Eye shed

[Pokersnake]

Ok. So I've read a lot of the threads on removing a stuck eye shed. But I can't seem to get it off.

Here's the situation: I got this guy as an adoption from a family who couldn't keep him anymore. I brought him home and realized he had a little bit of shed stuck in his eye. I've had him since September 19th. The piece of skin has moved from the top portion of his eye to the front corner. It's fairly large; it looks as though it could cover half of the eye, but it keeps moving around like a lost contact lens. I've tried saline solution. I've tried a q-tip. I've tried a bath. I won't dare bring tweezers near his eyes.

Right now I have him in a container with wet paper towels and put him over his warm spot. He never goes in his moist hide. So after a half hour I checked and the skin seems to have lightened in color and I can assume it's become softer. I tried flushing it with saline solution and a cotton pad moistened with saline. The problem I run into is that he keeps closing his eye (duh) and it seems that I would need three hands to do this right. Should I be trying to force his eye open? Or should I just keep trying to wipe the stuck shed out gently with the cotton pad? I hold him firmly with my left hand and use my right to try and get the skin out.

I know that all this attention is causing him stress. I also know that I am lucky that this hasn't turned into an eye infection.

Is there any advice someone can give me?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

If the shed doesn't come out soon he will get an infection. My vet recommended plain artifical tears as a lubricant. It may help you but if you can't get it out he will need to see a qualified herp vet very soon.

 

[Dog Shrink]

When my ball had stuck eye shed after her 6 month stay in the walls, I had to use warm compresses (just a warm wash cloth) on her face 2 times a day for about a week before we could get the lenses off. You'll have to keep re-warming the wash cloth during the 15-20 minute soaks to keep it warm but it did work. She actually seemed to really like the warm compresses on her face, and was super happy when the contacts came off. I actually still have them in an old photo album.

 

[Pokersnake]

^_^

The prolonged stay in the moist place did it. ends up that I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The thing was huge and almost a complete circle. Came out, piece of cake. I guess I was just jumping the gun to get another solution. Thanks guys!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

That's great it all came out

 

[gothra]

Good to hear it came out!

 

[Pokersnake]

Now all I have to do is be sure I do or don't need to repeat the process for every future shed. Yay!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

One of our adults that we took in showed eye shed problems the first couple times. So she gets a little mist on the warm end every few days. No problems since. She seems to actually like the mist, perhaps because she was raised on some kind of grey sand with her previous owner.