Shed Issue

[Seth702]

Ive had my Ball python for about a month now. Hes going into his first shed since ive had him. He had some obvious bad shed on him when i got him fromt he pet store so ive been keeping a close eye on him and misting to keep it around 70-80% since i noticed him go into shed. Today he started workin the shed off, looked like it was going well, his head was clear of shed and he was beginning to go down his body when i check on him this morning. Came back a few hours later after running errands and noticed the head piece of shed was gone (on floor of tank) but he hadnt shed much further. It looks like a tornado went trhough his cage, everything is over turned from him rubbing. He has a moist hide he could use and a water source big enough to soak in, though i never saw him use it. I am a bit concerned. i have read and know about soaking and useing a cloth to let him slither through to remove a bad shed. Was wondering when i should start that, and what could have caused this. My humidity never drops below 60%. i use digital acu-rite to monitor it.

[Andybill]

I have never actually witnessed my snakes shedding so I am not sure how long the process takes. I think if has taken a few hours and you are concerned you should start the soaking or towel thing, but I have not had a snake that has bad sheds so someone else may say different. If it were me I would probably take "remedial action" lol and do something to try to help out a bit...

[JaGv]

i dont know if it's bad but when ive seen my snakes shed i always help them out by rolling the shed till it comes off

[KMG]

Many times the head piece will come off first and not be attached to the shed skin. You can soak it in water now if you want. Just remember, warm to us it hot to them. Use a thermometer to make sure the water is a good temp.

If your misting and your humidity has been good I'm sure he will shed soon by itself. Just check every hot to make sure it doesn't get stuck around it, cutting the circulation off to the rest of the body.

[don15681]

soak him in water about 78 to 84 degrees F. well vented tub with lid on. water level no higher than half way up his body. soak 20 mins. if still hard to come off, do another 20 mins keeping water at the correct temp range. if he was going thru bad sheds, it sometimes takes a little time before he will start shedding in one piece. too high of humidity will also cause shed problems too. also make sure you get the shed off the tip of his tail. this can cause some bad problems. give it time, good luck don

[Seth702]

Thank you, will give him a soak and keep a close eye on him.

[Seth702]

An hour long soak and a lot of slithering through the towel i put in with him and all shed finally came off, includeing the remaining bad shed he had when i got him. I purchased a second acu-rite temp/humid guage today and it reads the same as the last one, 50-60% hunidity. If anyone has any thoughts as to why he had such a horrible shed and ways to prevent it in the future, i would be greatful.

[KMG]

An hour is pretty long for a soak, must of us will do 15 to 20 mintues. Why do you say this was a bad shed? If it came off well and it looks good now, whats the problem? It just took alittle longer than you wanted.

About the tornado in the tank.
What kinda things are in the tank with it. I mean, is everything smooth or are there some rougher items for it to rub on? If its all smooth and your snake is trying to use it to shed it will not get any good friction and therfor move everything around. Also you might try anchoring the items in the substrate. I anchor all my items in the substrate and it never moves. If your using a paper then moving the items will be a regular thing.

If your concerned about the next shed I would make a shed box. I am a naturalistic keeper and choose the Exo-Terra Snake Cave for mine. It looks nice and it comes with moss that will stay as damp as you want it creating a nice humid hide. If you dont care about looks you can use any sturdy container. Cut a hole large enough for your snake and place damp material(paper towels, moss, etc.) inside. I also suggest using a container that is not clear so it will feel more secure using it.

[Seth702]

He has a humid hide with moss inside, always kept slightly damp. He has 2 plastic rock shaped hides, and i have a half log i kept in for him to rub on when he sheds. All items were burried into the substrate. It came off in all tiny pieces, and he worked him self exhausted trying to get that far over the past 2 days. I admit im new, but with a 2 month old snake and proper humidity i would have expeted it to come off failry easily. As for the hour, i planned to do 15-20 then let him be till tomarrow and see if i need to saok him again. But when i checked on the water temp and him he was rubbing away on the towel so i made sure the water was ok and left him be.

[KMG]

Oh. Its still not a bad shed if it all came off and he looks good, just not ideal. Just keep his numbers right and Im sure it will get easier. Not seeing him previously I cant say for sure but, it is possilbe that because of the last bad shed it caused this shed not to come off in one piece. Next time you can start using soaks earlier and I bet you will have a great shed.

As it gets easier he wont need to rub as much and should stop messing up his house, though this may just be his thing. I had a king snake that would always move things around.

Keep us posted on his next shed.