What are your thoughts on this snake?

I am a Newbie. Got this 1 week ago. Breeder said it was going to shed and last ate 2 weeks ago today. Temps are 92 and 78 produced by a thermostat controlled UTH. The humidity is 60-70% as read by an Accurite digital deal. The snake was rubbing itself all over the tank Thursday night but did not shed it's skin. Didn't even try last night from what I could tell. Has this shed gone bad or has it not happened yet or has the snake lost weight out of hunger?


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It is wayyyyy overdue for a shed and has been too dry to do it. I would give it a lukewarm soak for 20-30 minutes and then leave a damp towel in it's enclosure for a few hours. If it doesn't shed on its own you may have some peeling to do.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

It is wayyyyy overdue for a shed and has been too dry to do it. I would give it a lukewarm soak for 20-30 minutes and then leave a damp towel in it's enclosure for a few hours. If it doesn't shed on its own you may have some peeling to do.

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x2!

That looks like a shed gone bad. Time for some help. There are many different ways of doing this. You can use the search engine for that. Some people soak, some place in a damp pillow case.

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I would soak longer than 30 minutes. If you have a plastic tub with some holes in it, or a deli-cup. Fill it with lukewarm water and add a few paper towels so the snake has something to grip. Make sure the water only comes up halfway on the snakes body.

I would try soaking for an hour.. but even a couple hours might be helpful to make the skin come of easily.

If you do use a pillowcase, make sure it has a LOW thread count. If the fibers are too tight, the water could fill in the gaps making the pillowcase airtight, which is bad.

OK Thanks. I fed the snake today. I understand that the snake should not be handled for two days after it eats. Should I wait the two days to soak the snake? Is yes, is there anything I can do to help the shed problem before then?

Lastly, I guess I need to get a new humidity meter because it was reading 60-85% all week and the snake still had a bad shed. Do you guys recommend a certain one? I have an Acu-Rite combo digital Temp/Humidity meter right now. I am using a 20 gallon long tank and I covered three quaters of the top screen with a thick mil piece of painters plastic and used a wringed out facecloth underneath to up the humidity when it dropped to 60%. Or is there a better idea all together?

Give it a bowl large enough to soak in within it's own enclosure. It will likely be smart enough to soak on it's own.

If it doesn't soak on it's own prep a sterlite tub with some holes and 85F water to soak it in. 30 minues should be good, but you may have to do it a few times and even assist the shed with a warm moist towel.

Are you talking about punching some breathing holes in the top and closing the snake inside? If so, should I wait the two days because I fed her today before trying this?

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Originally Posted by floridabasher

Are you talking about punching some breathing holes in the top and closing the snake inside? If so, should I wait the two days because I fed her today before trying this?

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I would do it 24 hours after eating. Just be gentle when handling the snake, she should be fine. And yes, use a tub with some air holes, but put them on the sides of the tubs, not in the lid. You want to trap the humidity. If you put holes on the top you will loose all the humidity.