WTF happened? Bad Shed...

so, my guy steve, has had his second shed. his first shed was so bad i literally completely shed him myself. this time, however, it appeared to be going perfectly. until he got about halfway through. he started having sections that wouldn't come off at all, and after 15 or so hours he got almost everything. this morning when i woke up i went to get him out of his hide to see his new skin and i noticed that he still had a complete piece going 2 inches up his tale. he acted like it wasn't even there. i barely tugged on it and it was like glued to his skin. there are pics in my profile of this. i brought his humidity up to 70-75% when he turned blue through the use of a wet towel on his cage and a larger water bowl, normally his humidity is 50-60%. what happened? i dont understand, its like he completely dried out and gave up just before he was finished. i keep perfect temps with probed devices and a gun. obviously i have soaked him since and removed everything. i even soaked him when he turned blue and when he went back to his normal color just before shed. i'm wondering if bathing is what caused the problem. i know humans have oils in their skin and hair and we wash those off when we shower.. but we use soap... and oil and water repel eachother... i'm so lost.

please help

b-rett the b-ratt

And real quick i wanted to mention how happy i am to be apart of this community. when i got my first snake i learned everything i know from this site!

I think you're over reacting a bit. Bad sheds happen here and there...if you want, you can try some Zilla shed-ease to get the rest of the shed off.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

I think you're over reacting a bit. Bad sheds happen here and there...if you want, you can try some Zilla shed-ease to get the rest of the shed off.

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Yupper...it happens...I take it as an opportunity to spend some quality time with them...:D


To the OP...I would skip the shed aiding sprays available in pets stores...a spray bottle with tap water works just as well imo...although I don't remember if the spray I used was from Zilla or not...

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

I think you're over reacting a bit. Bad sheds happen here and there...if you want, you can try some Zilla shed-ease to get the rest of the shed off.

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i was considering a shed aide. is there some kind of learning curve for them with shedding? or do they just get it? i agree that its probably nothing it just really surprises me that i've not let his humidity drop below 65 once and he appeared dried out.. i have my humidity probe on the floor on my cool side.

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Originally Posted by sho220

Yupper...it happens...I take it as an opportunity to spend some quality time with them...:D

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yeah thats totally what ended up happening. i never really considered what a snake with a personality would be like. but now im learning that they are all unique.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

i was considering a shed aide. is there some kind of learning curve for them with shedding? or do they just get it? i agree that its probably nothing it just really surprises me that i've not let his humidity drop below 65 once and he appeared dried out.. i have my humidity probe on the floor on my cool side.

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Successful sheds are mostly dependent on their environment...as long as the humidity is good, they should shed relatively easily in one or a few pieces. Lots of times I'll find just a strip along their spine that I'll have to hit with some water spray and peel it off (going from head to tail). Sometimes they just end up a mess and you have to soak them and pick it off...just the way it is...

OP sounds like you are having major problems with your humidity.

also misting with water works great as well as adding some moss to the hide,wett moss and even bump up the heat mat temps,,between the higher temps of the Matt and the hide and the wett moss,it's creates great humidity and it will help him shed nicely.

what I do is besides bumping up humidity during shed is,after he is out out of his blue cloudy eye faze,I take him out at night before bed and mist him down with water. After he sheds his eye caps he shed the next day always. So I make sure I mist him down both days atleast one time..

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

OP sounds like you are having major problems with your humidity.

also misting with water works great as well as adding some moss to the hide,wett moss and even bump up the heat mat temps,,between the higher temps of the Matt and the hide and the wett moss,it's creates great humidity and it will help him shed nicely.

what I do is besides bumping up humidity during shed is,after he is out out of his blue cloudy eye faze,I take him out at night before bed and mist him down with water. After he sheds his eye caps he shed the next day always. So I make sure I mist him down both days atleast one time..

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What does OP mean. You're the second person to say it. I mean unless my three gauges including one digital are wrong. And if they are wrong they all came from different places with the same incorrect calibration. And I mentioned that I bathed them at the same times you do. But I'm buying him a humidity hide and some moss tomorrow. And his mat is all the way up.

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i even soaked him when he turned blue and when he went back to his normal color just before shed. i'm wondering if bathing is what caused the problem. i know humans have oils in their skin and hair and we wash those off when we shower.. but we use soap... and oil and water repel eachother... i'm so lost.

