BP seems unable to shed

Hey folks,

I have a very annoyed female BP who is desperately trying and failing to shed properly. I've only had her a month or two and this is her first shed with me. It took me weeks to get her to eat for me until eventually she did but now this new problem has cropped up.

I've made sure my husbandry is all correct with temps and humidity etc but we are still having no luck. She usually always stays on the warm side but when she came to shed she moved over to the cool side and has been there a good few days now. She managed to shed the piece around her head but that's it. The rest is still fully intact on her body in one piece from just behind the head to the tail tip.

Any advice? She's tried and tried to rub herself against stuff to get it off but to no avail.

I read the sticky thread about bad sheds but I'm wondering can this work for a shed that is more or less fully intact or is that method really only for bits of shed like in the photos?

Drew

Have some patience, shedding takes time

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Originally Posted by loungelizard

I read the sticky thread about bad sheds but I'm wondering can this work for a shed that is more or less fully intact or is that method really only for bits of shed like in the photos?

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Yes. That thread will work for a situation like your's as well.

How long has it been since she started the shed and got just the part around her head off?

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Yes. That thread will work for a situation like your's as well.

How long has it been since she started the shed and got just the part around her head off?

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The head piece came off about 2-3 days ago. Do BP's have more trouble shedding than other snakes? I have 2 Corns and when they shed they just slip right out of their skins without a problem. I don't even have to adjust humidity or temps in their enclosures to help. I've been spraying my BP's enclosure to get humidity up to around 60-70 at different points in the day then letting it go down again. I also tried some Repti Shedding Aid spray on her but it didn't seem to work.

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Originally Posted by loungelizard

The head piece came off about 2-3 days ago. Do BP's have more trouble shedding than other snakes? I have 2 Corns and when they shed they just slip right out of their skins without a problem. I don't even have to adjust humidity or temps in their enclosures to help. I've been spraying my BP's enclosure to get humidity up to around 60-70 at different points in the day then letting it go down again. I also tried some Repti Shedding Aid spray on her but it didn't seem to work.

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They usually shed pretty easily as long as the humidity is correct.

Once in a while something goes wrong. It happens.

It does seem like an occasional BP is more prone to issues than others. All of mine shed without issue...except one. She has troubles about a quarter of the time for some reason. No idea why. Been like that since I got her.

You can try following that stickied thread which will work, or you can do something like make her a humid hide and see if she can get it off herself without any additional assistance.

As long as the humidity is correct, her next shed should be better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loungelizard

I've been spraying my BP's enclosure to get humidity up to around 60-70 at different points in the day then letting it go down again.

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Can you describe the setup you use? If you're running a tank with an open screen top and a light or CHE, just spiking the humidity for brief periods by spraying a few times a day won't work, your humidity should be constantly high.

You need a moist box. A small tote that will fit inside her enclosure but large enough so she can move around (it is fine if she cannot stretch out, this is only temporary), wet paper towel and a rough hide to rub up against. Place the plastic tote over her heat pad inside the tank and wait. it should come off with that. The wet paper towel will make the box pretty humid and will provide the grip your snake needs to pull of the old skin. Just give it a shot. You may have to leave her in there over night but I would place her in it right away. Do not leave her in there any longer then three days.

Thanks for all the advice folks.

I'm going to try the humid box method or the soak method like in the sticky thread and see where it gets us.

In regards to the setup my BP is in: When I got her I kept her in a RUB as advised by the breeder I bought her from. Even after a few weeks to settle in she still wouldn't eat. I had been advised that to keep her in anything bigger than a RUB would make her stop eating. After reading up on it more I discovered that she probably felt insecure because the RUB wasn't dark even though she had a little hide in there too. So I decided to move her into the enclosure I was keeping for her when she grew up. It's a 3ft Vivexotic viv. Knowing that too big a space would also make her feel insecure, I rammed the viv full of wood and fake plants and hides just big enough for her to fit into. Sure enough after 1 week in her new space she started eating! Maybe my BP is just weird/unique but she seems to prefer where she is now.

She has a heat pad at one end with a hide above it. I have a thermostat linked up that keeps the heat pad at around 30c-32c. I have also secured the pad in such a fashion that she cannot come into direct contact with it. She has a substrate of lignocel. She also has a big water dish to soak in if she wishes. Her humidity sits around 40-50 usually and I spike it up to 60-70 by misting once or twice a day while she's shedding.

Pics of setup plz? We can offer specific advice

My BP was finally able to shed today! :)

I haven't inspected her yet as she is curled up asleep but when she comes out tonight I will have a closer look at her for any retained shed. Thankfully though when I looked this morning there was lots of bits of skin lying around her vivarium. Going on the amount of skin I found I'd say most if not all of it has come off. Looks like the misting done the trick.