Dirt in mouth during shed?

Okay, so some pre-question information: Her name is Elora, she's 16 months old, around 22 inches long, but I'm not sure of her weight. She usually eats one fuzzy per feed, although she's getting big enough to advance to the next size up. I use the Eco Earth coconut fiber substrate. The warmest side of her tank is 87 degrees and the coolest is 80. She likes the stay in either the coolest side, or in the middle.

Every time she goes into shed (this is her fourth or fifth time), she gets a bunch of dirt stuck in her mouth. Elo is super docile and sweet, so she lets me kind of gently pull her jaw apart to look inside, so I've found that all of the dirt remains in the lip area. The issue is, I can't crumble it off, as it's caked on there like some kind of mucus, and it ONLY ever happens when she's in shed. The shed lasts a while- we went to the vet last time to get it removed, which caused bleeding, and after that she finally finished shedding (after a two month period). She doesn't seem to have any problems breathing, and she's acting normal in all other aspects. Any ideas what's wrong?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/cN13y4X.jpg

You're feeding fuzzy mice right? Those are too small, bps usually take hoppers for their first meals out of the egg before advancing to small mice. That doesn't sound like dirt to me, but I've had to gently rise Eco Earth out of one of my snakes mouth before.

Also, what humidity are you getting in your setup?

She looks very dehydrated. Also, if this is the "4th or 5th" time she has gotten that much dirt stuck in her mouth, then switch to a different bedding. If she is a spider-type and has a wobble that could also make it hard to shed. Add some rocks or something for her to rub on other than the ground too.

Humidity needs to be 65-70% during shed, and not less than 50-55% the rest of the time. You're risking infection if the dirt makes the gums bleed and such too - and mouth rot / gum infection can be difficult to treat as well. What is the exact set up? Temps, humidity, how are you measuring both, tank or tub, etc

Ah yeah, that's an issue I'm going to bring up probably in another thread, but the vet told us that she's awfully small for her age. She has a hard enough time eating the fuzzies, which is worrying. I'll try and get a fullbody pic of her when I get home today.

Her humidity remains at around 55-70% depending on the weather, even though I spritz water into her tank once or twice a day.

Double reply because I didn't see Crow's:

Her hide on the left (cool) side is one of the logs. On the warmer side, it's a tree with a built-in hide in the trunk. In the middle is her water bowl (one of the rough-sided ones) that is always filled with water. The cooler side has the light, and the warmer side has an under-tank heating pad. She's in a 20-gallon tank.

It's her second shed with the dirt (I used to use aspen, but I was advised against it because humidity apparently doesn't hold as well with that substrate?) and the second time she's done this. When her gums bled the first time I moved her to a plastic tub with paper towels, her log, and her water bowl in order to prevent any damage being done.

Do you have any advice to increase humidity in there? It already has a difficult enough time holding even now.

What kind of hygrometer are you using to measure the humidity with, analogue or digital? Analogues are notorious for being off by 10+ percent either direction.

Add moss to her hides, cover the screen top with a moist towel... I'm sure there are other ways to increase humidity in a tank, and those with experience with it will probably chime in shortly.

Also, a ball python should be eating a mouse hopper or larger after they've hatched, so a fuzzy is way too small. I promise that their tiny heads can swallow a lot more food than it seems. You'll want to feed according to weight (about 10%). Here's a handy feeding chart for future reference:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F98qfzDH.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manacakes

Her humidity remains at around 55-70% depending on the weather, even though I spritz water into her tank once or twice a day.

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How are you measure and where are you measuring humidity. Based on your picture of your snake I would say the cage is far lower than there because all signs point to dehydration of the skin. Are you providing clean water constantly and can we see pictures of the enclosure and the measurement device used to read humidity? If it is an analog device that is just adhered to the side of the tank I would throw that away and get a proper digital probe to sit in the tank above the substrate. If the humidity gauge is sitting on damp substrate you most likely are getting false readings if the ambient air is say 20% humidity which would foster the appearance of your snake.

I am pretty positive based on the retained eye cap, crinkly skin and substrate coated mouth that you do not have the humidity levels you think you have.

I'll have to wait until I arrive home to provide photos, but I use a circular thermometer that measures temp. and humidity. I also forgot to mention but this current shed period has only lasted 3 days so far.

If the cool side hide is one of the 1/2 logs with two open ends, you should replace it with something more enclosed. Also, keep in mind that when she grows there is a chance she could get stuck in the tree hide (I'm guessing it the one that has a smaller "hole" in one of the "branches".

For humidity, get some shallow plastic dishes and put moist sphagnum moss in each corner of the tank. The plastic dishes keep the bedding from sitting wet. Covering the screen lid with a damp towel is a good idea, you can even cover the towel with foil as well - just make sure the towel is not touching the heat lamp. Make sure that three sides of the tank are covered with dark paper on the outside to make it feel less open.

I also really like terra-cotta pots for adding a moist hide - I have pictures in my gallery. You just drill out the bottom of the pot and set it upside down in the drip pan. Then line the bottom with damp moss - you can also soak the pot itself in warm water for an hour or so which will slowly release the humidity throughout the day.

That feeding chart is a great tool, just make sure you get a good digital scale to keep track of her weight. If she has been eating mice it may take a few tries to get her onto rats, which are more nutritious. However, don't attempt to switch if she is skinny. Having her eating regularly is more important at the moment than switching to rats. Some snakes refuse the first few times and if they don't have enough fat stores they can loose too much weight in the process.

And get digital thermometers / hygrometers as soon as possible. The round stick-on ones are inaccurate and dangerous to the snake.

My biggest tip: AMAZON is your best friend