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

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Originally Posted by jeanus

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

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i tried the zoo med mite off and it didnt work for her. i havent done a bleach soak on the tank because i felt it was pointless if they are still on her because they would just get off her into the tank again!!
i will definitely keep the pillow case tick up my sleeve if this happens again thank you!!

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Originally Posted by sho220

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

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i didnt post it again, i realize that is enough. and i was already scolded for that, thanks.

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Originally Posted by MrLang

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.

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i have small rocks over a small portion of the tank on the cool side and the rest is covered in reptibark. sitting on the gravel is a plastic branch that she sits on to bask, her basking lamp is directly above it by about 6 inches. during the day i have a 65 watt day bulb in it and at night a 50 watt moonlight bulb which puts out warmth but barely any light. i consider the hottest part in her tank is where i have a reptile heating pad under the tank and once in awhile shell lay on the bark on top of it, not too much. also on the hot side i have a half log hide. on the cool side there are the small stones, her water dish, and some larger stones that she'll lay on normally after she drinks water. i'm checking temps with one thermometer hygrometer combo on the hot side and a regular thermometer on the cool side. on the hot side her temp is basically always 88 degrees and on the cool side it varies from 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit.

First order of business.

1) take out everything in your tank.
2) use paper towel as substrate until mites are all gone. This will help identify the mites on the white background as well as keeping the enclosure simple
3) Do not have anything else in the tank other than a water dish and maybe a hide.
4) Disinfect and wash tank/hide/dish/accessories . Hot water + bleach will kill all the eggs.
5) Get Provent a Mite (aka PAM). This is the most effective mite spray. But make sure to read the directions carefully. It can kill your snake if used incorrectly.

You might have to throw out that log hide. It's not a very good hide due to the double open ends and the material. It's very hard to clean and disinfect. I can bet that thing is infested with mite eggs if you're having issues. Try one of those cave hides or home made ones with one entrance. Snakes feel more secure in those as long as it is a snug fit. (I made my own from $1 cereal bowls from the dollar store)

Also, I would quarantine your ball away from your boa. Or check your boa for mites too. The nymph stage of mites is airborne and can travel around.

For humidity/shed:
1) Needs to be 70%+
2) If you're using a tank, you can cover 90% of the tank with a damp towel, taped down tin foil, or plexiglass. This will help trap the humidity in your enclosure.
3) You can use a humid hide if you can't get the enclosure to 70%+. A humid hide creates a humid microclimate if the rest of the enclosure is dry. All you need is a tupperware with a cut hole for an enterance. Then you can place some damp moss or paper towel in there. Your snake will go in there when it needs that extra humidity.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

The nymph stage of mites is airborne and can travel around.

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That is terrifying.

I'm removing my clothes before entering my house and burning them after I go to petco or expos.

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Originally Posted by MrLang

That is terrifying.

I'm removing my clothes before entering my house and burning them after I go to petco or expos.

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So your going to give your neighbors a show ;)


Sent from iPhone 5 using tapatalk :)

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Originally Posted by reptilelove18

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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I know you have already been told once is enough, but I have to say it really is. This is a VERY active forum. Post it once, and it will get attention. I would venture to guess within an hour at the longest. There are lots of people on here all day. :);)

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by satomi325

First order of business.

1) take out everything in your tank.
2) use paper towel as substrate until mites are all gone. This will help identify the mites on the white background as well as keeping the enclosure simple
3) Do not have anything else in the tank other than a water dish and maybe a hide.
4) Disinfect and wash tank/hide/dish/accessories . Hot water + bleach will kill all the eggs.
5) Get Provent a Mite (aka PAM). This is the most effective mite spray. But make sure to read the directions carefully. It can kill your snake if used incorrectly.

You might have to throw out that log hide. It's not a very good hide due to the double open ends and the material. It's very hard to clean and disinfect. I can bet that thing is infested with mite eggs if you're having issues. Try one of those cave hides or home made ones with one entrance. Snakes feel more secure in those as long as it is a snug fit. (I made my own from $1 cereal bowls from the dollar store)

Also, I would quarantine your ball away from your boa. Or check your boa for mites too. The nymph stage of mites is airborne and can travel around.

For humidity/shed:
1) Needs to be 70%+
2) If you're using a tank, you can cover 90% of the tank with a damp towel, taped down tin foil, or plexiglass. This will help trap the humidity in your enclosure.
3) You can use a humid hide if you can't get the enclosure to 70%+. A humid hide creates a humid microclimate if the rest of the enclosure is dry. All you need is a tupperware with a cut hole for an enterance. Then you can place some damp moss or paper towel in there. Your snake will go in there when it needs that extra humidity.

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thank you lots!! i will do all of this and let everyone know how it works out!
by the way, my girl is simply glowing since she shed!! her colors are crisp and bright and she is very soft :)

oh and i forgot, my boa is well quarantined from my bp. they are in seperate rooms of the house and i ALWAYS wash my hands before and after holding each one so there shouldn't be any cross contamination :) thanks for the info, i had no idea they were airbourne thats scary because im going to be bringing home my second baby veiled chameleon within 2 weeks and his tank is in the same room as my ball pythons.... hopefully the mites will be destroyed by then! if they dont appear to be ill set up the baby chameleon's tank in a different room just to be safe

so i started treating her and her enclosure for the mites and its already showing improvement!! im so happy!! cant wait till they are all gone and my girl is good to go :)