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I have heard that this is true. That it's a bad idea to soak your BP while in shed and to only do it after to aid in the removal of any retained shed, because soaking before removes important oils. Also be sure to keep humidity up around 70% throughout the shedding process.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

What does OP mean. You're the second person to say it. I mean unless my three gauges including one digital are wrong. And if they are wrong they all came from different places with the same incorrect calibration. And I mentioned that I bathed them at the same times you do. But I'm buying him a humidity hide and some moss tomorrow. And his mat is all the way up.

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OP = Original Poster....i.e. you...:)

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Originally Posted by brettliff

What does OP mean. You're the second person to say it. I mean unless my three gauges including one digital are wrong. And if they are wrong they all came from different places with the same incorrect calibration. And I mentioned that I bathed them at the same times you do. But I'm buying him a humidity hide and some moss tomorrow. And his mat is all the way up.

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Learning curve? More like just...nature, unpredictable. For example, my male BP has been with me for almost 9 years now...he has never had an imperfect shed. Now just last week, one of my sand boas had a bit of skin left on his tail that I got off, the last snake in my house I was worried about as far as humidity goes, lol. Three gauges? I use my nose to test humidity, saturate my ball and retic substrates on a weekly basis to keep it up for the week. What is your main substrate? A humid hide works for some people just make sure it still has good ventilation though...do not want any mold going on. I started using Zilla shed ease when it became common for rescues to come in with layers of skin and now I just keep it on hand in case; however, like another poster said, just plain H2O works.

OP= original poster, whoever created the thread.

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Originally Posted by Shera

I have heard that this is true. That it's a bad idea to soak your BP while in shed and to only do it after to aid in the removal of any retained shed, because soaking before removes important oils. Also be sure to keep humidity up around 70% throughout the shedding process.

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You're spot on...:gj:

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Originally Posted by brettliff

What does OP mean. You're the second person to say it. I mean unless my three gauges including one digital are wrong. And if they are wrong they all came from differentwhat do up mean his mat places with the same incorrect calibration. And I mentioned that I bathed them at the same times you do. But I'm buying him a humidity hide and some moss tomorrow. And his mat is all the way up.

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What do you mean his heat matt is all the way up? I hope you have a thermostat on it.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Learning curve? More like just...nature, unpredictable. For example, my male BP has been with me for almost 9 years now...he has never had an imperfect shed. Now just last week, one of my sand boas had a bit of skin left on his tail that I got off, the last snake in my house I was worried about as far as humidity goes, lol. Three gauges? I use my nose to test humidity, saturate my ball and retic substrates on a weekly basis to keep it up for the week. What is your main substrate? A humid hide works for some people just make sure it still has good ventilation though...do not want any mold going on. I started using Zilla shed ease when it became common for rescues to come in with layers of skin and now I just keep it on hand in case; however, like another poster said, just plain H2O works.

OP= original poster, whoever created the thread.

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Yes three. I had two and bought a digital so I use them all. Also my exo terra is very deep (horizontally) so I test my temp in the front of the cage as well as the back. And there is a5 degree difference due to my lights being on the back of the cage.

And to the guy that asked what I meant by my heating pad being all the way up, yes I made a box with a dimmer switch with mar and female ends

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Learning curve? More like just...nature, unpredictable. For example, my male BP has been with me for almost 9 years now...he has never had an imperfect shed. Now just last week, one of my sand boas had a bit of skin left on his tail that I got off, the last snake in my house I was worried about as far as humidity goes, lol. Three gauges? I use my nose to test humidity, saturate my ball and retic substrates on a weekly basis to keep it up for the week. What is your main substrate? A humid hide works for some people just make sure it still has good ventilation though...do not want any mold going on. I started using Zilla shed ease when it became common for rescues to come in with layers of skin and now I just keep it on hand in case; however, like another poster said, just plain H2O works.

OP= original poster, whoever created the thread.

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Using thin cut aspen and I know what you mean by the smell of the substrate. You can tell if it's dry or not

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Originally Posted by brettliff

Yes three. I had two and bought a digital so I use them all. Also my exo terra is very deep (horizontally) so I test my temp in the front of the cage as well as the back. And there is a5 degree difference due to my lights being on the back of the cage.

