Is it Shedding time.

hod pretty good my room is humid as it is around 60 all day long. and i hope he dont climb over lol hell be there for couple hours till i get hom form work. and the lid is just sitting there for nwo cuz i kno he cant reach it yet im gonan go buy the clamps for it firday when i get paid.the clay is holding up good its starting to set. its to harden like it was takin out of the oven in bout a day or 2 its gotta be safe lol my dog ate a peice of it. how she got it is beyond me.

one last question bout his shed. when i moved him form tank to tank his skin was very wrinkly and sliverish(reflective) this mean the skin is seperating and ready to be shed now.

Hi,


Actually it normally means he should have shed it a couple of days ago. They go blue then turn back to normal then shed - so looking silvery and wrinkled is normally a retained shed.

Check out our sticky on bad sheds for solutions.

And I wouldnt hold out long on getting those clips as it's not that far from the top of his hides/vines to the lip of the divider and from there he can push on the lid with ease.

We recomend a humidity of 60-60% when their in shed so you might want to look at the glass tank setup sticky again to see how to seal over the lid to get it up their when he's shedding.


dr del

he didnt look liek that firday all he had was the dull look at the cloudy eyes. ill give him till tomorrow and if nothing changes ill put him in some warm water and let him soak and see if itll help.i dont htink hes tired to shed it to be honest even his head looks like that so its gotta be comin soon.

Hi,


Just noticed I nerfed up the humidity recomendations for during shed.:oops:

It should have read 60% - 70% humidity


dr del ( the fumblefingered :ninja: )

i jus covered the top lid with plastic wrap with 15 inches open from the wrap. that will help me tons. if he done shed it how to i get him to shed it since he hasnt begun to do it. his head is like his body

Well,

You could read my previous posts about it where I gave you a link to the sticky that tells you that exact thing.:P

Click on the relevant blue underlined text in my post 4 before this one.:D



dr del

yea i did look at it but hes got a full shed still on him not jus bits n peices. how do i get the whole shed off him. heres a picture of him. i bought a vitamin spray that has the stuff he needs for healthy skin and keeps his skin lookin good.http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...6/100_1943.jpg he looks shiny cuz of the spray i put on him. its called vita spray. it contains electrolytes and keeps skin softer and mosit. it also has vitamin d3. ill see if thia helps his skin out. also by the water bowl it was soaked all over and udner. was that the sign of him in the water.

My eyes!!! :eek:

Why is he so dark? Is that spray you put on him commercially sold for snakes/BP's in particular?

You should really just put him in a tub or a small enclosure, it's so much easier to take care of and clean. It's such a great idea, and it's like having a small hide with smaller hides within it that keeps your snake happy.

hes dark cuz the spray did that and hes got that retained shed on him. and the spray is forulated to work for all snakes of any species.

He kinda looks like a black pastel... in a cool... eery kind of way...

Hi,


Well I'm not saying that spray is a waste of money... aw heck yes I am.

It's very rare for you to need anything other than water to remove stuck sheds if you catch them early.

I'd follow the instructions in the sticky I linked to to be honest. If, after following that there is no movement of the skin then I would possibly try getting an inexpensive pillow case, turning it inside out, and soaking it in warm (NOT HOT!!) water and putting him in that, tying the neck shut securely and placing it in his tank for a couple of hours.

The idea is his movements against the cloth of the pillowcase will get the shed at least started coming away from his nose. If , when you open the bag it has started to come away let him run through a damp cloth like shown in the sticky.

The reason we say use an inexpensive pillowcase is twofold - they tend to have lower threadcounts and so allow air exchange (test this by blowing it up then seeing if you can squeeze the air out of it while it is wet) and, the most important reason, Rabernet hates the word "cheap" being used for anything related to ball pythons and I see no reason to offend her.:)

Now remember to leave the 24 hour period between these treatments - and try the one in the sticky first. It's there because it works.

Let us know how you get on and if you need any more advice.

And to answer your question the water everywhere could indeed mean he has been trying to soak - I always try and use a waterbowl they cannot fit in but then I also try and make sure their humidity is ok.

