Soon to Shed or Bacteria? Sorry, im totally new! :X

i got a 1 year old ball python from a friend of mine, because he had moved in with his gf, who hated the idea of having a snake, ive been around them for years, but am still learning a lot as far as husbandry.

i got him a week ago, cleaned his cage - it was pretty messy, and a few days ago he started showing signs of a pinkish belly with drying out scales on his belly. now i read that pinkish belly is a sign of soon to shed, but i also read that an overly pink belly could possibly mean some sort of infection or bacteria?

i have his first vet appointment tomorrow at 6 PM, but just wanna run it by you guys, cause im sure you can shine some light on this question of mine?
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any help or advice would be much appreciated! cheers guys

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Looks like shed time. Soak him. Keep his humidity up

Looks like he's just going into shed cycle. I'd keep the humidity up but skip the soaking to see how he sheds. Soaking for every shed cycle is not a habit I'd want to get in. You can get a water bottle and mist a few times during a shed cycle to up the humidity.

thanks for the quick responses guys, i guess i just spooked myself out there haha. should i be worried that his belly scales are appearing to crack and look dried up? how long does the redness last before his eyes fog up? hes been like this for maybe 4-5 days now

just a quick update: i came home today to find him curled up, eyes a foggy blue, and pretty much blind as a bat, bumping his head into everything in front of him haha. i guess i gave myself a scare there, but i did go out and buy some "douglas fir bark" cause i assume it helps humidity more than the astro turf i had laid out for him. if anyones interested ill post a photo or two of his setup.

thanks a lot for the help guys!

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

jbut i did go out and buy some "douglas fir bark" cause i assume it helps humidity more than the astro turf i had laid out for him. if anyones interested ill post a photo or two of his setup.

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I don't believe you're supposed to use pine bark for snakes, as it's toxic.

http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/...ptile-Bedding/ this is the stuff i got him...

is it due to the possibility of resin in the bark? is that toxic?

It looks to me like there is a bit of skin already flaking off the belly. correct me if I am wrong. Are you using a UTH?

I think that very well could be a burn. It is rather common for an injured snake to enter a shed cycle to try and heal faster.

i do have a UTH, doesnt have a temp gauge on it though, i leave about a centimeter or so of space between it and the glass, then i have a layer of astro turf and the fir bark.. temps inside hide are about 95...

would you suggest i use some kind of a&d ointment on him? or should i just crank humidity and let him shed it off?

my advice is to go to walmart, home depot. to find an accu-rite and while youre there pick up a light dimmer to help control the power to the uth as im sure kaorte is about say the same. theyre both relatively cheap fixes to the problem

Yeah it does look like regular shedding redness. I would suggest getting a digital thermometer to determine the temperature also. Honestly though, i would just keep the tank as moist as possible for the next week and let him take care of his business.

thanks guys. i did get a digital thermometer - the general ambient temperature in the cage is ~83, and about 94 in the hide where the uth was, but i had to take it out, because it was waayyyy too hot, it was bringing the glass to a burning hot almost - i definitely need a dimmer for that thing if ill be using it at all.

as far as humidity, ive been looking like hell for a digital hygrometer, cant find it... i have a nice big water bowl set up under a black heat lamp 50W, and its humid as all hell in there right now haha. hes actually chillin in the water bowl right now, thats fine right?

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

thanks guys. i did get a digital thermometer - the general ambient temperature in the cage is ~83, and about 94 in the hide where the uth was, but i had to take it out, because it was waayyyy too hot, it was bringing the glass to a burning hot almost - i definitely need a dimmer for that thing if ill be using it at all.

as far as humidity, ive been looking like hell for a digital hygrometer, cant find it... i have a nice big water bowl set up under a black heat lamp 50W, and its humid as all hell in there right now haha. hes actually chillin in the water bowl right now, thats fine right?

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Actually you just answered your question right in your own statement. The humidity is too low because hes laying in his water bowl. You can find digital hygrometers everywhere, any lowes, home depot, walmart, target, etc will carry them at all times.

wow.. i scavenged the isles of my home depot to no avail.. im gona call around right now and ask some more. how would you suggest i raise the humidity?

i got a 40 gallon tank, layer of astro turf with fir bark substrate covering half of it, have most of the top covered with foil and a black 50 watt bulb... what am i missing?

Since nobody else mentioned it, I wanted to comment on the "astro-turf" you said you're using... really really not a great idea for snakes! Not because it's bad for them, just because it's incredibly hard to keep clean. I used that stuff for like 2 weeks with my lizard, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. :cool: I'd suggest using newspaper, paper towels, aspen or carefresh as substrate - you'll be amazed at how easy the former two (what I use for my BPs) are to clean! As far as the shedding goes, just let nature take its course, and only mist/soak if you notice he's having trouble.

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

wow.. i scavenged the isles of my home depot to no avail.. im gona call around right now and ask some more. how would you suggest i raise the humidity?

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You can order one online: http://weatherconnection.com/product...curite0&page=3
And do you have something to control the temperatures? If not, go get a Lutron dimmer at Home Depot or Lowes... although a thermostat (ZooMed, Helix, etc) is better, the dimmer will do for now.

If you do need to raise humidity, add another water bowl & put it under/over the heat source... you can also mist with a water bottle, throw in some damp sphagnum moss, or a moist paper towel. Just make sure it doesn't get too humid, or you could give him a respiratory infection.

