Can you pull it off?

[shelliebear]

I was talking with this nice lady on Craigslist about the ball python she had for sale (err...adoption), and she said she has humidity issues a lot and he doesn't shed right. I suggested the aluminum foil screen treatment because it's working pretty good for me, and also sphagnum moss.
She said she doesn't want to buy that, she just usually pulls the shed skin off with her hands, including any shed skin that is stuck to the face area and eye caps and all that.
Well, I'm not an expert, but from what I've read on BP.net it sounds like you're not supposed to just grab skin on their face and peel it all the way off around their head, eyes, mouth, and all. :/
Am I correct in thinking that? Is it better to leave the shed skin on the snake and let them get it off (or not, until next shed cycle) than to just grab a corner and peel?
I don't want to sound like a know it all so I didn't tell her anything. She was a really nice lady but I was just concerned about that one part. I did, however, say over and over she should join BP.net because it's awesome and she can talk about how much she loves her snake. (She really seemed like she loved him.)
Thanks,
Shellie

[Courtney281]

If she loved her snake so much, why was it up for adoption and why was she getting info on how to take care of it from you?

[JLC]

It really depends. If it's stuck really tight, then pulling on it might cause tearing of the new skin. But most of the time, the old skin is plenty ready to come off and it's ok to help them out of it. The thing I always suggest people avoid is picking at stuck eyecaps because that risks injury to the eye.

[Courtney281]

On the shed note though, since I live in Vegas and we only have like 5% humidity out here, I can't seem to keep any humidity in their tanks hahaha So I usually save them the trouble and do a soak and assist in shedding. Only when I see that they are starting to peel around the fae though, then I know they are ready. Been doing it for years and they know exactly whats going on when it comes time to do it. Will actually wiggle their bodies through my hands to pull their own shed off, it's pretty cool. But I agree with JLC to never pick at eyecaps. It won't hurt to leave them on till next shed if for some reason they didn't come off this time.

[loonunit]

If she doesn't want to spend money on moss, she can use a wet towel over their hide instead. That works pretty well for mine.

I do pull off eyecaps, but I've gotten pretty good at being able to tell when they've retained them (I look to see if there are a few other scales around the eye.) It's pretty risky for a beginner, though--sometimes when there's humidity issues, the eye can look dented or wrinkly even just a day after shed--and then you're rubbing at a perfectly healthy eye, trying to remove perfectly healthy skin, and you're risking blinding your snake. And even if the eyecap IS retained, it's STILL a risk... there's a million ways to hurt your poor snake waving a pair of tweezers in their face, right?

In general, if you're not certain you should leave it alone. Honestly, I wouldn't even trust most vets to make this call. And "picking" at the head area is never a great idea--it's much safer to just up the humidity or soak the snake, and then try a towel. Or maybe the mineral oil trick (which I've actually never tried--any recs?)

But just generally pulling off retained skin (from their backs or necks or tails) is no big deal. I soak them first, because then it comes off in one or two pieces instead of 3 million little scales... and I generally don't pull it all off for young ones, because a little retained skin seems to sort of "teach" their bodies to adjust for lower humidity the next time.

But I'd leave the head alone unless you are EXPERIENCED and have a VERY trusting relationship with your animal--so you KNOW it won't jerk around and accidentally impale its mouth or eye on something.

[Shadera]

Some people will just never get it. Resign yourself to that fact and spend your time on people who are worth it.

Can you pull it off? Yes. Should you? Depends on the situation and the person.