Mites in baby ball pythons eye..

[Kethith]

I quite agree, & I also don't recommend using tweezers near their eyes either (as mentioned in the previous post), because animals can move suddenly & without warning, & you might poke their eyes with them. Even if 99% of the time you manage to use tweezers safely for this, it's not recommended because it's not worth the risks. Safety first, please.

Kethith, I've heard (on forums like this) about similar incidents where a snake's eyes were damaged, either by owners or even vets being too aggressive about removing stuck eye caps. On the flip side, I've seen (in rescues given to me) BPs with an unknown number of stuck eye-caps layered on, opaque, dented & wrinkled, effectively blinding the snake. It's something BPs are prone to, because of their large eyes plus humidity requirements that are often inadequate (or sometimes because other health issues are causing their dehydration too).

I 100% agree. Leaving the stuck eye caps is not an option. That is what I thought had occurred on my rescue’s eyes because she had also had inadequate humidity for years and had a large amount of built up stuck shed around her eyes as well. After a short while in my care, all the stuck shed came off without issue and I could see the true damage someone had done. Make sure the excess eye caps are removed, but be careful while doing it.

[Snagrio]

Threads about shedding issues like these make me eternally grateful that I figured out a solution for perfect sheds and haven't had issues thus far.

[Bogertophis]

Threads about shedding issues like these make me eternally grateful that I figured out a solution for perfect sheds and haven't had issues thus far.

I know- it's not fun dealing with stuck eye-caps etc. Tail tips are a lot easier- not that snakes want to sit still for you while you mess with their tails (lol) but at least you aren't working near their face & eyes.

Imperfect sheds happen for various reasons: some related to health (mites, dehydration, parasites, poor nutrition, poor digestion, aging snake), & some are husbandry issues (ie. humidity too low), so the more snakes you keep or the longer you live with them, the more likely it is that sooner or later you'll have this issue. It's not always avoidable- the only snake I have currently that has some trouble with sheds is my old corn snake (he's now over 21 years) & his appetite (& digestion) just isn't what it used to be, but at least it's not an issue of stuck eye-caps, just shedding in pieces & needing a soak to help him. Eye-caps are a more common problem with BPs, from what I've seen.

Another thing that influences shedding is the type of snake- some have thicker, tougher skin to shed & that tends to problem-free. When I kept rattlesnakes, I never once had one with a problem shedding their skin (thank heavens!), but their scales are heavily keeled & their skin is much thicker -presumably they evolved this way to be better able to handle the tough environments they're found in? In a similar way, my Trans Pecos rat snakes (desert dwellers) always do great sheds too. When you compare the softer, smoother scales of a corn snake or ball python, it makes sense as to which ones are more likely to have trouble- & their sheds tear much easier when they catch on things.