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i got a 40 gallon tank, layer of astro turf with fir bark substrate covering half of it, have most of the top covered with foil and a black 50 watt bulb... what am i missing?

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A few problems here, which will definitely affect your humidity... tank is pretty big (they only need 20gal as adults), the heat lamp will suck out your humidity, and glass tanks in general are difficult to maintain. I'd suggest converting to a tub setup, but if you want a tank do the following - switch to one of the substrates I mentioned above, ditch the heat lamp, and use only the UTH (once you have something to control/measure it) for heat. :gj:

hi lolo!

yeah after i got the astro turf, i read everywhere how annoying it is to clean and so forth. i have enough for maybe 3-4 weeks if i just replace the entire piece every week - that should be clean enough for him i hope. and then after the store owner reccomended fir bark someone here told me it contains toxins? i guess ill end up with aspen regardless, and very soon :)

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

You can order one online: http://weatherconnection.com/product...curite0&page=3

And do you have something to control the temperatures? If not, go get a Lutron dimmer at Home Depot or Lowes... although a thermostat (ZooMed, Helix, etc) is better, the dimmer will do for now.



A few problems here, which will definitely affect your humidity... tank is pretty big (they only need 20gal as adults), the heat lamp will suck out your humidity, and glass tanks in general are difficult to maintain. I'd suggest converting to a tub setup, but if you want a tank do the following - switch to one of the substrates I mentioned above, ditch the heat lamp, and use only the UTH (once you have something to control/measure it) for heat. :gj:

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advice taken. i cant really get rid of the tank cause i got it with the snake as a gift, and cant afford much else. would it be legitimate if i stuck a UTH under the water dish? in theory that should cause the water to evaporate and put out moisture into the air..?

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

would it be legitimate if i stuck a UTH under the water dish? in theory that should cause the water to evaporate and put out moisture into the air..?

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Will heat the water in the dish and promote the growth of bacteria. Why not slap it on the side of the tank until you get your rheostat?

sounds like my next move, thanks!

by the way, ive been on different forums for all of my life, and never have i gotten this much help at this incredible of a rate :D thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and the awesome advice.

Thanks, we try! I'm still fairly new to snakes myself, as I just got my first BP a year ago... and I must say, about 98% of what I've learned has come from this forum. :gj:

P.S. Welcome to the addiction, LOL... if you look at my signature, you can see how my collection has grown in one year. :D:oops:

That's the same type of substrate I use. My guy has swallowed it a couple times but is fine. I was worried at first. I'm ditching it soon, because it scares me. If it is changed every few months it can promote bacteria. It hides everywhere.

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Originally Posted by CRAZY

That's the same type of substrate I use. My guy has swallowed it a couple times but is fine. I was worried at first. I'm ditching it soon, because it scares me. If it is changed every few months it can promote bacteria. It hides everywhere.

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That's one reason I prefer to use newspaper or paper towels for my BPs... I only use real substrate (carefresh, since I'm allergic to aspen) in the corn snake tubs, since they like to burrow. But with the pythons, paper is the way to go!! It's so easy to clean, and no risk of them swallowing the bedding. :gj:

Home depot is a very confusing place. Just ask a few people where the indoor outdoor thermometers are and they should point you in the right direction. They do have an accurite unit in the garden section that is about $12.

how do you know you live in california? :

i called every home depot, osh, lowes and independent hardware store, most of them didnt know the word "hygrometer" and dont carry the humidity gauge. the only place i found one was the marijuana hydroponics shop... hahahaha

anyways, i picked up the acu-rite temp and humidity digital reader, and im only getting 45% humidity... i dont understand, how am i supposed to double that so my baby can shed???

ive got a big water bowl, filled halfway with water, a UTH right under it, 80% of the top covered in foil to restrict air, i mist the cage, have fir bark, and 86F average temp, with about 90 in hide... ideas?

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

i have his first vet appointment tomorrow at 6 PM, but just wanna run it by you guys, cause im sure you can shine some light on this question of mine?

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Ball Pythons dont need vet checkups like dogs and cats. They only need to go when they are sick or hurt.:gj:

You can try misting the tank down. Some people have to do it a couple times a day, others only once a day.

elise, would you be able to comment on how much i should mist it? ive never done it, i dont want the fir bark to develop bacteria? should it be like 2-3 quick mists, or cover everything, including the walls?

Another option to keep the humidity up for a shed is to take a towel and soak it, then wring it out so it is wet but not dripping and lay it on top of the screen. Just make sure you leave a gap between the towel and lamp. Just re-wet the towel each day as it dries out...

And :welcome: to the forum...

im definitely missing something hahah...

as of right now, my readers show 82F in his hide, 81 in the tank, humidity at only 39%!, i mist twice a day, have a huge water bowl, hot damp towel on top, an 8 watt UTH and a 50 watt black heat lamp (should i get rid of that?)

... i feel ridiculous even typing this, but just so none of you are going out of your way to help me with this "humidity problem" i have...

apparently the acurite reader was showing me MY room humidity, because it was outside the tank...

sometimes the solution is so simple, and right in front of you and you dont even realize it hahahaha

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

... i feel ridiculous even typing this, but just so none of you are going out of your way to help me with this "humidity problem" i have...

apparently the acurite reader was showing me MY room humidity, because it was outside the tank...

sometimes the solution is so simple, and right in front of you and you dont even realize it hahahaha

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Don't worry about it :) It happens pretty often.