Help! Assisting with a shed!

[Reediculous]

Always check out our stickies..........you can't go wrong! I'm not knocking the pillow case deal, but this method is bullet proof!


http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

[JoshJP7]

Ya def dont grab the skin... get some qtips and warm water... 2 person job... if you dont have two people dont try this!!!! One person holds the snake calmly and the other gently rubs the top of the head with the q tip... Obv use you head cause duh her eyes are right there... All you want to do is get it wet... dont try pulling anything off... just get it nice n wet... do this 1nce a day for a couple days and you should be good... nothing serious is going to happen with the stuck shed... whatever you do always be careful with their heads!

[Stetle49]

If you use the method that Josh mentioned it works very nicely. I let them soak for a little bit then use a wash cloth that I have also soaked in warm water. I wrap the wash cloth around the snake, kinda fold it around him. Then I grip the wash cloth around the snake and allow him to work his way through the wash cloth. This allows the snake to work the shed off with out you pulling it off.

Also while working around the head area I also recommend using the Qtips.

I hope this helps........it has worked very well for me with multiple snakes. Its typically their first shed after I have gotten them and they are usually babies. Good luck!!

[NickP]

Always check out our stickies..........you can't go wrong! I'm not knocking the pillow case deal, but this method is bullet proof!


http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

Trust me, that sticky was open on my screen as I was soaking him. It worked nicely. I took him out then got most of the skin off. The only thing left is the skin on the head, and I tried soaking again, but he DID NOT want to be in it anymore so he quickly got out.

Ya def dont grab the skin... get some qtips and warm water... 2 person job... if you dont have two people dont try this!!!! One person holds the snake calmly and the other gently rubs the top of the head with the q tip... Obv use you head cause duh her eyes are right there... All you want to do is get it wet... dont try pulling anything off... just get it nice n wet... do this 1nce a day for a couple days and you should be good... nothing serious is going to happen with the stuck shed... whatever you do always be careful with their heads!

He generally snaps his head back towards his body the second I touch it from above or sides (he doesn't mind me touching him from below his head) so would it be okay to actually hold the snake still including the head?

[littleindiangirl]

I have gotten the head thing down to a science for my animals. I use their skittish nature. they want to hide their head, so while they are in the crook of my arm, with the body controlled by my chest, i will slowly come over from behind their head with a soaking wet washcloth. Press down onto the top of the head, and firmly swipe back towards the neck. they will jerk and try to hide, but they will eventually have no where to go because if you have control of their body, the head can only go so far. When they hide their head underneath their body, i gently flip them and start there.

For me, they will flip a switch in their head, and will try to get the rest of the shed off with me. I guess it's hard to describe lol.

I only do this because i have not just held their head otherwise.

[JoshJP7]

Ya I dont really mess with their head at all... I want to keep it as stess free as possible and holding her head may do just that... I try to come from behind their head and make it known your there so its not a surprise when you touch their head. This should help keep the jerking reaction down to a minimum... Either way its always gonna happen, you just have to work with what you got and get it as wet as possible. Its much easier if you get someone to hold a snake while you work on the head safely. Just get it as wet as possible and know when to call it quits. A little stuck shed is fine as long as it comes off next shed.

[littleindiangirl]

Ya I dont really mess with their head at all... I want to keep it as stess free as possible and holding her head may do just that... I try to come from behind their head and make it known your there so its not a surprise when you touch their head. This should help keep the jerking reaction down to a minimum... Either way its always gonna happen, you just have to work with what you got and get it as wet as possible. Its much easier if you get someone to hold a snake while you work on the head safely. Just get it as wet as possible and know when to call it quits. A little stuck shed is fine as long as it comes off next shed.

Words of wisdom there. Gotta keep it as wet as possible, it works best that way. :gj;

[NickP]

This seems impossible. That piece of skin on his head won't come off! I have him in a damp pillow case and he is pushing through with his head so I made it really tight thinking as he pushes through the skin is bound to come off, but NOPE.

The only thing I can think of that I haven't tried is just grab his head and force him to stay still and use a Qtip to get it off but would this be bad for him?

Can I simply wait until the next shed? Will that retained shed be bad or stressful for him?

[LittleHil]

I'm also having the same problem with my male, Alister. His last shed he retained a piece on his head/neck, and this shed it seems to have gotten stuck in the same place. I've tried soaking him a couple times and the pillowcase method, but nothing seems to be working. I have a water dish big enough for him to soak in, as well as a humidifier in the room (I live in a dry area where the average is about 30% humidity).

I'm starting to get worried, surely this can't be good for him? The skin looks so uncomfortable! Are there any other tips or tricks that haven't been mentioned here already?

[NickP]

I'm also having the same problem with my male, Alister. His last shed he retained a piece on his head/neck, and this shed it seems to have gotten stuck in the same place. I've tried soaking him a couple times and the pillowcase method, but nothing seems to be working. I have a water dish big enough for him to soak in, as well as a humidifier in the room (I live in a dry area where the average is about 30% humidity).

I'm starting to get worried, surely this can't be good for him? The skin looks so uncomfortable! Are there any other tips or tricks that haven't been mentioned here already?

Here is what I did, even though the skin hasn't completely come off just yet. I kept putting my bp in the damp pillowcase, then would put that in the tank but wouldn't tie the end. So he had to find his way out of it, had to keep pushing with his head and eventually more than half of it came off. I did this 3 times. So right now, he has 1/4th of it on the left side of his face with the eye cap as well. I'll probably try the pillowcase again tomorrow cause I have to wash it today. YESTERDAY HE POOPED IN IT LOL!