New BP owner looking for some advice

I recently bought a snake off of someone nearby, it's a baby, about 14 inches in length, He told me that she had eaten last Sunday, she is shedding right now and my question is, how long do I wait if her head and neck isn't shedding, it's been two days since i've had her and i dont know how long she had been shedding prior to that, when I got her she had the same amount of skin left on her head and neck. I am trying my best to do misting and keep the humidity high for her to shed but it doesn't seem like she is having any luck. I know that I shouldn't handle her due to the move from her last owner right? I also have been struggling to keep the humidity up above 40% but I have been doing my best, I have sheet moss all around the set up to help to keep that humidity up and half the screen top is covered in aluminum foil. I have a large bowl of water in the middle that is always half full of water as well.

Sounds like a stuck shed.... Put the snake in a damp snake bag or pillow case for an hour or so... The shed should come off as she crawls around the bag.

Okay, do I clclose off the opening of the pillow case? And is it okay that I just got her? She seems very timid as it is, I don't want to offset her from her cage if it's going to stress her out

First what tank or housing is the snake in?
40% is low and if that is you trying I'm worried about the days you might forget. I'd try giving the snake a nice warm bath. Normally that does the trick. It won't matter though if your humidity is too low every shed will be problematic.

As for handling. It is a rule of the thumb to let the snake adjust to the new environment for a little but be aware that every snake is different. Some need longer others adjust very quickly and are sweet as pie. Just read body language.

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Originally Posted by thehonestpirate

Okay, do I clclose off the opening of the pillow case? And is it okay that I just got her? She seems very timid as it is, I don't want to offset her from her cage if it's going to stress her out

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Yes or other wise the snake would come out in 2 seconds and no shed would come off... she'll be fine.

cel, I have her in a 20 gallon tank right now. Now that I think about it, the humidity level may be innaccurate, I have the humidity guage right under the basking lamp. I should probably move that. I upgraded her basking lamp so that her basking area is around 90 degrees and that's when the humidity started falling. that may be why. That would affect it correct?

Also, I just put my hand near her in the cage and she looked scared, she started breathing heavily, should I wait to pull her out?

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Originally Posted by thehonestpirate

Also, I just put my hand near her in the cage and she looked scared, she started breathing heavily, should I wait to pull her out?

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No.

Is your humidity gauge digital?

No it is not, i'm a little tight on money for the next few weeks, college books killed me financially. So I should pull her out even though she's stressed?

20 is fine. Just always keep a side covered. Since Heat Rises her belly isn't going to be as warm as needed. I normally keep my humidity gauges on the side without an UTH(under tank heater). None of my 6 BP have basking light. I never really understood where the basking light started, they are in mammals hides most of the day in the wild.
If you feel she is already very stressed out. Don't push her. So long as she hasn't retained her eye caps. Placing her in a warm bath tomorrow and letting her roam her tank with the soften shed (for me) always does the trick. maintaining gradient heat & proper humidity is a balancing act in the glass tanks. So really keep up on it and get a UTH if you don't already have one.

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Originally Posted by thehonestpirate

No it is not, i'm a little tight on money for the next few weeks, college books killed me financially. So I should pull her out even though she's stressed?

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Then I doubt you have an accurate humidity reading... The little dial ones are usually wrong.

I will be getting a UTH next week, I have a human heating pad but it has auto shut off but it's the best I can do for her until the end of next week. she does have her eye caps, I don't think the guy that owned her before had his humidity up, he said he didn't even have a humidity gauge, also told me he's owned around 50 snakes and is 23 years old. Anyways, since she has her eyecaps I should do the pillowcase thing right now?

Jon right the $3 ones are always wrong digital ones are $20-$30 in the affordable range. Again if you feel she is very stressed Do it tomorrow. but Soak her in a warm bath and let her roam her tank or a pillow case can work. If shes retained her eye caps That can cause an infection. Very important. We took a snake who was really neglected. Wet a snake bag, shoved it in the dryer(it was still wet) and let him roam in it. 20 minutes later good as new!

I guess I should probably just do it now and get it over with, I have classes all day tomorrow so I think I should just do it.

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Originally Posted by thehonestpirate

I guess I should probably just do it now and get it over with, I have classes all day tomorrow so I think I should just do it.

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Yes.

ALright that was the first time I picked her up and I gotta say it was a little terrifying. I have a fear of being bit by pretty much anything but I will get over it. She has enough air in a damp pillowcase for 30 minutes or so?

Alright, I left her in there for 20 minutes but she wasn't moving around much. I pulled her out because I felt like it was probably pretty horrible for her since the bag was getting really cold. The shed is mostly still there. I havn't been able to closely investigate because she is now terrified of me, she crawled into one of her hides and when I walked into the room her head darted back into the darkness of the hide. Is there anything I can do to regain what little trust I had and also is there a better method of removing the shed from her head?

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Originally Posted by thehonestpirate

ALright that was the first time I picked her up and I gotta say it was a little terrifying. I have a fear of being bit by pretty much anything but I will get over it. She has enough air in a damp pillowcase for 30 minutes or so?

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Hot water in your spray bottle may help...also you may want to watch some vids on hook training.it may make you and the baby more comfortable... Good luck

Any other advice? SHould I just leave her alone for a couple days and see if it resolves itself?

You might have to soak her for a bit in a little bit of warm water in a deep tub. Rub the shed after a few minutes to see if it will unstick. Don't worry. There will be plenty of positive bonding experiences in the future. Just work on getting the shed off now.


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It looks like it is beginning to come off better now, she has been perched in a plant I have in there rubbing up against the hard leaves on the plant.

She gets very stressed out whenever she comes in contact with water, the humidity seems to be the only thing that doesn't stress her out, I sprayed her with room temperature water and she started breathing heavily (At least I think, her body was expanding and contracting rapidly)

She hasn't eaten since the Sunday before last, should I be getting worried? She seems incredibly stressed.

When I got my first ball python I was asking a lot of questions too. So I understand your anxiety about how she's faring after all this stress and remaining shed pieces.

As for her not eating in almost two weeks... She is most likely stressed from moving to a new home and smelling all kinds of things in your house. If you want, you can privately message me. I may not be like a super expert but I'm well off enough to know exactly what you're dealing with right now. :)