The evil eye cap...

So one of my ball python's shed last week and wouldn't you know that one of the eye caps didn't shed. Arrggh. The rest of the snake shed well. I gave her a nice bath and upped the humidity. A week later the cap is still there and a little wrinkled. I tried the gentle tape trick, not happening.

Here's the question: would you just wait till the next shed and hope that they both come off, or should I get a vet appointment to get the eye cap taken off by a professional hand? Or does anyone have any other tricks for a stubborn eye cap? Normally when I add a little humidity a few days later the tape trick works, but not this time around.

I have no specific experience with eye cap sheds, but my trick for missed sheds in general is the bath and then let them run through a damp, rough towel to give a little added abrasion.

I haven't had to remove an eyecap in ages! And it has never been from my own guys.. but if it is wrinkled.. generally I just take some tweezers, grab it by the wrinkle and pull it off! It's the flat ones that are so tough to get off. If your not comfortable doing that though.. I would either wait out till next shed or make her an apointment.. My vet wouldn't even charge me for something like that unless it needed further care like an infection or something

She's about to go through another shed right now so I've been doing daily soaks, keeping the humidity nice and in range. I don't have this trouble with my others...just her. Sigh. If she doesn't get them both off this time around I'll take her to the vet.

The best way I've found to help with bad shed issues is to put the snake in a container filled with moist spagnum moss over night.

Sometimes snakes eyes will wrinkle from low humidity as well. How do you have the tank set up? Screen lids are notorious for that.

I have a rack, with med ventilation. Humidity is between 50-60%

Well she shed last night and it was perfect! One large piece the way it should, the stuck eye cap came off along with the one under it. I did 15 minute soaks in cage temp water once a day for the three days before shed. Thanks all! Hug

Awesome and congrats!! My BRB had some nasty eyecaps this winter, ugh. Do you put a rock in their enclosures? I try to add a rock so they have something to rub on; they're smart!

Thanks! I love seeing them right after shed, they look like new snakes! My husband didn't even recognize my pastel after his first shed with us, he thought I had gotten a new snake. I have these wooden hides that are made out of a hollowed out tree half. It has nice natural bark on it to give it a rub. I do love watching them start their shed, they put their noses on bark and push with all their might.