Undecided Question
Ball python eye cap problem?
hi everyone. my ball python has been having an eye cap problem since he was born. every shed i give him a nice 20+ min. bath warm but not hot. after the bath i put him in a pillow case and a dry hand towl to help him shed. lately his eye cap isn't coming off even after misting his cage, and giving him a 23 min. bath. i heard olive oil will help out, but I'm not to sure about using it on him. been thinking on taking him to the vet but idk about how much the bill will cost me just to have his retained eye caps. the tape technique is out of the question same with the tweezers. i will not risk having him go blind. so please retain on suggesting those. any help will be great thank you.
I used olive oil on my Ball Python a few weeks ago, worked just fine. Juts dip a q-tip in some and lightly swipe it across the eye. If that doesn't work then it's got to be stuck pretty good and I'd go see a vet about it. The bill shouldn't be to bad. That eye caps has to come off, you don't want to end up with a blinded Ball. Good luck, hope it comes off.
What kind of cage do you use? If you use an aquarium with a mesh lid then that's the problem. An aquarium with a mesh lid can't stay humid enough to let a ball python shed all in one piece. Every professional ball python breeder I've ever met houses their ball pythons in a plastic (sterilite or rubbermaid) tub with holes drilled through the sides. My snakes used to retain eye caps all the time and I had to soak them to get the rest of the skin off, then I switched all my snakes to plastic tubs and I literally have not had ONE bad shed in the 5 years since I made the switch. Every shed is perfect because the plastic tub traps more heat and humidity inside the cage and I never have to mist.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com If you switch to a tub with holes drilled in the sides, then the retained eye caps should come off easily when he/she goes through the next shed cycle. I use a small heat pad or heat tape underneath the tub, and I don't use heat lamps because 1) they would melt the plastic, 2) they dry out the air and cause bad sheds and 3) the plastic tub method keeps the cage warm enough that a heat pad is all you need.
what I'm talking about:
http://www.kingsnake.com/sandboa/rack.jp…http://www.gatopardos.com/video/eZDz5PPQ…Even if you manage to get these eye caps off, that's only treating the symptom and not the cause. The low humidity is the cause, and I think you'll find that plastic tubs provide the perfect humidity for pythons.
~Good Luck!~
Source(s):
Own/breed 35+ ball pythons and boas
I agree with the above poster. I use olive oil on my bp's that have problems shedding especially eye caps. I have only had it not work on one who has to go to the vet almost every shed to have it removed. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
The bill shouldn't be too bad. In my area after the initial "check-up" fee of $25 for the first visit I just take him in and they remove the caps and it costs $15. It may be higher or lower in your area.
I hate the tape technique I have seen an inexperienced person do it on an eye cap that was stuck too bad and it literally split the eye and now the barely 1 year old ball only has 1 eye.
