I don't feed during a shed. Both shedding and digestion require a lot of my snake's resources. Overtaxing him may result in a poor shed or regurgitated meal. So, if I know my snake is going into shed, I don't feed. An otherwise healthy snake can miss a meal or two without harm.

I agree! I've learned over years of keeping many snakes that that's ^ ^ ^ the best policy. Some snakes, for whatever reason (minor dehydration that you're not aware of, or age, etc) don't "multi-task" very well. While many snakes can do both (digest & shed), many refuse food instinctively when in shed (so why waste the food?), and there will come a day for most every keeper when feeding a snake in shed will backfire, & it won't be pretty. If it's a cranky snake, so much the worse when they don't tolerate your help with stuck skin or eye caps. And when you neglect to help, damage can occur- loss of tail tips, eye damage -or expensive vet help to remove layers of stuck eye caps. It's just easier prevent problems than deal with them.