Any tips how to get stubborn skin off? I’ve been giving him baths and keeping in a damp pillowcase every day but nothing seems to help. Some of the stuck shed probably got caught in something and pulled off a few scales, so he’s in a tub now. Is epsom salt bath safe if he has little wounds from fallen scales? They’ve healed quite well already.
I’d take him to a vet in a heartbeat if the closest exotic vet wasn’t almost 4 hour drive away. Local vet said he isn’t very knowledgeable when it comes to reptiles, but is willing to help of course if needed.
I’ve had him for 7 years and never had any problems, I feel so bad 
Gonna be honest, that really doesn’t look like a bad/stuck shed to me. Looks like either some sort of low grade burn or maybe a “skin” infection of some sort. What does his setup look like? There aren’t any decorations with very sharp/rough edges or any uncontrolled heat sources like heat rocks, are there? Even a controlled heat source can cause burns if they have direct access to it, though.
I’ll let others chime in on it because I’ve never seen anything quite like it before, but between how it looks and the way you described trying to get the “shed” off to no avail, I’m inclined to believe something else is going on. My knee-jerk reaction would be to move him on something sterile like paper towel if he’s currently on substrate, a temporary “hospital” setup where you can easier monitor him (which is sounds like you’ve basically done). Are any of these “shed” bits flaking off? If he’s going to shed again soon and it’s some sort of burn (or stuck shed), it should look better afterwards or go away entirely it’s a good shed. I personally don’t know about epsom salt but would err on the side of caution. Betadine-mixed soaks would be good if there is any injury or infection to keep things clean.
I’d say at minimum if it starts progressing, you really should weigh the option of going on that trip for the exotics vet. It’d be well intentioned, but I’ve seen cases in the past where a vet not knowledgeable on reptiles accidentally killed a patient because of it. VERY unlikely situation, but I digress - I’d personally rather go on a day trip to take my animal to someone more likely to find the issue and treatment, than get someone who doesn’t really know what they’re looking at with this particular specialty and get a misdiagnosis and multiple costly visists. However, a general practice vet is better than none, so if you really can’t feasibly make the trip for the exotics vet I’d still go, but something to bear in mind.
Hopefully someone can chime in with something more certain and help get things figured out. It sounds to me like you very much do love your little guy, and 7 years is a good run without problems. Sometimes these things just happen, so try not to beat yourself up for it as you’re looking for the solution!
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This is the same thing I was thinking, the 3rd image shows that the scales/skin looks a bit red and irritated.
Stuck shed doesn’t present this way. The scales are dented and dry, I’d be asking about fungal infections with a veterinarian.
I’m not really seeing any missing scales unless they were not photographed, just very very dry scales.
If this is in fact a fungal infection I’d stop with the daily exposure to water and the damp pillow case.
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At first it seemed like normal stuck shed, I even held him and it didn’t look like anything special. Few days went past and I noticed his tail looked a lot worse, I suspected the skin had ripped somehow. But now I’m also starting to think it might be something else, since the baths aren’t helping. I think I’ll start giving spot treatment with diluted betadine. Few of the stuck shed bits has come off, but the skin looks just off somehow, and when I carefully try to peel the skin after bath, the scales look really irritated. He doesn’t really react tho so I guess it’s not hurting that much at least.
I can’t really think of anything where he could’ve burned or badly scraped himself, but I’ll go through the enclosure before returning him there from temporary setup- just in case.
He’s 10yo already so it might take some time before he sheds again. If the condition gets worse, I’ll take him to the vet in the other city. When I asked my local vet about his expertise about snakes, he said that I probably know better than him, but if I ever need antibiotics etc he would gladly help. I don’t think he would do any hasty decisions or risky treatments without proper knowledge.
If it has gotten significantly worse over just the course of a few days you should not wait to go see that vet, its not worth the risk of waiting it out and letting this worsen and becoming a possible systemic infection. Imho that skin does not look good… reguardless of what caused it 
Avoid picking or peeling any skin that looks to be flaking off, it increases the risk of opening new wounds.
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I’ve been very careful with the peeling, but stopped doing it since things didn’t seem normal. I don’t think the condition has gotten any worse luckily, but of course I’m checking daily. It went from stuck shed to that, and has stayed that way for about two weeks. The red spots were definitely worse at first, that’s why I suspected fallen scales because they looked like little wounds but have now healed a bit. I’ll start with betadine spot treatment asap.
At least he’s alert, energetic, and is eating and pooping, today he stroke and strangled like a champ and made some rat soup 
(he doesn’t have paper towels because they just end up in a pile in a corner)
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Agree that this does not look like stuck shed, it looks like there’s something going on with the scales themselves. Possibly some sort of injury and/or infection. If it were my snake, I’d be making a vet appointment. I feel that’s always the best course of action when you’re not sure what’s going on. Best to get some guidance from a professional so you don’t end up accidentally making it worse with attempted home treatment.
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I would definitely make the drive to the vet. I would also deconstruct and deep clean the enclosure he was in. No one has mentioned but me but there has to be something in there that he has been in contact with that may have caused his symptoms. Also I would leave him be until he gets medical attention…..
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I agree with what everyone here has said so far. This looks like a scale / skin infection to me. You will need meds from a veterinarian to clear this up. But until you can get to a veterinarian keep it clean and keep putting povidone‑iodine based antiseptic on it. I don’t have a home treatment page for scale rot but it’s about the same treatment as nose rub treatment. However you will need meds from your veterinarian.
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