Second shed in 2 weeks...

[Yzmasmom]

Hi!! The day we picked up our rescued BP, the owner said when he went to pick her up, he noticed she had shed and had retained skin, so he soaked her to get it off.

We are just going into our 3rd week of having her, and she is pinkish with blue eyes.

Now, he underfed her by feeding once a month and she has been fed weekly by us. We noticed her head even looks a bit wider already.

Is it normal to shed again so soon? I mist her tank daily so that it spikes to 65/70% and then it slowly drops during the day, reaching about 40% in the evening and over night.
Since she's shedding, I moistened her bedding and did a second mist to keep it around 70%.

Could it be that getting two meals 9 days apart made her grow enough to shed? This won't happen every two weeks now will it?

And, can I feed her as soon as she's finished shedding?

[TangieHaze]

The first shed could've just simply been stuck on skin from a previous shed -- I've read that retained eyecaps sometime stay on until the second shed. This is a possibility as the previous owner sounds like he didn't do much for the snakes care.

Also, 40% humidity is too low even if it's just overnight.

[Yzmasmom]

Rearly? We were able to find the snakes breeder and she said as long as we get the humidity up to 65/60 at least once a day, it's ok to slowly drop to 40 over night.

I will mist twice a day if that's a problem. (Yeah, her old owner sucked!)

[TangieHaze]

Most sources I've checked say to try to keep temperature/humidity as stable as possible; and to not do a night time drop for either temp/hum. I think this is particularly pertinent as the snake is currently in shed.

Keep in mind though I'm certainly not an expert! Just relaying information...

[Jeanne]

Instead of misting all the time, could get a cool mist humidifier, the tear drop shape ones, get tube at hardware store in plumbing sections..its like fish tank tube.. Only u can get proper size to fit into its cap, run tube to enclosure.. Get a timer for a fish tank, they can be set for up to 7 cycles a day and u can set cycle time. This is what I do to keep humidity where it needs to be. But do be sure you are getting a cool mist humidifier.

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[Jeanne]

You will need to tinker w it to figure out how many cycles and how long you need them to maintain your enclosure.

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[LittleTreeGuy]

Snakes will shed when they grow. It could be weeks or months in between sheds. The fact that you now have her on a regular feeding schedule is the reason. She may go through a couple of shed cycles in a short period of time now that her body is being nourished and can grow. Just don't over-feed her. One appropriately sized meal every week will get her back on track quicker than you would think.

During shed, if you can keep her humidity steadily over 60%, all the better. When not in shed, above 50% will suffice. I try to keep my tank around 70% when I know mine is getting ready to shed. In some tanks, just adding an extra water bowl, or a bowl full of wet sphagnum moss is all you need to accomplish this. If you're having a hard time, try placing a damp paper towel in the hides every day. This will keep humidity high in the area the snake is, and won't dry out as quickly as just misting the tank.

[Scottywelsh]

Keep the humidity up throughout the day. Dropping to 40% over night is not a problem at all. Humidity is going to change throughout the day regardless so there is no need to stress over it. Because your dropping in the night keep the humidity 70 - 75% through the day when in shed and honestly the night drop isn't a problem.
As for temps night drops, there very commonly used with bps, especially when breeding.

There are hundreds of ways of getting your humidity up and keeping it up. The last one I would ever recommend is a fogger as they can give bps respiratory infections so not worth the risk.
All my opinion and it comes down to you and what you want to do at the end of the day. Good Luck

[highqualityballz]

Just means the snakes growing. Nothing to worry about.

[Yzmasmom]

Thanks everyone!! I appreciate the advice and reassurance.

We are very glad she's growing!! We didn't notice her pink belly and blue eyes until we had picked her up to weigh her. She is 1187g. She isn't as girthy as she should be for her age, but she is 3.5 feet long. In the 3 weeks we've had her, she has eaten 2 medium rats (9 days apart,) and even her head looks wider.

I have moistened her bedding and since she's in the cold hut I poured a bit of water on the bedding at the door to moisten it inside. With the moist bedding, her humidity spikes to 75/80% and then 24 hours later will be 60/65% and I mist again.
When she's not in shed, I let her bedding dry out and mist in the morning so her humidity spikes to 65/70% and then after 24 hours it's 40/50% and I mist again. (Once I get a front opening enclosure, misting will be much easier and I can do it more often if needed.)

I've wanted a BP since I was 16 and had to wait 16 years to get one so I am in love with her. I'm glad to have rescued one that wasn't getting good care and I hope she lives a long, happy, healthy life. She's so gentle!!! I felt bad that we didn't notice her eyes and had picked her up, but she didn'the even attempt to bite. She's such a sweet pea!!!