Help with some head shed?

[Edea_Tsuki]

I'll reply all in one post!

It doesn't look like the stuck shed is in a sensitive area like the eyes, nose, mouth or heat pits. I've only had to deal with stuck shed once, but I think it's o.k. to leave it until the next shed.

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.

For removing stuck shed on a Ball Python's head, when the snake was head-shy, I've had good luck using a pillow case. Wet it thoroughly with tepid water, wring it out, put the snake inside and tie the open end shut, then leave it alone for an hour or so. Be sure to wring it out well enough that air can get through, so you're not drowning your snake. The humidity inside softens up the dry skin, and slithering around inside the cloth rubs against the fabric enough to work the patches off. Be sure to use a 'sack' or pillowcase large enough for the snake to move around inside, but not so large that it won't be pressing against the fabric when it does so. It's especially good for areas on the head, since they tend to nose and push against the cloth trying to find a way out. Warning; You then end up with a pillowcase full of bits of snake skin that are really hard to entirely clean out, so use one you don't plan on putting onto a pillow after that.

Personal experience from a long time ago, if anyone has any concerns about this method please mention them!

Thanks to all for your helps! I am very curious about the pillow case method... If someone else can be credit that, I think that I'll try it because it seems the easy way! (and for me also the safiest, I really don't know exactly how to hold my BP in this cases, he moves a lot and I have lot of fear in case I squeeze him too much)
I checked the tail and he didn't have any shed!

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.

I see from a previous thread that your snake has had a previous issue with this same spot on his head, & still has a couple odd-looking scales there. I'm thinking that it might be related to the stuck area-? Did you ever try dabbing on an antifungal medication (with a Q-tip) on those odd looking scales to clear that up? (It's something I've personally seen & dealt with in the past with a BP.)

Mh... Some tips for doing that without any bite? Last time that I try to pick him for maintenance when he was in shed, it didn't work so well :')
By the way, I contacted the vet the time that I wrote that topic which you are talking about because I was very worried about scales, if I remember correctly some of them are visible also in the previous post. I explained her what you guys told me and she used UV for check if the snake have some kind of fungal infection. For her, he didn't have nothing, but if I remember correctly BP didn't have so much shiny scales before the shed... So I really don't know...