One possible handy tip would be to leave enough unfilled space in the waterbowl so that if he does climb in he won't spill water everywhere.:)



dr del

i was told this spray helps with shedding big time if used daily. heres a link about it Link to Spray

fi i do that wit hthe pillow case does it matter if i put him back in the tank or no. i tired the one in sticky but he flipped out in the tub so i took him out.

Hi,


Yeah I used to work in a shop and sold that stuff - since when did nature mist with vitamins and d3? Nature, if I recall correctly, mists with water.

It might be of value to lizards (doubt it even if they drank it though) but I cannot for the life of me think of one good thing it will do to a snake. In their daily life snakes aren't that prone to suffering from dry skin if their environment is correct. And if their environment isn't correct I wouldn't rely on things like that to fix it. It's up to you what you beleive but on the plus side I'm not trying to persuade you to give me some money.

Yes it's important you put him back in his tank to prevent him getting too cold as the water evaporates - try and put his bag half on/ half off the mat if possible but even the cool end is generally better than room temps.

Some snakes don't appreciate the soaking process it has to be admitted - make sure the water isn't too deep or warm but that's why we put a lid on it / tie the top of the pillowcase.:D

While I'm here be very carefull to make sure you don't get him caught in the knot - I generally ask someone to hold him in a lower bit of the pillowcase while I tie it off.


dr del

at the tip of his mouth its beginning to flake off and at the tip of his tail. i could almsot feal it off liek a onion but i dnt want to force it hell get it off on his own. i kno this bad shed is my fault for low humidity. the spray is jsut to help me along not fix the problem it keeps hsi skin shining. im gonna buy a new hydrometer and a small humidifier and use that to maintain my 60%humidity. if he dont get it off this shed then hell get it off the next one. i held him for bout 15 mins makin him slither thorugh a towel and it helped minor by makin the tail begin to flake off.

is there any truth in this statement.

Quote:

---

problem shed is a sign of an even greater, underlying problem. New snakes, especially imports, typically have poor sheds their first one or two sheds in captivity. The import and pet store process is less than healthy and stress-free, and so their sheds reflect that period of prolonged stress (psychological as well as environmental). Once they are housed properly, treated for dehydration and parasites, and begin to psychologically acclimated to captivity, they become healthier, and by the third shed, should be shedding properly - quickly and in one piece

---

Hi,


Yeah you want to do either the soak or the pillowcase before trying to rub it off like that really. And, while I would prefer to see it removed rather than left till next shed, I want to caution you about trying to peel him like an onion. There are some mighty delicate areas (eyes, heat pits and cloaca) that you could really hurt him if the shed wasn't sufficiently loosened/ softned.

And I'm sure it does indeed keep his skin shining - they are usually based on an oil base to do that very thing. Oil however can actually cause shedding problems such as the skin coming off in smaller peices. I do not know if this is the case with this specific product however but over the years I have become somewhat cynical about products that make these claims.

Water works perfectly well and has no possibility of complications.



dr del

jsut now i put my eat to the screen lid and i hear him slowly moving around under inside his cave hide. im hopin its the shed slither lol im not gonan sue the spray all the time ill say once a week to help with moisture and ill look into a humidifier this weekend laong iwth a new hydrometer and the screen clips. i wasnt goin to peel him at all i head bad stories ill only assist him. if i see it just dangling there ill rub it to loosen it. and im veyr quick on my replies as im a huge computer guy as i see you are too. www.richscomputers.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigrich0086

is there any truth in this statement.

---

For imports? probably.

I don't remember you saying if your snake was an import or not - if it is you should get it checked for parasites etc. But most well started hatchlings should be fine. The good guys would have had him in the shop till they knew he was eating and healthy so you shouldn't really be dealing with that situation.

I don't know how to say this any plainer;

Forget you ever bought the spray - concentrate on getting the humidity right in his enclosure or build him a humid hide.

Don't rub at any stuck shed without having soaked him or otherwise softened/ loosened it.

