Shedding Issues

[1woma]

Not my snakes but i went to a friend of the familys yesterday and was Horrified to see most of his snakes with some retained shed. So my question is.... what type of health concerns does this cause for the snake?

thanks in advance for replies ;-)

 

[mysnakesau]

Probably nothing if the skin comes off but longterm it can cause complications. Old skin left on the tail can eventually cause the tip of the tail to rot and fall off. One skin most likely won't, but each time the snake sheds, and each time more skin gets left on that tail, eventually it will cut off circulation to the tip of his tail. Another area of concern is the snake's nose. Old skin blocking his nostrils will cause issues with his sense of smell and breathing. He may refuse food because he can't smell it. Worse case scenario, each time a snake sheds and another layer of skin is added to old skin, this will cause major dramas to snake, virtually strangling its body. Scale rot can form underneath which will appear absolute invisible from above, and when bacterial infections are left untreated they can spread to other areas of its body, such as its respiratory tract.

Causes of retained shed is usually too dry and/or nowhere to rub himself on so he can get rid of his old skin. They need water bowls big enough that they can completely submerge in to soak, and logs, rocks, etc to help them jump out their old skin. Husbandry is always the number one suspect for fault when animals health are compromised. Not always a name and blame situation. Sometimes you don't know things are going wrong until the symptoms show up. But if you can't learn to observe and fix something that isn't right, you should not have them.

 

[Jackrabbit]

Another area of concern is the snake's nose. Old skin blocking his nostrils will cause issues with his sense of smell and breathing. He may refuse food because he can't smell it.

not sure snakes actually smell with their nose.

 

[mysnakesau]

Yeah they do. When the snake flicks its tongue, when it goes back into its mouth, the forks of the tongue go up into some cavity in the roof of their mouth where their nostrils. They don't smell with their tongue, but they need that tongue flicking to help them with their sense of smells.

I'm not the best at explaining this but hopefully you get the idea....haha

 

[Londos1990]

my new python is hopeless at shedding only had her a week, and was told about her shedding issues, i completely hand shed her this morning the poor things tried for 14 hours and only got out of her head, im new to albinos and couldnt even tell she was in shed, so ill prepare better next time for her so hopefully she can get there on her own, ill never leave retained shed on any of mine tho.

 

[redlittlejim]

Just put it in a wet pillow case overnight and seeds right off

 

[1woma]

The family member didnt seem at all concerned that his $2500-$3000 pair of SXR albinos were having trouble shedding, he commented that it was probably low humidity but had made no effort to remove the left over shed. Thanks for the info and help everyone...... especially the ifo on smelling;-)

 

[Bluetongue1]

Just to clarify a few points made earlier.

Snakes do NOT use their nostrils to smell. They have two shallow pits in the roof of the mouth called the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson’s organ. The rear end of these juts out into the nasal passage. However, it is only that part that opens into the roof of the oral cavity that has receptor cells for smelling. A snake’s tongue picks up air-borne particles and rubs them off onto the receptor cells of the Jacobson’s organ, which then works the same as our nose, to smell them. The tongue can also pick up chemical from the surface of objects, so it is effectively used for tasting as well.

Dysecdysis (problem shedding) is an indicator that something is wrong – either with the husbandry or the animal is not well. As has been indicate already most common cause is insufficient humidity, along with the other causes mentioned. It can also be brought on by stress, handling (especially if rough and excessive) coming up to a shed, poor nutrition and the presence of skin ailments and injuries not yet fully healed.

Blue

 

[pythrulz]

Tjere are always a few scales of old skin that doesnt come off but snakes that arent shedding could be a number of things no water not the right heat sometimes they just have a bad shes its always good if they have something they can rub up against get rid of the old skin too

 

[deangroom]

Thanks for the great advice. My 3 year old Childrens appears to have a a bad shed, first time ever, so was somewhat alarmed, and it appears lack of humidity might be the cause. So we're hand bathing her with warm water. Her eyes are still a bit milky though, and this is about a week after ... i read in another post to dab her eyes, which seems a bit radical.

I doubt she'd object too much, but thought I'd ask, as the other thread went off topic.

If there some form snake sorbent ... or just making sure I've to damp towls in there.

