Bad Shed- Please Help!

[Aphrodite]

I recently bought my first ball python from a friend. I got her about a month ago (she's about a year and a half old) and she's absolutely lovely. She's super well-behaved and eats well and is just a joy to have as a pet. But recently she went through her first shed with me and it was fairly bad. I still need to perfect keeping the humidity in the tank, obviously.

I've given her soaks for the past five days in a row, and the first two helped tremendously. The only problem she had was her neck and head. After working with her and trying everything I possibly could, the only thing that's left is the area around her mouth, and the under part of her neck. But no matter what I do, the skin just won't come off. She gave up trying after the first couple of soaks and I just have no idea what to do.

Please, don't be rude. I'm really worried and just want my girl to be happy and healthy. If you have any suggestions for what I can do to get this last bit of shed to come off, I would be extremely grateful. Also, tips for how to keep humidity up so this doesn't happen again would be greatly appreciated.

Please, please help.

[sho220]

Get a pillow case and soak it in warm water for a few minutes. When it's fully saturated ring it out to where it's just damp. Put the snake into the pillow case and tie a knot in it. Place the snake (inside the pillow case) into her enclosure and leave her there for an hour or so. See if that helps to remove the remaining shed. Here are some threads that may help explain it better http://ball-pythons.net/forums/searc...earchid=965716

As far as keeping up the humidity in a tank...is the top a screen? Have you tried covering most of it with plastic wrap or foil? You can also mist daily to try and keep the humidity up. With a tank, it can really be a struggle to maintain appropriate humidity but people manage. Do some more poking around on this site and I'm sure you'll find more info on it as it's a pretty common issue.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Concentrate less on removing the shed (aka. stressing out your snake for no good reason), and more on correcting your humidity issue.

[bcr229]

Much of that she will remove herself over the next few days if her humidity is kept high. As long as there isn't a ring of shed on her anywhere, and the tip of her tail has shed out completely (layers of stuck shed on her tail can cause her to lose it eventually), leave her alone to finish the job.

[kc261]

My advice would have been a combination of the 2 answers you've got already even before I read them. Try the pillow case trick and see if she is able to rub off the remaining pieces in the damp fabric. But if she can't, don't stress about it since there is so little left. Just get the humidity right, and she'll have a perfect shed next time, including removing any bits left from this time.

A good trick for people that have humidity issues and/or snakes that have shedding issues is to give the snake a humid hide as soon as you see them go blue. Any sort of enclosed plastic container (those ziploc brand food storage containers work well if your snake is the right size to fit one of their sizes) will work. Make a hole in it that is just big enough your snake can get in & out easily. I recommend making the hole by melting it with a soldering iron (or if you don't have one, hold a nail in a pair of pliers and heat it on the stove) instead of trying to cut with scissors or knife. I find it easier, and also much less likely to crack the plastic or leave rough edges. Then put in some damp sphagnum moss or damp paper towels, and put it inside the enclosure. Make sure to check it every day to be sure it remains damp and also that it isn't molding or that the snake hasn't pooped in it (they seem to love pooping in damp places). This allows them to seek extra humidity during their shed cycle if they need it.

As far as your concern that people would be rude, well, I can't make any guarantees for every single person that might post here, but I can tell you that as a general rule, the people on this forum are friendly and glad to help out new keepers who are seeking help. Good snake keepers aren't people who never make mistakes; no one was born knowing how to take perfect care of these scaly critters. Good snake keepers are people like you who care about the well being of their animals and so try to learn from their mistakes and eventually become the best keepers they can be. Welcome to the site and to the world of ball pythons!

[Loz]

this helped me when I first got Zorro..... http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hed-No-problem
now, I place a tub of damp moss beneath the ceramic to boost humidity, which Zorro will bury himself in for a few days prior to shedding... It works for us!!

[CptJack]

I am a newbie not a one of the experts, but if the stuck shed isn't forming a ring around the snake - leave it alone, fix your humidity and it should come off next shed.