He is only a little fella and his skin is very delicate.



dr del

can i use his hide on the cool side and put the mosit moss in there and let him get in form the bottom like normal or put i na diff one. i really dont have room with all the stuff to add in a humid box. im redoing the lid on his enclosure to cover it givin jsut enough for ventilation and hold in humidity. the humidifier i found was 15 bucks and it holds one gallon of water. once i get that ill be set for the humidity and expesially during winter time. its known to get 10 below here.

Hi,


No you really have to make it an extra hide not a replacement for one of his normal hides.

The size of your tank does tend to work against you humidity wise as it's a lot of air to moisten.

Several people on the site have used humidifiers before but they generally say they run dry too quickly (I think they burn out if that happens but I'm not sure so don't quote me) and since you said you were at work that might be a problem.

You might also need seperate heating for the cool side of your tank if it gets that bad -It's worth planning these things well in advance to avoid panic when speedbumps appear.


dr del

ill have to say no to the moist box and ill get the humidifier and run that to kepe the humidity above 60%. i found a better oen that runs 2 gallons a day into the air and i beleive it shurts off when water is out. not sure and 2 gallons a day is mroe than enough to keep him happy. ill keep right by his tank so he gets the msot of it. this shed liek i said was my fault for having a hydrometer that was broken and didnt have the proper humidity.

im pretty sure its the air temp and the heat mat factored in. wut you think. the thermostat shurts the UTh off at 94. its warm in my room with the ceiling fan running. the digi probe is inside his cave and its reading 98 but the glass isnt hot just a lil warm. so im guessing my room and the cave is keeping it warm. ambient air temp is at least 86 in my room adn wit the UTh kickin on and off every 10 mins keeps raising the temp in his hide. is high ambient air liek 98 bad for him since its nto a hot spot but warm air.

Hi,


Can that pump the humid air into the tank?

We have something that might work a little better - click

And to be honest everything that happens to your little guy good or bad is you fault.:P

Did you try turning the thermostat down a little? When we said you should leave time between adjustments to see how things settle this was the kind of thing we had in mind. You need to keep checking things occasionally to see how they change over time.


dr del

it doenst pump into the tank it keeps the entire room humid. and yes i did turn it down a lil bit but the problem wsa my room was a bit toasty form the sun. my room holds heat well. its down to 93-94.4 now so its fine now.

A smaller, more appropriately sized tub would have made this shed go so much better for you. You're experiencing the biggest complaint of glass enclosures. Just sayin.....:rolleyes: :cool:

i picked up a humidifier that pumps 1.5 gallons of water wvery 24 hrs and shuts off when it dries out. i also bought another digi thermomter . the acu-rite oen form wlamart for $12. this is where im gettin at my old digi thermometer im gonan set up on the cool side and the new one im gonna set up on the warm side. where to i put the acu rite probe at so i get a good reading for heat and humidity

Hi,


Actually I would recomend putting the old and new ones together at the cool end and running the probes into the hot hide so you couls compare the 2 thermometers readings.

just my 0.02


dr del

let me get this right. suction cup them both to the outside run the porbes insdie and put both probes o nthe warm end. or one on each side. oh ahd hes been climbing aroudn tonight and i noticed mroe skin is off him now Yaay shoudl i use the should i use the sticky side fo the probe on acu rite or just lay it in there

i jsut put in the battery for the acurite and im like 10 ft fomr the tank and its reading 80 for the room temp and about 71 humidity. the humidifier been on only 10 mins. so yea it s helpin

Hi,


Nah place both base units inside the cool end of your tank and the probes at the hot end under the hide.


dr del

how the heck do u turn off the acu rite or does it stay on all the time. and the main display says out is that the temp not comin fomr the probe right and the in is fomr the probe

Hi,


to reset it take the battery out for 30 seconds.

It stays on all the time and the "out" is the reading from the probe and the "in" is the reading from the base unit.


dr del

the out sys its 86 and the in says 88 hows that possible . and the other dig syas 90.1

the in dont change it styas at oen temp and thats it the out is saying 84 and thats on the cool side. wut button do i hit to be sure im checkin the in for right

no offense but you got them mixed up the in is the base reading and the out is the probe. cuz the in syas 82 and the otu says 86 thats impossible that the cool side is warmer than the hot side when the mat is on.

