Shedding Question

My snake is going thru his second shed....both of which are extremely piecey....there is shed bits everywhere. I know that isn't how it is supposed to be..so wut do i need to do to correct this? his humidity is usually between 55-65 througout the day. temps are just above 90. bowl is a prettey decent size...he could ball up in it.

Also, he isn't completely done shedding...what can i do to get the rest of his shed off? soak him in luke warm water?

First of all, while he is in shed (as soon as you see his eyes turn blue), the humidity should be bumped up to about 70%+. That's is what I do while they are in shed, and it comes out in one smooth peice. But since he is already started on the shedding..I would soak him in a rubbermaid along with paper towels if you want, for a couple hours. That has worked for me when they don't feel like shedding properly. :P And make sure he at least gets his eye caps off.

Good luck, I don't know what else to suggest.
Jennifer

Oh yeah, and if you put him in the rubbermaid, put it over a heating pad if you have one. ;)

Jennifer

Filled the sink up with some warm water....slowly put him in and helped him get the skin off. he's shiny now..but i get the feeling he didn't enjoy it too much, he was in a rush to get out of the water. and...if i put him in a rubbermaid...do i need to put a lid on? cuz he will not stay in the water!

Yes it needs to have a lid on it, with holes for air flow. ;)

Good to hear he is all better!

A water bowl with a lid and access hole cut in might work as well. Then he could soak and hide which I would think he would want to do if he's a little dry and feeling shy.

i think if you boost your humidity a bit you won't have this problem. some bp's just need more than others, imo.

Magellan has got the "cloudy eye, ready to shed" look now. His enclosure has been running probably around 50% humidity. I just misted it down, and I'm expanding some reptile substrate that comes dried and compressed, and which you soak in water to re-expand. I'm going to place an amount of that inside his hide with him, in the hopes that it will bump the humidity up inside there.

i don't see any reason why it wouldn't.

Biggest problem with raising humidity right now is that it is freakin' dry here. We're running well under 30% humidity, and one evening this past week on the news they said our humidity was 10% and the dew point was -5. I don't think it has ever gotten down to MINUS 5 here in Tucson.

He has a 9" glass pie plate with clean water in it for either drinking or soaking, and I misted down the inside of the enclosure last night before putting in the substrate. If I have too much problem holding the humidity up, I'll let he and Phil trade places and let Magellan stay in the glass terrarium. I can get the humidity up in the glass enclosure easier than in the wooden one.

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Originally Posted by phyre_st0rm

Filled the sink up with some warm water....slowly put him in and helped him get the skin off. he's shiny now..but i get the feeling he didn't enjoy it too much, he was in a rush to get out of the water. and...if i put him in a rubbermaid...do i need to put a lid on? cuz he will not stay in the water!

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If your BP is in a hurry to get out of the water, it is too hot! In my experience, people use water that is too warm for snakes. If it feels warm to you, it is too hot for your BP. If you have ever stuck your arm inside a tropical fish aquarium, that is the temperature the water should be. It should feel cool to us humans, not even lukewarm!
Adjust that, and your BP will soak happily.
Also, I am a fan of using humid hides in their homes. Then they can choose the humidity amount they need.

And yes, put the lid on.

Thank goodness for for temperature guns... I use that thing for everything! :mrgreen:

The humidity gauge in Magellan's enclosure is showing a higher level tonight, and I'm guessing the damp substrate in his hide probably has the humidity a bit higher in there now.

I'll post a progress report when things progress.