Picture of Elizabeth maybe shedding? I need the communities opinions please!

I am a super, nervous mommy... like... I am just worried about her and I want her to be healthy and happy and alive and vigorous... and she is my first python... and I have never seen a shed before...
I started noticing dryish scales on her belly about 2 or 3 days ago... and as of late she has a pink hue to her stomach and, there is like.. orange/pink spots on random scales... that lean towards orange... I am afraid its something worse than shedding... I just took her out... after three days of no handling (just to let her be and "shed" in peace) and cleaned her water and misted her cage and stuff down to make sure it's all humid enough... and I took her and put her in luke warm water in my bathtub (hence the pictures I will post) and then let her slide through a clean tower to dry off... and she felt, less dry... I mean... stilll obvious dry scales and she has three flaky spots on her little head that look like the start of shedding but I am not sure...
someone please allay my fears of her being sick with some new illness... I just want her to be shedding :D

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6073805_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9_154912_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1611372_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5024520_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3532945_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...0_558236_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5118598_n.jpg

note the orange ish spots on her tummy in the second picture... and my mother holding the snake (to her distaste :D:D)

Its always really hard to tell from pictures, but in my opinion she looks fine. Im thinking she is going into shed. The pink belly is unmistakeable. The shed cycle takes 7-10 usually, and once they hit the blue phase, where the eyes appear blue and their colors really dull out, they have 2-3 days until the actualy shed.

Im thinking your just being a little worried, but its always better to be safe than sorry! From what your describing and from the pictures im pretty much positive she is going into shed. Keep the humidity a little higher than usual and she'll be looking nice and new within the week.

Hi,

I hate to say it but I think you're possibly right to be concerned.

What are you using as a substrate, what kind of heating are you using and how are you controling it?


dr del

Ok...a few comments...

1. The pink/orange spots look like the early stages of scale rot, which is caused by overly moist and/or dirty substrate. At this early stage, changing to clean, dry paper should be enough, and the lesions will heal up and shed out.

2. In some pics, the pink belly looks like the start of the shedding process....but in others, it looks like it could be a burn. It could be that the different lighting simply made the belly appear differently in each picture, and only you can tell for sure in person. Is the entire belly an even light-to-medium shade of pink? If so, it's probably just the start of the shed cycle. If the pink is really dark, and/or if it is only located on portions of the belly, then it could be a burn.

If you can describe your set-up...what kind of substrate...what kind of heating element you have...what you use to measure temps...and what you use to control temps (if anything)...what your overall temps and humidity levels are....these sorts of details will help us help you.

Lastly...it's best to NOT soak a snake right before a shed. Doing so doesn't really help anything, and it might make it worse. AFTER a shed has gone bad and there are patches of dry skin that won't easily flake off...then a soak can do wonders. The best thing to help the snake be ready to shed as easily as possible is to have consistent proper humidity levels in the enclosure.

How are you controlling the temp of your UTH and what temp are you getting on the glass under the substrate on the warm side?

I am using aspen bedding... and have no legit way of controlling the uth... she stays under her log on the warm side where the uth pad is... so I assume it is fine... because when I originally moved her into her now cage she refused to be on the hot side and once i got some under tank ventilation she starteed going on it (aka it was too hot and she couldnt be over there)... hm... shoudl I not use aspen bedding? when I get enough money I am going to buy a thermal heat sensor thing... where its point and tells you the heat of the area.. but I am broke right now... literally... so.. I am just going by the humidity on the cage walls... and how damp the bedding looks... shoudl the cage be humid.. but not the bedding... like the ambient air humid but not the actual bedding?

and the pink is pretty consistent... but the orangeish spots which are darker than pink are inconsistent...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

How are you controlling the temp of your UTH and what temp are you getting on the glass under the substrate on the warm side?

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and I have no thermometer on the underside of the tank or any way to tell how hot the pad is... or the glass... but when I touch the underside of the tank with my bare hand it feels hot to me.. maybe like hot bath water... not much hotter than that...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLC

Ok...a few comments...

1. The pink/orange spots look like the early stages of scale rot, which is caused by overly moist and/or dirty substrate. At this early stage, changing to clean, dry paper should be enough, and the lesions will heal up and shed out.

2. In some pics, the pink belly looks like the start of the shedding process....but in others, it looks like it could be a burn. It could be that the different lighting simply made the belly appear differently in each picture, and only you can tell for sure in person. Is the entire belly an even light-to-medium shade of pink? If so, it's probably just the start of the shed cycle. If the pink is really dark, and/or if it is only located on portions of the belly, then it could be a burn.

If you can describe your set-up...what kind of substrate...what kind of heating element you have...what you use to measure temps...and what you use to control temps (if anything)...what your overall temps and humidity levels are....these sorts of details will help us help you.

Lastly...it's best to NOT soak a snake right before a shed. Doing so doesn't really help anything, and it might make it worse. AFTER a shed has gone bad and there are patches of dry skin that won't easily flake off...then a soak can do wonders. The best thing to help the snake be ready to shed as easily as possible is to have consistent proper humidity levels in the enclosure.

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what do you mean clean dry paper? like... paper towels??