How long are you leaving them to settle and do both thermometers say the same?



dr del

the acu rite is slowly catchin up its at 90.1 wamr and 80.2 cool humidity 59 and slowly goin up. the other one saying 93.5 adn the probes are next to eachtoher touchin the glass under the substrate lol my bad man im real tired form work mis read it. and the other dig thermometer is from corallife. ill give it tome to settle in and see but which would be a more accurate one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigrich0086

no offense but you got them mixed up the in is the base reading and the out is the probe. cuz the in syas 82 and the otu says 86 thats impossible that the cool side is warmer than the hot side when the mat is on.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dr del

It stays on all the time and the "out" is the reading from the probe and the "in" is the reading from the base unit.

---

I'm curious how this means "I" got them mixed up?


dr del

acu rite reading 93.4 and the corallife one is 94.4 still 80.1 cool side i mist the cool side wit a lil big of water and humidity went up to 69% i dont think the old digi one is accurate is changes way too fast and its goin up with the ehat mat off. and the acu rite is at 93 steady. so the old one has to be factoring in the ambient air with the heat fomr the mat somehow causing it to be way hotter than is is in there. and you all swear by the acu rite one so im gonan jsut take back the old one and keep the acu rite oen.

Hi,


I would avoid misting etc just now - your trying to find out what the baseline readings are so you get a true picture of what is going on.


dr del

yea but i mist once a day and it was time since i jsut got him form work i wont mist again till tomorrow night the old one is 2 dagrees warmer so if it dont settle in ill take it back.

ill let you kno wut happend tonight tomorrow its time for me to relax and watch a movie. oh and he is shedding good but in pieces :mad: and i see the new skin all shiny :) talk to you tomorrow

its goin good now he soaked again over night while i was sleeping mroe skin came off. his head is half way to three quaters done. and skin all over the tank. humidity is 65% also how many screen clips shoudl i get oen each side or jsut 2

On behalf of the members of BP.net, you sure do make BP husbandry sound like rocket science.

A new person reading this thread would be petrified of how "hard" a BP is to take care of. You're turning this thread into more of a blog about what happens to your BP, and disregarding the endless posts that Derek and co. have suggested. I tried quoting everytime you just said "No, I just did this etc" after Derek gave you a suggestion that I just gave up and decided to keep it short. So what's the point of asking for advice if when you get it, you just ignore the advice and add in some sort of inner knowledge contesting what the previous person just suggested you to do.

Go make a myspace if you like to post about your daily routine on what you did with your pet BP. 97 posts, and you haven't done anything right. He suggests to remove tape, you say no. Suggest to moving to a tub, you say no. Suggest you to stop misting, you say no, and you go buy a humidifier when people tell you that you don't have to and save some money, what do you do? You buy a humidifier.

How many clips do you need? I'll tell you 4, because it's common sense, but you'll probably put 6 or 7 and add a brick on top just to contest our suggestions.

:angered:

Bless your sould Derek, you have patience. :taz:

you can kiss my ass cuz every comemnt you left was negative and i took all ppls advice in this thread. and i have 4 clips and the humidifier was needed anyways cuz i have dry air in my hosue as it is. b4 you critize someone find out b4 makin your assumption tough guy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigrich0086

you can kiss my ass cuz every comemnt you left was negative and i took all ppls advice in this thread. and i have 4 clips and the humidifier was needed anyways cuz i have dry air in my hosue as it is. b4 you critize someone find out b4 makin your assumption tough guy

---

First, cut out the swearing, it is NOT acceptable!

Secondly, what was said is accurate. You have been offered good advice on this forum and another one. On each forum, you have dismissed 90% of the advice offered you and did what you wanted to anyway.

You are not likely to get people to take your requests for help seriously or rush to answer you if you continue behaving in this manner.

i am a little late to this thread, but there's only one thing i can say

i feel sorry for the snake...

I feel sorry for this snake in two bloody forums *sigh*