Piecey Shed :(

[cristacake]

Okay, so you guys may know that I am a new snake owner. My little buddy is 3 months old and just had her first shed yesterday. I woke up and checked on her, only to find that most of the old skin was still on and she wasn't really trying to get it off. She did shed off her whole "face" with eyecaps so I was relieved about that, but pretty disappointed to see that her shed was turning out choppy. Eventually the whole body came off except for about 10-15 individual scales that still look pale and stuck on

I feel like I should have been able to do this right, after all the weeks of reading on husbandry and the importance of humidity. Hers was in the low 60s (62-63 when I'd check in the mornings) as soon as her belly got pink and I gave her a frequently refreshed humid hide. I thought something was off because her skin was sort of saggy, as if she were slightly dehydrated, so I'm thinking I should have trusted my gut and bumped the humidity or something.

I had read that soaking them while they're in blue would just dehydrate their skin even more so I didn't do that. Maybe I should have? Is there perhaps something wrong with my hygrometer? It's an AcuRite thermometer/hygrometer.

I just want to figure out what I did wrong. Any tips or corrections to my husbandry would be appreciated

[chocolatepudding]

Your snake probably needs closer to 70% humidity. You'll know your humidity is perfect when his shed comes off all in one piece
For now, just soak him in warm water with a small towel for about 20-30 min. and then gently run the towel down his body. Depending on how bad it is, he may need a few soaks.

[Eric Alan]

I feel like I should have been able to do this right, after all the weeks of reading on husbandry and the importance of humidity. Hers was in the low 60s (62-63 when I'd check in the mornings) as soon as her belly got pink and I gave her a frequently refreshed humid hide.

What was the humidity like before you noticed signs of going into shed? I've found that if I keep a constant ~50% humidity and just bump up slightly when they are going into shed, I have far better results than just thinking about humidity when they're going into or in shed.

I thought something was off because her skin was sort of saggy, as if she were slightly dehydrated, so I'm thinking I should have trusted my gut and bumped the humidity or something.

Saggy skin is perfectly normal when they're going into shed - it's actually one of the first things I notice about my animals before they start showing some other signs.

I had read that soaking them while they're in blue would just dehydrate their skin even more so I didn't do that. Maybe I should have?

Nope - you read correctly. No need to soak.

Is there perhaps something wrong with my hygrometer? It's an AcuRite thermometer/hygrometer.

Possibly - they're not exactly the Rolex of gauges. Here's the kind I have in my snake room: http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Import...rds=hygrometer.

I just want to figure out what I did wrong. Any tips or corrections to my husbandry would be appreciated

Without knowing for sure, my thought would be to focus on humidity/hydration outside of the time that your little girl is actually in shed. Then, if you notice that she is still having issues, you can really crank it up when she's going into shed. I have a couple of big girls that I have to make sure to "baby" more than the others when they're going into shed otherwise I end up doing more work with them after the fact.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Eric

[cristacake]

What was the humidity like before you noticed signs of going into shed? I've found that if I keep a constant ~50% humidity and just bump up slightly when they are going into shed, I have far better results than just thinking about humidity when they're going into or in shed.

[...]

Without knowing for sure, my thought would be to focus on humidity/hydration outside of the time that your little girl is actually in shed. Then, if you notice that she is still having issues, you can really crank it up when she's going into shed. I have a couple of big girls that I have to make sure to "baby" more than the others when they're going into shed otherwise I end up doing more work with them after the fact.

Thank you for the detailed response! Her humidity the whole time I've had her has been from 52-55%, at least according to the AcuRite. I'm thinking that's what might be giving me the issue, really. I've skimmed the reviews on the hygrometer you posted and it looks like a great choice so I will be ordering one and demoting the AcuRite to a backup.

[Eric Alan]

Thank you for the detailed response! Her humidity the whole time I've had her has been from 52-55%, at least according to the AcuRite. I'm thinking that's what might be giving me the issue, really. I've skimmed the reviews on the hygrometer you posted and it looks like a great choice so I will be ordering one and demoting the AcuRite to a backup.

You are very welcome. There's also a YouTube video about how to calibrate a digital hygrometer like that one using salt and water so you can be extra sure you have it dialed in. Good luck!