Help Help help! Bad Shed? This is my first....

OKay so I expected Althea to give me a nice skin no later than Monday morning. Now it's Thursday. She looks like crap to be honest! She has little holes in her skin where her nostrils are so she is breathing okay, but the rest of her is a wrinkled icky mess. She's been like this since Tuesday. Humidity is 70%. She is moving around real slow, she's got caps on her eyes. She just hides in her little cave all day. Sometimes I take her out and put her in her water real quick to let her get wet, thinking that will help. But she just climbs out, pees a little, then right back to sulk in her cave.

I saw the "shed tutorial" post. Is it time to take action? Should I put her in a container and make her soak for an hour and see if I can help her out with a wash cloth? (I know she's got to be hungry too, she eats on Fridays and I didn't feed her last Friday because she was suppposed to be shedding....) Anyway, If I do this... I am not on well water. There is chlorine in the water. Do I have to get bottled water and heat it up so it's luke warm or is just tap water okay to soak her in??

I know she can't see well, so if she still hasn't shed should I try getting her a Hopper for tomorrow (she usually eats adult mice) just so she isn't so starving?

Help me out guys, really at a loss and this is my first time!!!!! She looks horrible, all sitting there with that big long wrinkle going down her whole body.... she just needs to shed!

First of all, calm down a little. Yes, you can do the soaking of the snake. Do as is stated in the shed tutorial and you should be just fine. Tap water will be just fine to soak the snake in. I soak my snakes in warm tap water when it is necessary. Good Luck and keep us posted on how the soaking goes.

Thanks! Will do. I am a "Shed Virgin." LOL Me and Althea are going to war against this old skin today!!!!!!!!!!! :taz: (I have a coffee buzz right now, so you'll have to excuse the drama) ;)

ok so I soaked her in the jacuzzi (i covered up all the little water hole things) and she really seemed to come to life and enjoy it. I had it so she could pick her water depth so she never got upset. When I got her out she even let me gently "scratch" on her face, I guess kind of where her cheeks are. Never hissed, bit, or even got curled up for that matter. I think she kind of liked it (I feel all special now.) Anyway, since I put her back she rubbed her nose on the glass for a few minutes, peed, and now is back in her cave. She has skin all hanging off of her chin. Maybe she'll get the rest off later on today???

The jacuzzi? Your bathtub I hope lol.

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LOL, it's a Jacuzzi... with water jets and all. Don't worry I covered up the holes where the jets come out and I didn't turn the jets on!!! ROFLMAO :D It was actually nice because she could choose how deep she wanted to be. She could either be totally covered in the water or completely dry. She liked it so she was half in and half out.

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Originally Posted by SuddenEclipse

LOL, it's a Jacuzzi... with water jets and all. Don't worry I covered up the holes where the jets come out and I didn't turn the jets on!!! ROFLMAO :D It was actually nice because she could choose how deep she wanted to be. She could either be totally covered in the water or completely dry. She liked it so she was half in and half out.

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For future reference, you shouldn't do that. The snake was probably a bit stressed out from that.

Next time, take a large large tupperware, or other bowl, and put the warm water in it up until she's almost covered, but leave some space for her to sit in the water, and not have to "Swim". Let her sit in that for 30 mins as it's dark, and calm, and quiet. Then take her out and let her run through a warm cloth.

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Originally Posted by The Hedgehog

For future reference, you shouldn't do that. The snake was probably a bit stressed out from that.

Next time, take a large large tupperware, or other bowl, and put the warm water in it up until she's almost covered, but leave some space for her to sit in the water, and not have to "Swim". Let her sit in that for 30 mins as it's dark, and calm, and quiet. Then take her out and let her run through a warm cloth.

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Ditto. Please do not put your poor snake in the jacuzzi again.

I think she means a Jacuzzi bath tub.
Not like an outdoor chlorinated Hot Tub.

Something else to try if she still hasn't sloughed off the skin...

