Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes - experts Forum at VenomousReptiles.org

Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by nietzsche on March 29, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
I recently attended an outdoor expo and there were some venomous snakes on display by the Phoenix Herpetological Society (incidentally they have a smokin’ Puff Adder). One animal, an Albino Monocled Cobra, had a very large patch of unshed skin on its head, and this seemed to include the brille. How big off a problem could this turn into, and what is the protocol for removal? Due to the location, it seems that this might be a very unpleasant and difficult undertaking. Thank you, Kelly

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by Ptk on March 29, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
Hi Kelly, I am NO expert but if the retained shed is more from a recent shed and not say years of build up - there is a good chance it will come off with the next molting. You can remove it manually and I am sure you will get plenty of suggestions on how but I would advise practicing a little patience. If the eye just looks cloudy might be something else entirely. Good Luck PTK

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by TheFifthDay on March 29, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
My mentor would put the snake in a safe container with some warm, wet (but not too wet) newspaper. The snake would move around in the container and the unshed skin would come off 99% of the time. Works with my snakes every time.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by lanceheads on March 29, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
The quickest way, is to bag the snake, dampen the bag, (throughly) and place it in a bucket for a few hours. This works about 99% of the time. The wet bag, clings and conforms to the snake and eases removal when the snake is trying to get out of the bag.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by Time on March 29, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
I second what Randal said. That's what I have done also.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by FSB on March 30, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
An ounce of prevention is always a good idea with venomous snakes - raise the humidity when they are opaque, especially during the few days after they clear up and just before the actual shed.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by SwampY on March 30, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
The wet bag trick will work with eyecaps too. I cringe every time I hear someone say they use tape to pull the eyecaps off... just put them in a wet bag and they will do the work themselves.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by earthguy on March 30, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
Better clarify before some young herper misreads and puts their first snake in a plastic bag. Obviously with a non-venomous snake you can gently peel by hand (in a tub). With hots use COTTON snake bags that you have wetted and wrung slightly. Cotton holds moisture and you don't want the snake to have difficulty getting oxygen.

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by Cro on March 30, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
A wet Burlap Bag works even better than a muslin snake bag, due to the rougher texture. However, most folks these days do not even know what a burlap bag is, or, where to get one. Best Regards John Z

RE: Removing unshed skin on venomous snakes	Reply
by Time on March 30, 2010	Mail this to a friend!
SwampyV, Why do you cringe when tape is mentioned? I've used that method many times with no problems. By hand with non-venomous snakes and at the end of hemostats with tubed venomous.

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