Snake still having problems shedding, any advice?

Question

I have a 1 year old red-tailed boa which is as small as a hatchling. I adopted it from a friend who's snake gave birth to little ones with deformities.  The poor little thing has no eyes and I have to tube feed him but other than that the vet checked him out and is good and active.

Now Little one has a shedding issue.  It's been a week and still the skin has not come off except for around his head.  I upped the humidity in his container to the point where serious condensation developed and left that for two days.

I then soaked him for about 10 minutes and let him dry off in his container - nothing.

Yesterday I put him into a small container and soaked him in warmish water for about an hour - still nothing.  I then rubbed some olive oil on him and it seemed to help somewhat but it still won't budge. 

Has anyone had this problem and/or have any advice before I need to take a trip to the vet?  Thanks!!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Have you tried putting a wet towel into a pillow case with the snake.  Tie it off at the end, put it on the warm spot overnight.  Hopefully the snake will rub off the old shed overnight, good luck :)

Leah · Answer

What I do for tricky sheds is easy. Get a sterilite tub with a lid, large enough for the snake but not too large. I put newspaper on the bottom, and then dump 1/4 of warm water in it, just enough to soak the newspaper but the snake should not be swimming. Place a hide and water dish inside, as well as the snake. Place the tub over the heat source (a UTH WITH a thermostat) overnight. This works every single time for me. Sometimes they work it off in a couple hours, sometimes they need the whole night. Once they work it off themselves, just replace the substrate and hides, etc, or put them back into their original enclosure. This hasn't failed me yet.

Anonymous · Answer

To help snakes shed I places them in a deep sink with warm water. About an 1"-2" deep based on size of snake. His head needs to be able to be above the water. A Rubbermaid tote might work as well. Give him a warm soak for a little bit. Do not leave him unattended. If he is not used to water he may drown himself.

Anonymous · Answer

Usually water works umm make sure the tank is moist to

Anonymous · Answer

tie it in a gordian knot

Trending News

Snake still having problems shedding, any advice?

5 Answers