Shedding slip up :(

ok my BP has been shedding perfectly since the day i got him. usually eye caps first, then a day or two later the rest comes off in one piece, nt a single fleck of shed is ever left on the snake. however, this last shed was different. it was the first shed in a new tank (upgraded from a 20L to a 40gl) but i made sure the temps and humidity were just right (im a perfectionist when it somes to tank maintanence). this shed was insanely incomplete. i found dime sized pieces of shed all over the place, and he still has pieces on him. started normal, eyecaps first. humidity is still reading where it is supposed to b. im going to try to soak him today in luke warm water. any thoughts on why this happened, or opinions on what i should do?

What are you using to measure the humidity? If you are using those sticky analog dials then your humidity readings are probably not accurate at all. You need the Accurite thermometer/hygrometer to take somewhat more accurate readings.

im using a fairly decent hygrometer, it has these neat probe looking things that i hav carefully hidden around the tank to take multiple readings of cool side, cool hide, hot side, hot hide, and middle. i even hav one to measure the humidity of the room the tank is in, so i know if there is a sudden drop that might influence anything. this applies to temperature as well. i know that sounds like a lot of wires and testing nodes, but i assure you they are all VERY small and all run from outside the tank, under the substrate, and up into the tank itself, no thicker than a fishing line. could it be soething other than humidity?

If you put him inside a wet pillow case for a couple hours, he will probably work all the rest of his shed off by the time you get him out. From my experience, that works better than giving them a soak in water.

lol pillow case? thats very creative, i have never heard that before. any suggestions on how to go about doing that? obviously a clean pllow case, but any fabric to stay away from? any specific place to leave the pillow case? and how long should i leave him in it? it sounds like a great idea, so very curious to see if it works.

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Originally Posted by qman1126

lol pillow case? thats very creative, i have never heard that before. any suggestions on how to go about doing that? obviously a clean pllow case, but any fabric to stay away from? any specific place to leave the pillow case? and how long should i leave him in it? it sounds like a great idea, so very curious to see if it works.

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A soaking wet cotton pillow case works great. I would leave it in the tub or shower while your snake soaks in it, so you don't have a big puddle to clean up. A hair clip works great to clip it closed, but I'm sure other things would work fine. An hour or two in the pillow case should be enough. If there is any skin pieces left on at all, they should be really loose and easy to gently work off with a wet wash cloth. Most of the time you shouldn't have to do that, though.

You may want to tie the bag or use a VERY serious clip. I'd also recommend putting the bag in the cage so that if your snake does get out you know where it is.

The only drawback to this is that wet cloth does not allow as much airflow as dry cloth. Wet the bottom of the bag and maybe put a wet hand towel in the bag with the snake.

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Originally Posted by wendhend

A soaking wet cotton pillow case works great. I would leave it in the tub or shower while your snake soaks in it, so you don't have a big puddle to clean up. A hair clip works great to clip it closed, but I'm sure other things would work fine. An hour or two in the pillow case should be enough. If there is any skin pieces left on at all, they should be really loose and easy to gently work off with a wet wash cloth. Most of the time you shouldn't have to do that, though.

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very sound advice, just tried it and it only took about 15 mins to clear the rest of the shed off. thats my new fav method lol. he still had a little trouble toward his tail and a lot of trouble around the vent, i kinda helped by gently holding on to a loose piece of shed and letting him wiggle out of it, gently of course. but yes, very very good advice, ty