And to the guy that asked what I meant by my heating pad being all the way up, yes I made a box with a dimmer switch with mar and female ends

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As long as the ranges are OK, 75F+ cool side and 84-90F warm side, 5 degree shift is nothing to worry about. In 9 years of experience I have very mixed feelings toward thermostats; however, the general consensus on this board is that a T-stat is the ultimate safety belt against fires and burns caused by heat pads. If you decide to get one, Hydrofarm makes a decent model for under $40, if not good luck all the same.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

Using thin cut aspen and I know what you mean by the smell of the substrate. You can tell if it's dry or not

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Uhhm, aspen does not take too well to humidity...very good for heat retention though. I use cypress mulch and coconut coir mainly and I love it because the cypress is very resistant to mold and thus can be saturated on a weekly basis and provide great humidity for my semi-tropical species.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Uhhm, aspen does not take too well to humidity...very good for heat retention though. I use cypress mulch and coconut coir mainly and I love it because the cypress is very resistant to mold and thus can be saturated on a weekly basis and provide great humidity for my semi-tropical species.

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sweeeeeeet, yeah i was gonna upgrade from the three dollar aspen at walmart after i ran out of it, and with the size of the craps he's taking lately it shouldnt take long.

cypress, got it.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

As long as the ranges are OK, 75F+ cool side and 84-90F warm side, 5 degree shift is nothing to worry about. In 9 years of experience I have very mixed feelings toward thermostats; however, the general consensus on this board is that a T-stat is the ultimate safety belt against fires and burns caused by heat pads. If you decide to get one, Hydrofarm makes a decent model for under $40, if not good luck all the same.

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i hate thermostats. its a low wattage mat i'm really not worried about it getting to hot. i wish it got a little warmer honestly

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Originally Posted by brettliff

i hate thermostats. its a low wattage mat i'm really not worried about it getting to hot. i wish it got a little warmer honestly

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Remember,what's hot for you is way hotter to your snake..let's say u weigh 150lbs and he weighs 2 lbs..what feels like nothing to you may be just enough for him

i have a 30-4o gallon mat for one tank and a 10-20 gallon mat in the other,both on thermostats.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

i hate thermostats. its a low wattage mat i'm really not worried about it getting to hot. i wish it got a little warmer honestly

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Imo, a thermostat is one of the most important pieces of equipment. How do you regulate your heat source with out one? Have you ever seen what an uncontrolled heat source can do??

Yeah my thermostat probe fell off my heat mat a few nights ago,my fault I messed with the tape at night,anyway I woke up in the morning with Kocur still sleeping in his hide but the mat was up to 127 degrees,I freaked and unplugged evrything and removed the mat right away..cleaned my tank that day anyway,checked Kocur he was all good and let the mat cool down and re set everything,I'm good to go again.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

Imo, a thermostat is one of the most important pieces of equipment. How do you regulate your heat source with out one? Have you ever seen what an uncontrolled heat source can do??

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all of my heat sources are on dimmers and my thermostats tell me what the temp is. i have everything set (took several days of course) to be perfect for night and day, i control my ambient and basking spot with two bulbs, one low watt and one 75watt during the day, then a light timer turns off the 25 watt day bulb and leaves the 75 watt on for heat. and the mat stays at the same setting 24/7, i have a probe in the basking area directly above mat, and directly below lamps. cool side floor 77 hot side ambient 86 basking rock surface is at 91.7 at the moment. there is a pic of my setup in my photos.

seriously though guys i really appreciate all the comments. i'm always over thinking this stuff so i'm glad your here to help.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

sweeeeeeet, yeah i was gonna upgrade from the three dollar aspen at walmart after i ran out of it, and with the size of the craps he's taking lately it shouldnt take long.

cypress, got it.

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Yeah, Home Depot actually has some 2 cubic foot cypress packages for like $4...I think I am going to grab a few of those later in the week.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

i hate thermostats. its a low wattage mat i'm really not worried about it getting to hot. i wish it got a little warmer honestly

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Look, I get where you are coming from, they irk me a bit too...9 years of keeping and working at a pet store without a T-stat in sight with no issues has me a bit more than doubtful; however, the few I am using now are "OK" once they're set and are good for energy efficiency, some can get pretty stupid even when you actually follow the directions but patience is a virtue. Again, the mechanism is the agreed upon best protection from burns and fires as far as the board is concerned. Anyway, my point is it's a touchy subject for most board members so just be cool and listen to everyone, again whatever you decide, best of luck.

Even if not for burns... fire is a big reason I want everything controlled.
To each there own, but I like safety first.. once it's setup it's done and mine was simple, took me not even 5 mins to hook it.


Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Yeah, Home Depot actually has some 2 cubic foot cypress packages for like $4...I think I am going to grab a few of those later in the week.

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Make sure it's not a blend, the stuff from the company based on Arkansas (I can't remember the name) is 50% pine, 10% cypress, 40% random hardwoods - whatever they were cutting that week, and it can include cedar and black walnut. I called and asked a few months back after getting all excited about finding "cypress" for a low low price...

