BP Shed gone Bad!!!! Any help appreciated!

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Originally Posted by interloc

Mites can cause bad shed


Also no need to soak before shedding. As long as the humidity is fine, the shed should be good. Soaking before shedding can wash away some helpful oils and can actually lead to bad sheds. I feel like the mites + the soaking before shed is why she had a bad shed.


Finally, no need to post the same thread in 19 different areas. Once is fine.

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okay thanks for the info, ill definitely avoid soaking before shed in the future.
i posted it in three areas in attempts to get some info from more experienced owners. i didn't read in the agreement that i couldnt do that and i was in a panic and was hoping for any helpful information as soon as possible.

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

Humidity should be around 70% for shedding. More than likely the issue was caused by bathing her prior to a shed. Soaking before a shed removes the naturally ooccurring oils that helps the snake shed (so I have read).

The only time (pertaining to shedding) you should soak a bp is after they have a bad shed, to help soften the remaining stuck shed.

I'm sure the deification and urination was due to a warm bath and massage.

Welcome to bp.net!


Edit: evidently I type slow on my phone! Ooh well :D

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okay thank you :) im bummed i had to learn it the hard way but glad that it doesnt seem like she has underlying issues, i simply messed up the shed by soaking her! now that she's done shedding i can get rid of the mites and between that and the new info i learned on here tonight, im praying her next shed will be better.
thank you for the welcome! i had been on the site a couple times during my research and hadnt gotten a chance to make a profile so when this happened tonight i knew i could get a lot of priceless information from ball owners!

thank you for the reply and im glad i learned not to do that because i had read in multiple places to soak her before her shed to hydrate her but it obviously did the opposite so i wont be doing that again!
i just got Garden Tech's Sevin Dust, 5% which is what my local reptile expert said she has used when she brought home rescued snakes that had mite infestations. i havent used it yet because its a dust and i knew that if i put it into her terrarium i couldnt keep the humidity up where it should be for shedding. since shes done shedding i was planning on pulling everything out of her terrarium tomorrow, treating it, dusting the substrate really well and watching it for several days. that's what the reptile expert told me to do, not to sprinkle her with it directly but that as she moved around the terrarium it would get some on her and would kill the mites that are on her. i had tried right after i brought her home a zoo med mite spray but it didnt kill them

Hi I have put a snake with a bad shed in a pillow case with a damp towel that worked great it got rid of eye caps too. He just moved around and pulled it all off in the pillow case. I made sure he was in a properly warm spot. I have never used or or heard of using powder, I would be afraid of using it. I kept getting mites until I soaked the tank with a 10 water to 1 bleach ratio. I made sure to get under the lid and water dish. I have used Mite Off from Zoo med with luck on snakes. The big thing was clean bedding, soaking the tank and lid. Oh soaking will often make them Go LOL!
Good luck keep posting
Jeanus

Three seperate threads with the same question posted minutes apart is probably enough...

In your picture the snake is sitting on gravel. Is that what you have in the tank? You said the snake was basking. Can you elaborate on that? How do you create a hot spot? How are you checking the temps?

Your snake is probably very stressed. If the stuck shed isn't covering the vent and tip of the tail and the eyes are clear, I would say to just keep the humidity high and let your snake finish the job on their own. Otherwise you can put it in a warm, damp pillow case and let it crawl around in there for a while to work the rest off.

Please tell us a little bit more about how you keep the snake, what's in the cage, etc. It sounds like your local reptile expert may not have the most up to date info on ball pythons. I'll let someone else explain more about the mites. GL.

Mites can obviously create issues with sheds (and more), but if I ever have a less than perfect shed, i use a small snake bag, or burlap sack. I soak in hottest water I can, wring it out, then put snake in, and put in tub. Voila. Work every time rest of shed comes off. Don't worry about the heat from the hot water, the few seconds of wringing, and carrying to enclosure, cools it enough to be safe.

Some snakes aren't good at shedding. I have some that it is one piece and done... Others rip theirs in many pieces. But if I keep humidity up, add something rough, they'll do it on their own in like 5 days. Just depends on the snake. You only have one so you're not familiar with it yet, but when you get more, you will. Oh and don't soak, it removes the oils.

Here's an old video I did when my pinstripe didn't shed very well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wxf9cmS0qQ

The hour time frame is the max I would leave them in there. I was going for 45 minutes but he started getting it off on his own so I let him go.

I think everyone else has covered the shedding info, but I would suggest ordering some Prevent-A-Mite (PAM).

http://beanfarm.com/advanced_search_...e5aecc&x=0&y=0

I don't know much about the dust you are going to try, but this is made to kill reptile mites and will get rid of them quick! :)