Get a pillow case and turn it inside out. Wet it down and wring it out and put a wet (wrung out) hand towel in the case. Place the snake into the case with the towel and tie the top shut. Put the whole thing back in the warm part of the snake's enclosure. Let the snake soak and move around in the case for 30-60 minutes...then remove. You'll have a shiny new snake....and a mess in the bag to clean up. :P

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Originally Posted by JLC

Something else to try if she still hasn't sloughed off the skin...

Get a pillow case and turn it inside out. Wet it down and wring it out and put a wet (wrung out) hand towel in the case. Place the snake into the case with the towel and tie the top shut. Put the whole thing back in the warm part of the snake's enclosure. Let the snake soak and move around in the case for 30-60 minutes...then remove. You'll have a shiny new snake....and a mess in the bag to clean up. :P

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Thanks I will try that. She is still just hiding in her little cave with her skin hanging off of her chin. If she doesn't do it by tonight I will give the pillowcase a try!

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Originally Posted by mestapho

I think she means a Jacuzzi bath tub.
Not like an outdoor chlorinated Hot Tub.

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Well I asked ....

Can this be cleared up please? Indoor tub or outdoor one with chemicals?

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Originally Posted by mestapho

I think she means a Jacuzzi bath tub.
Not like an outdoor chlorinated Hot Tub.

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Right!!! Thank you!

Good grief, I know I'm new to this whole snake thing but not a complete moron. No, I did not put her in an outside chlorinated hot tub. Guess I thought her being able to choose how deep to go instead of forcing her into a container without much space to move got everyone worked up. Who'd of thunk it? She never was breathing hard or swimming like crazy, just sort of chillin and soaking in the water. It was only deep enough in a small place to really swim. She didn't even have to be in a wet area at all if she didn't want to be. She chose where to go and did not appear stressed.

Whatever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLC

Something else to try if she still hasn't sloughed off the skin...

Get a pillow case and turn it inside out. Wet it down and wring it out and put a wet (wrung out) hand towel in the case. Place the snake into the case with the towel and tie the top shut. Put the whole thing back in the warm part of the snake's enclosure. Let the snake soak and move around in the case for 30-60 minutes...then remove. You'll have a shiny new snake....and a mess in the bag to clean up. :P

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Just put her in the inside pillow case with the towel sitting over her undertank heater.

She looks like crap. I really hope this works. I know my tank and humidity and all is set up prefectly, but I guess since for most of her cycle she was in a pet store which of course had far less than optimum conditions, so that may be why she is having such a hard time.

Keeping fingers crossed this pillow case trick helps her out!!!!

Good luck .. the only reason I reasked dear is because when I said bath tub, you said NO, a jacuzzi.

Pillowcase I hear works well and you're right about the petstore causing this most likely...

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Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

Good luck .. the only reason I reasked dear is because when I said bath tub, you said NO, a jacuzzi.

Pillowcase I hear works well and you're right about the petstore causing this most likely...

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This is exactly what I was talking about. You said jacuzzi, not tub.

Well the pillow case did not work. I don't know what to do. I know I shouldn't feed her when she is shedding but do you guys think I should just get her a little hopper or something since we are going on 2 weeks without being fed? I don't know what to do anymore. The humidity and temps are all perfect. Soaking didn't work, and the pillow case didn't work either.

I feed all of mine, in shed or not.

If I were you - I'd just make sure her husbandry is correct, offer her food when you normally do, and let her just go through her next shed cycle and she'll be good as new! ;)

I agree with Robin. The only reason people say to not feed during a shed is because sometimes the snake isn't interested in eating and the food may be wasted. It won't hurt to try. Plus, as far as the snake is concerned, she's "done" shedding. She's probably ready to eat.

There are these tricks we can use to help get stuck shed off, but if it doesn't work, it won't hurt the snake in the least to let it go and wait for the next shed cycle. :)

Okay will do! I will go buy her a mouse but will be prepared to have a new pet for a while (lucky me) if she doesn't want it. I guess it won't hurt to offer it.

Thanks guys! I think I will refrain from handling her like I normally would because she has caps on her eyes, but maybe I'll just kind of "pet" her every once in a while she's in her enclosure to keep her used to being touched until either a miracle happens and she sheds or at least the eye caps fall off.