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Make sure it's not a blend, the stuff from the company based on Arkansas (I can't remember the name) is 50% pine, 10% cypress, 40% random hardwoods - whatever they were cutting that week, and it can include cedar and black walnut. I called and asked a few months back after getting all excited about finding "cypress" for a low low price...

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That sucks, I already called and it's all cypress.

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Originally Posted by brettliff

all of my heat sources are on dimmers and my thermostats tell me what the temp is.

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:confusd::confusd:
I think you mean thermometers? Keep in mind that your dimmers do not adjust for ambient temp changes in your house. In winter it isn't too bad but come summer time your guy will be cold. You might have to adjusts just about every time your a/c cycles.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Look, I get where you are coming from, they irk me a bit too...9 years of keeping and working at a pet store without a T-stat in sight with no issues has me a bit more than doubtful; however, the few I am using now are "OK" once they're set and are good for energy efficiency, some can get pretty stupid even when you actually follow the directions but patience is a virtue. Again, the mechanism is the agreed upon best protection from burns and fires as far as the board is concerned. Anyway, my point is it's a touchy subject for most board members so just be cool and listen to everyone, again whatever you decide, best of luck.

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Don't know what "store" you worked in but none of them that I know of run belly heat, they relay on lighting to heat their animals. They have no clue about what humidity is for either much less anything remotely close to care for any of the animals they sell. Some get it and some never will. ;)

Thermostats aren't necessary? Really?


Tell that to my darling Althea, who'll always now have terrible scarring up and down her because her owners thought the same thing.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/09/ravajamy.jpg

Just a nice little video on thermostats and their importance. Hope this link works! This is a rep shop here in the UK showing why you need them with plastic enclosures. Imagine what this would have done to a poor animal :(

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater

Please regulate your heat source! It's not worth the risk!

Sorry, I have not read through every reply so I apologize if this has been said before, or more than once.

I suggest a shed box! Just some damp sphagnum moss inside a clean container with a hole cut out big enough for your BP to get in and out of comfortably, but a small enough container for her/him to feel secure (if it's tough plastic you may want to sand down the edges).

Also, I would suggest AGAINST physically helping to peel off any unshed skin, just in case it is not ready to come off (as you've stated, sometimes it feels as though it is "glued on") but rather soak in water and allow the snake to shed it off themselves.
Or if it's been on awhile and is becoming more desperate of a situation, such as with a stuck tail, try having the snake slither through a damp cloth in your hands.

As for eye caps, I have heard to bring snakes to the vet for that one, as Q-tips and other methods can be damaging to the eyes.

Best of luck with future sheds!

If you have a stuck bit of shed, get a wet towel, wring it out, lay him on it, fold it over him, and let him slither his way out. Repeat until the desired results are achieved.

As soon as you're done with that, go get a thermostat and use it. If you're taking responsibility for this animal, you need to do what's best for the animal. It's irrelevant if you hate Tstats because it's not about you.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by brettliff

i hate thermostats. its a low wattage mat i'm really not worried about it getting to hot. i wish it got a little warmer honestly

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What wattage is your heat mat, i have a low wattage heat mat as well (24 watts) I use vision cages, the plastic is fairly thick, even with the cage elevated so there is 6 inches of air space underneath and the matt unregualed the inside of the cage got up to 120 degrees. That is definately hot enough to cause a burn.

I have 7 watt mat's and use thermostats! I think they're necessary no matter the wattage personally.

I know plenty of good reasons to get a thermostat. I know of zero good reasons to not have one.

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Originally Posted by Naom9Anne

I have 7 watt mat's and use thermostats! I think they're necessary no matter the wattage personally.

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agreed, I tested a 7 watt heat mat on a glass tank and the temp got up over 100.

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4825435628046529&pid=1.7

OP, I am going to try to add a little further insight...if you plan on breeding then your best bet is to get T-stats, because no matter how healthy your specimens are, people love seeing gadgets and gizmos, and it might just mean the difference between a decent sale and a polite...or impolite..."no". And people are viscous and confused these days, "He does not use thermostats", can quickly become, "He doesn't use thermostats, I had an asthma attack in his home, he doesn't clean his pet hippo's cage, the microwave is broken, etc..." . My point, as a future breeder I do not want to do anything that hurts the reputation of my specimens, I am trash as far as I am concerned, but my specimens are pristine and I want others to see that so if that means an extra $200 for a toy...fine with me, hence why the racks I am gathering the materials for include T-stats and of course heat panels for my larger cages will be monitored as well. If you plan on being just a private collector then do what you will, really you'll do that anyway...it's what we all do...good luck and have fun.

