Please tell me sheds get easier

[Emily Hubbard]

Hey all!
I have had my ball about a month and she has been shedding since the day she arrived. I am loosing my mind!

My theory is that when I got her she was in the "clearing up" stage that happens after they are in blue. I never saw her eyes go blue. All of the sudden, I took her out 3 or 4 days after I got her and the shed was off of her head and about 2 inches down her neck. Because I had never seen her at her brightest, I didn't notice that she was dull. Looking back at the pictures I took of her the day she arrived, it's really obvious. So I think with shipping and a new environment with adjustments while in shed, she never had a chance at having a completely shed.

So her first shed with me and it is stuck. I immediately got a rubbermaid tub ready to soak her in. The water was warm, not hot, and it was probably 1/4 inch deep because I was nervous about it being too full. I put her in and she completely panicked, thrashing around and slamming herself against the sides of the tub. I felt too horrible and took her out after 30 seconds.

I tried again a few days later because the shed was not going anywhere. This time, she still unsure, but not freaking out. I made the water a little deeper so it went up to her back but not submerging her, like i have read. I tried to use a wash cloth to rub she shed but that made her panic again so I just put her back in her tank and she rubbed some of it, but not all of it off.

Repeat x 3

4 soaks and 1 30 second freak out and the shed is STILL Not all off. The only way I get consistent 80% humidity is to spray the tank about 4 times a day. I have every intention of doing that during the normal shedding process, but if I did that all this month, there would be mildew in there. She has a humid hide instead, and her whole tank humidity is at 60%.

The last bit of shed is on the last 1/4 of her body. It is NOT completely around her, so it cannot cut off blood flow, it is just on the top of her. It would not budge on this last soak. So, my question is, If I just give it up and wait til the next shed cycle, will it be all right? Or should I just keep soaking her every day? I want to do what is best for her, she is not too thrilled with the soaking thing still, but I don't want her to get any skin infections or anything terrible from the stuck shed. However, if soaking is accomplishing nothing at this point, I wonder if it is just better to try and let nature take care of it next time around. Help!

[WingedWolfPsion]

The cause of bad sheds is minor dehydration due to low humidity. Keep her humidity at 60% or above, and she shouldn't have bad sheds in the future. If 60% isn't doing it...raise it to 80%.

To help keep humidity up, cover most of the tank top with plastic wrap (leave an inch for ventilation). If that doesn't work, switch to a plastic tub style enclosure.

[Ezekiel285]

The cause of bad sheds is minor dehydration due to low humidity. Keep her humidity at 60% or above, and she shouldn't have bad sheds in the future. If 60% isn't doing it...raise it to 80%.

To help keep humidity up, cover most of the tank top with plastic wrap (leave an inch for ventilation). If that doesn't work, switch to a plastic tub style enclosure.

X2

[snakesRkewl]

Soak the snake for 30 minutes in no more than 2 inches of 85 degree water and then replenish it and repeat soak for another 30 minutes.
You can place a hand towel in the water if you're worried about the snake.

You need to allow the process to work, the stuck shed tends to slide right off after the 60 minute humid bath.
I've yet to have a stuck shed not come off using this simple method.

[angllady2]

If the water bath thing really freaks her out that badly, you can also wet a pillowcase, wring it out so it's wet but not dripping, tie her in the pillowcase, put the pillowcase inside a tub over a heat source, and give her an hour or so to work off the shed.

I have used this numerous times with several different snakes, and it never fails.

Gale

[loonunit]

I'm betting the water is too hot. Some of them just dislike water and will thrash no matter what, but they really do l like it cooler than you think. You want the water to be room temperature, or just a smidgen above that. Not really warm at all.

I have a dozen or more snakes now, and I still keep them in tanks most of the time. But I live in Arizona, and shedding is really hard for some of them. So I use my breeding racks for shedding, too--the tubs do a really good job of trapping humidity. It helps a lot.

[Maixx]

Use a thermometer with your soak water, warm to us is normally above 90 deg. When I soak my snakes I use an infrared temp gun and keep the water between 88-90 to start, and make sure it never cools below 80.

You can get an aquarium thermometer for $2, best not to guess with your temps.

Same thing (temps) with a damp pillow case.

My Bairds freaks out if I drop him into a tub of water, but is fine if I put him and then add the water slowly, might be worth trying.

[Emily Hubbard]

Thanks, everyone!
I have only been soaking her for a half hour, so tomorrow I will try one more soak and try it twice as long and see if that will get that last bit off. It's just been very frustrating. And from her point of view, I can only assume that a slab of dead skin clinging to your body has got to be so obnoxious. I see her crawling all over her driftwood pieces, but it just won't budge.

[loonunit]

Thanks, everyone!
I have only been soaking her for a half hour, so tomorrow I will try one more soak and try it twice as long and see if that will get that last bit off. It's just been very frustrating. And from her point of view, I can only assume that a slab of dead skin clinging to your body has got to be so obnoxious. I see her crawling all over her driftwood pieces, but it just won't budge.

Really, as long as she's got it off of her eyes, and off of the tip of her tail, it's okay if she has that. Make sure you got the tip of the tail off.

But when I have a new snake that has that kid of awful shed, sometimes I'll let them keep the stuff on their backs or on their chins. (Chins are the absolute worst to pick off. I don't do chins anymore.) Carrying around a harmless but annoying slab of dead skin seems to help their bodies calibrate better for the next shed...

And next time you'll see it coming, so you can boost the humidity. And next time she'll be a little bigger, and it's easier to rub shed off of larger scales. It'll be better next time.

[SquamishSerpents]

If the water bath thing really freaks her out that badly, you can also wet a pillowcase, wring it out so it's wet but not dripping, tie her in the pillowcase, put the pillowcase inside a tub over a heat source, and give her an hour or so to work off the shed.

I have used this numerous times with several different snakes, and it never fails.

Gale

agreed, this method works for me 100% of the time, and none of my snakes have ever freaked out from it. i use a dark colored pillowcase so they feel secure and as if they are in a humid hide. good luck with the future sheds, definitely get that humidity up (a bigger bowl helps, too) and your snake should be fine!