Abnormal Shedding

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Abnormal shedding occurs when the normal sequence of events of

the shedding process is somehow interrupted.  This usually

results in a piece-meal shed and/or retained eye caps.  Causes

include serious internal disease, inadequate relative humidity,

previous injury (including surgery) to the skin and scales,

external parasitism, lack of adequate objects against which to

rub at the beginning of the shed, and thyroid gland problems.



An abnormal shed indicates a problem that demands immediate

attention.  In these cases, consider all of the aforementioned

causes, most of which demand veterinary assistance.



Treatment of a snake with retained skin from an abnormal shed

involves first soaking the snake in warm water for several hours.

A damp towel can then be used to gently peel off stubborn skin

fragments.  An alternative to this manual method involves rolling

the snake snugly in warm moist, heavy towels and allowing it to

crawl out, leaving the stubborn skin fragments behind.  This

procedure can be repeated if necessary.