Silly made up scenarios that don't make sense are not good reasons to not get a thermostat.

Attempting to mock and belittle people who see the value in a thermostat is even sillier.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Silly made up scenarios that don't make sense are not good reasons to not get a thermostat.

Attempting to mock and belittle people who see the value in a thermostat is even sillier.

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Keep in mind he is also the guy that suggested at home tail amputation... So, seems fitting.

I'm sorry....say again........at home tail whatchamean?

Amputation? Of what.....common sense?

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Silly made up scenarios that don't make sense are not good reasons to not get a thermostat.

Attempting to mock and belittle people who see the value in a thermostat is even sillier.

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I apologize if the post came off that way, I was simply sharing some recent insight. I am afraid I never attempted to mock or belittle anyone, if anything did come off that way though then you have my apology there as well.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

Keep in mind he is also the guy that suggested at home tail amputation... So, seems fitting.

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Yes, I make mistakes, sometimes big ones...but I owned up to it, honestly though I understand if you cannot accredit that, it was a major one; however, for what it's worth, you have (& all other members) my apology once again...I did not rally behind and fully support my fellow members during a time it was greatly needed, in addition to that I over stepped my limits as a hobbyist and for that I cannot apologize enough...regretfully, a fool's apology is all I have to offer though.

I'm going to just skip over the thermostat "discussion" and get back to the original question, with one caveat. IF you decide to get a thermostat, please make sure that it defaults to the OFF position in the event of a failure. One of the local breeders here just posted some lovely FB pics of their GTP enclosure which was starting to smolder due to a failed Ranco t-stat, if they hadn't had an auto rain system that came on every hour it would have turned into a full on fire.

In the event of a stuck shed, a brief soak in warm water is usually enough to do the trick. Save products like the shed-aid for truly stubborn sheds that are not coming off with multiple soaks. Although the first ingredient in these products is water, they also contain glycerin (glycerol) which softens the skin (which is why you see it in a lot of people soaps). It certainly won't hurt to use it on a less stubborn shed, but there's no sense in using up a product you paid good money for when you don't really need it.

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Originally Posted by NH93

Also, I would suggest AGAINST physically helping to peel off any unshed skin, just in case it is not ready to come off (as you've stated, sometimes it feels as though it is "glued on") but rather soak in water and allow the snake to shed it off themselves.
Or if it's been on awhile and is becoming more desperate of a situation, such as with a stuck tail, try having the snake slither through a damp cloth in your hands.

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I've done it many times...I can't imagine anyone would be so ham-handed that they actually hurt the snake helping them...then again, maybe I give people too much credit...:confusd:

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

agreed, I tested a 7 watt heat mat on a glass tank and the temp got up over 100.

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My 8 watt that's made for 30-40 gallon tank got up to 127 measured with an IR gun and this was just about two days ago when I checked..I have my matts hooked to t stats,just the probe and tape broke free the other night and when I woke up I saw the probe hanging there. Then I checked and removed everything.

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

I apologize if the post came off that way, I was simply sharing some recent insight. I am afraid I never attempted to mock or belittle anyone, if anything did come off that way though then you have my apology there as well.



Yes, I make mistakes, sometimes big ones...but I owned up to it, honestly though I understand if you cannot accredit that, it was a major one; however, for what it's worth, you have (& all other members) my apology once again...I did not rally behind and fully support my fellow members during a time it was greatly needed, in addition to that I over stepped my limits as a hobbyist and for that I cannot apologize enough...regretfully, a fool's apology is all I have to offer though.

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Please do not send her an apologies.. She rarely ever even offers advice.we all make mistakes man,no biggie bro..you give plenty of good advice around here.

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

Please do not send her an apologies.. She rarely ever even offers advice.we all make mistakes man,no biggie bro..you give plenty of good advice around here.

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Yeah, because the advice you give comes from experience...:rolleyes: All you do is talk out your butt. I'm not the one that told someone to chop off their snakes tail at home rather than wait for a vet.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

Yeah, because the advice you give comes from experience...:rolleyes: All you do is talk out your butt. I'm not the one that told someone to chop off their snakes tail at home rather than wait for a vet.

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Hey hey hey, come on now.

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

Please do not send her an apologies.. She rarely ever even offers advice.we all make mistakes man,no biggie bro..you give plenty of good advice around here.

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Yes. You both offer such great advice.

Because giving out vet advice when YOU'RE not a vet, and putting tape in a cage are great ideas!

Get closer to the topic people