 

[mysnakesau]

Just to clarify a few points made earlier.

Snakes do NOT use their nostrils to smell. They have two shallow pits in the roof of the mouth called the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson’s organ. The rear end of these juts out into the nasal passage. However, it is only that part that opens into the roof of the oral cavity that has receptor cells for smelling. A snake’s tongue picks up air-borne particles and rubs them off onto the receptor cells of the Jacobson’s organ, which then works the same as our nose, to smell them. The tongue can also pick up chemical from the surface of objects, so it is effectively used for tasting as well.

Dysecdysis (problem shedding) is an indicator that something is wrong – either with the husbandry or the animal is not well. As has been indicate already most common cause is insufficient humidity, along with the other causes mentioned. It can also be brought on by stress, handling (especially if rough and excessive) coming up to a shed, poor nutrition and the presence of skin ailments and injuries not yet fully healed.

Blue

I was on the right track, just didn't know all the technical terminology and exactly how it worked, thanks for clarifying Bluetongue

 

[Bluetongue1]

I was on the right track, just didn't know all the technical terminology and exactly how it worked

You certaimly were on the right track and not too short of the mark!

Thanks for the great advice. My 3 year old Childrens appears to have a a bad shed, first time ever, so was somewhat alarmed, and it appears lack of humidity might be the cause. So we're hand bathing her with warm water. Her eyes are still a bit milky though, and this is about a week after ... i read in another post to dab her eyes, which seems a bit radical.

I doubt she'd object too much, but thought I'd ask, as the other thread went off topic.

If there some form snake sorbent ... or just making sure I've to damp towls in there.

Did you check the sloughed skin to see if the spectacles were retained or shed. I would be wary of assuming that is retained spectacles solely on the milky eyes. It could be an illness causing the eyes to be like that, which could also have caused the problem shed.

If the spectacles are retained then it is best to remove them if possible, but it is not critical as they are likely to come off with the next slough. Rather than bathing the eyes or dabbing them, I’d recommend a gentle misting and keep them moist until they soften. NEVER try to remove a retained spectacle with hard implements such as tweezers. You run the risk of doing permanent damage and even blinding the snake.

There are two simple, safe and effective methods I know of. First is using a damp cotton bud to wipe gently across the eye, from front to back in a downward diagonal. The other is using a soft rubber counting thimble, squeezed between the thumb and index finger. This is gently drawn across the eye in a similar manner to the cotton bud. This last technique can be viewed on Snakebytes TV Episode 100, on the web.

If the problem is humidity, then the following will help: Increase the surface area of the water bowl; ensure the water bowl is large enough and deep enough for the snake to immerse itself in water when it wants to; the depth of the water bowl should allow for the water to rise when the snake is in it, without overflowing and spilling water everywhere; move the water bowl closer to the heat source; reduce the ventilation to reduce the rate of loss of moist air; replenish the water daily as most python will not drink water that has stood for longer than one day.

Blue

 

[longqi]

Retained Spectacles
One other method that works 100% is to use a cotton bud and also Viscotears Gel
You smear the Gel GENTLY over the entire eye and leave it alone
Usually the retained spectacle will fall off in less than 6 hours

Very rarely you may have to repeat this if there are a few retained on top of each other

 

[Bluetongue1]

Retained Spectacles
One other method that works 100% is to use a cotton bud and also Viscotears Gel
You smear the Gel GENTLY over the entire eye and leave it alone
Usually the retained spectacle will fall off in less than 6 hours

Very rarely you may have to repeat this if there are a few retained on top of each other

Thanks longi, that’s great to know. With your experience behind the recommendation, I shall definitely add that technique to my list.

Just two questions: 1) I assume that it is a very thin layer you apply – just enough to cover the spectacle, and 2) Do you have to do anything special to stop the snake from rubbing it off or is totally non irritating and therefore the snake does not even try?.

Mike

 

[longqi]

Actually its just a blob on the end of the cotton bub
Smooth it on gently and avoid pressing too hard or the spectacle will scratch the eye
Try to avoid going it a complete circle as this may also push the spectacle
so do one half then the other
Doesnt seem to irritate them at all
Havent ever seen one try to rub it off
Peter

 

[deangroom]

Thanks Blue. See how I go.