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Boa won't shed properly even after soaking, any advice?
I have a red-tailed boa that I rescued from a friend. Long story short, it has a few issues and I have to tube feed it. I've taken him to the vet for a check up and he is healthy enough not be put down.
However the little thing is now trying to shed and is struggling. I can see the skin is loose but just wont come off. I have upped the humidity in his cage, I have soaked him for several days (minutes at a time) and still nothing.
Should I soak him for longer or is there anything I could try before I take the trip to the vet? Thanks.
@Rebecca, thanks I think I will try a tiny bit of baby oil. I don't have to worry about eye caps because little one doesn't have any eyes. One of the deformities from birth. The reason I am worrying is because it has taken about a week already to try and shed his skin and I worry extra because of his issues.
4 Answers
- RebeccaLv 69 years agoFavorite Answer
Hi Jenna. What you can do is get a bucket or large bowl or warm water and put a few drops of baby oil in there - just a little. Now get a face cloth and soak the snake for a dew minutes then use the gave cloth to gently work yhe skin away from the snakes head. It takes patience but this should do the trick.
Don't mess with eye caps!! More damage is usually creAted this way.
Good luck.
Edit - good for you for taking him in! Without eyes, he'll struggle a bit more to learn how to feed and shed and all that but luckily they do operate on instincts mostly so he will get there with some tlc. I've know a couple people who have blind boas and they're Absoloutly thriving! So keep at it - I wish you all the best!!
- LeahLv 59 years ago
This is what I do for bad sheds. I use tubs anyways, but if you don't, buy a rubbermaid or sterilite tub, keep it as small as possible. I lay one layer of newspaper at the bottom for substrate. I dump in about 1/4 cup of water, just enough to soak the newspaper without the snake swimming. Add a hide and water dish, then keep the snake in that tub overnight over the heat source. Preferably a UTH with a thermostat. Every time I've tried this, it's worked wonders, and the snake has been able to work the shed off themselves.
- 4 years ago
Your humidity is obviously way off, you ought to do analyze on the right humidity and temps on your puppy. Get a humidity gage and shop the cage at optimal humidity by way of a suited sized water bowl, occasional spraying and correct temps
