Help with some head shed?

[Bogertophis]

Hi- your post is pretty clear (in terms of English) actually-

And we've ALL missed the signs of a "shed" now & then- oops!

Yes, helping a snake to shed is fairly stressful for them- the neck & head are areas most likely to stick (including "eye caps"). DO make sure the tail tip shed totally- otherwise even a little bit of shed remaining on a snake's tail tip can cut off the already-poor blood circulation in their tail, & make the tissue (tail tip) actually die.

On the back of his head, you can probably hold off & hope the next shed goes better. Personally though, I always "bother them" until a shed is complete, but it's up to you.

It IS an awkward spot, but NOT a serious problem- obviously you cannot soak their head under water, but with very gentle restraint (I'd sit & calmly hold the snake on my lap for a while), you could hold a small damp cloth (or piece of paper towel) on the spot for a while, & it should loosen up. Sometimes when you leave behind some stuck 'shed' skin, the next time it sticks there too, anyway- instead of all coming off together.

I'm glad that where you are, at least there are a few people (vet & breeder) that work with snakes too, but we're always happy to help you with any questions here. Yes, it's too bad that so many people (everywhere) do not like or even want to understand snakes.

One more thing: I don't know if you actually check the humidity provided in the snake's enclosure with a gauge, but it might help in the future to provide your snake with a "humid hide", especially when he's getting ready to shed, so hopefully he can get it all done by himself.

A "humid hide" is just a plastic container large enough for your snake to easily fit in, with a doorway & WITH some damp moss inside (or other damp substrate- even a very damp small towel is fine). A terry towel or sphagnum moss, when soaked & drained, offers some mild abrasion too, besides holding the water- & most snakes smell the extra moisture when in shed, & are happy to go right in for a couple days until they complete the job. It's always good to check (tail tip, eye caps etc) anyway, but most snakes appreciate a "humid hide", & it's something you can make with a large plastic food container, for example, to help them. If there isn't enough space in his enclosure to add the humid hide, you could just remove the "cool side hide" & put in the "humid hide" instead.