ball python with dry skin

[ozzyangel]

I was given a sweet little female ball python. I have had her for two months. She was very malnourished when I got her and shes very small for a two year old snake. I have been feeding her small rats every five days and she has gained weight and gotten healthier except for her skin. It is very dry. I mist her at least twice a day, give her lukewarm baths for 15-20 minutes every other day and she has a large water bowl in her tank. I keep the temp between 80-85 in her tank. What am I doing wrong here? She was also very skittish when I got her, she has gotten much better about being handled. She is not at all aggressive. I am very concerned about the dry skin. She shed about a month ago. Any suggestions?

[elbee]

What is the humidity in her enclosure? Also, do you have any pictures of her?

[Annarose15]

Stop soaking her every day. It sounds like you are actually creating bad sheds (which would account for the dry layer of "skin"). Do you have any pictures? You might need to do a good hour-long soak to get the existing stuck shed off, but then quit bathing her. It removes the necessary oils that allow them to shed properly.

[ozzyangel]

i only started bathing her this week. She has none of the remaining shed on her. Like I said, she was very malnourished when I got her.

[arialmt]

Insert snake oil joke here.

[ozzyangel]

lol i feel so bad..this is my first snake and i want to make sure i am doing everything right

[Annarose15]

lol i feel so bad..this is my first snake and i want to make sure i am doing everything right

No reason to feel bad. If there isn't any stuck shed on her, you don't need to bathe her. Just make sure her humidity is ~50-60%, she has a hot spot of 88-92deg F, and ambient temps are 78-82deg F. A little variation from any of these numbers isn't going to hurt anything. Keep feeding her small meals every 5-7 days so she can gain weight without stressing her system, and she'll be a fat, happy BP in no time!

[ozzyangel]

thank you so much. she was so thin when i got her. will she ever grow after being so malnourished? she is just over two feet long at two years old