Stuck shed
 

We have had our hognose for about 4 months now and he had problems on his last shed. I got it all off eventually by soaking him, but it seems his eye caps are stuck. How do I get them off? I have never had eye problems with my balls or corns! Do I just soak him and keep working on his eyes?

Thank you,
Stephanie Hays

If he's a REALLY good snake, you can try to hold a warm, damp compress to his head for 5 minutes a day. Afterward, you can apply artificial tears to the snake's eye...this should help you to lubricate the eye enough to be able to work the eye cap off easily with a sterile swab.

If you are unable to remove the shed from the eye, you need to contact a herp vet. They can apply a topical anesthetic to the eye (the same thing you and I get at the eye Dr.) and use a special "loop" to get the cap off. Keep in mind, the longer it waits, the greater chance there is for the snake's vision to become compramised.