Stuck shed - do I bother removing it?

[Alexandra V]

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.

[Lolo76]

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.

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."

[Lolo76]

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

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?

[Skiploder]

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."

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.

[Lolo76]

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!

[ice#1]

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