Is my BP dehydrated?

Hello folks, I am new around here! I have been frequenting this forum for quite some time due to Google searches linking me and have always found wonderful information and helpful people. I finally decided to get myself an account so that I can be a part of this community. Now, onto business:

I have a juvenile BP; I bought her as a feeding baby in early September. She has been doing well until a few weeks ago when she started to look dull and gained wrinkles. I thought that she was going into shed, so I started to pay more attention to her enclosure conditions. I started to get concerned about her humidity due to reading here about how a glass aquarium with a screen top has humidity issues. I got two hygrometers (one for cold side and one for hot). Lo and behold, even though the dial hygrometer that I got with the tank read ~60%, I had a whopping 45% humidity. Upon further reading, I discovered that it helps to raise the humidity if you cover the screen or move the water bowl to the warm side. I did both of these last Thursday and they had a positive impact of the humidity; I am rocking around 60% in the evenings now (I am gone most of the day as I am a full-time college student and part-time employee). I also discovered that the water was a bit cooler than I think my snake would like, so I put a temperature probe in it. It is now around 80 degrees (again, in the evening). However, my snake still appears to have the wrinkles as well as feels dry when I handle her. One of her eye caps is also dented. She has been this way for a few weeks, so I am hesitant to believe that it is a shed (although she has not shed while I've had her). What do you folks think of my predicament?

I can provide pictures if it will help.

Don't worry about the water temperature at all - it won't be any lower than the temperature of the room. Just focus on keeping water available for your snake and keeping humidity above 50% at all times and above 60% during a shed cycle (definitely when you notice your BP has gone opaque - "cloudy eyes").

Here's a thread that's very informative about the shed cycle to help you recognize more of the signs and know what's going on every step of the way: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...edding-Process.

Sounds like the shed might be stuck. One of my favorite ways to get off stuck shed skin is to wet down a snake bag in warm water, tie up the snake inside the bag, and put the bag back in the cage. Make sure the bag stays damp and check on it every few hours or so. A stuck shed can be bad if it's not removed, I've had a few colubrids who lost the tips of their tales when they didn't shed out all the way and the stuck shed on the tip of their tail cut off the blood supply to that area. That's kind of an extreme example and I've never had this happen to a ball python but a stuck shed should be removed if it's safe to do so. Another thing that is helpful for the future is to supply your snake with a humid hide box. take a plastic box (shoe, sweater, whatever size is appropriate) cut a hole in the side a bit bigger around then your snake and pack the box with damp sphagnum moss (or something else that holds moisture well) Put this hide box on the warm side of the cage and hopefully your snake will learn how to use it to help with shedding.

Welcome to the site and I hope you learn a lot during your time here. :gj:

Eric,

Oh yes, I remember that link! I have been referenced to that page many times when researching sheds. However, since she has been this way for at least two weeks, I am thinking that this is not a shed. Is there a for-sure way of knowing whether this is a shed or not?

Do you know of any good and relatively inexpensive (note: college student) humidity regulators?

Mark,

I will try the bag method this evening, would a damp cotton pillow case work?

As for the moisture hide, should I replace her warm hide with the moisture hide? Should I keep it moist always or just when I notice her looking dry or going into shed?

it might be a stuck shed and what i usually do is soak the snake in warm water, about 80-85 degree water for about 10 mins or so and at about 10 mins i gently rub the skin off but not forcefully, it should just slide off. i usually use this method if they already started shedding and didnt finish or missed some spots. but if the snake didnt even start like you said i would just mist the cage with warm water, i would mist the snake itself too. i have my 2 snakes in aquariums and havent had much trouble with sheds if i mist them while in shed and make sure the room they are in stays warm enough as well as checking the interior temps and humidity. i hope this helped, good luck and welcome to the forums! :snake:

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Originally Posted by Darrell_Winfield

Mark,

I will try the bag method this evening, would a damp cotton pillow case work?

As for the moisture hide, should I replace her warm hide with the moisture hide? Should I keep it moist always or just when I notice her looking dry or going into shed?

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Pillow cases work great as long as it isn't a real high thread count. (the high thread counts that you get in the top quality pillowcases can actually become air tight when they get wet) as far as replacing the hide, it's up to you if you want to use it all the time or just when your snake looks like it's getting ready to shed. It won't hurt anything if you leave it in there all the time but you'll have to remember to wet it down every now and then (remember, damp - not wet) . Keep an eye on your snake to see which way it likes best.

I'd even consider giving the snake a 30minute soak in snake temp water ... Just make sure the container in secure so it doesn't escape .
I do this for my Royals on occasion , can't do any harm and may just make a difference

Zincubus,

How much water should I use? Also, is an air-tight container a concern?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darrell_Winfield

Do you know of any good and relatively inexpensive (note: college student) humidity regulators?

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A spray bottle with water. It's cheap, and as long as you have a way to accurately measure humidity, it's effective. :)

Well, I tried to get her shed off last night and I am now convinced that it is indeed a stuck shed. I soaked her for a bit while I was cleaning out her habitat, then wet a pillow case and gently placed her in. She wasn't very excited about any of it, but when I was done soaking her she already looked and felt much better! Her shed is still stuck, but it is obvious that it is a stuck shed there is definitely her shed peeling off the top of her head. I'm going to try more soaking and the pillow case method again tonight.

In the meantime, she has a humid hide that I hope she will discover some time today and utilize. Thank you all for being so helpful and quick to respond!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darrell_Winfield

Zincubus,

How much water should I use? Also, is an air-tight container a concern?

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Well apparently they can hold there breath for some time but I guess it will vary from snake type to snake type .

I have one or two old plastic snap-on-lid containers . Put a few air holes along the top edge and then fill it 90% full . ... add snake and snap on the lid and leave it for 30 minutes . The top 10% of the container allows it to have its head above water if needs be but mine always seem happy enough to just chill on the bottom after they realise that they can't escape :)

After the soak I get a soaking wet towel and just feed the snake "endlessly" through the towel .... so when it's head pops out put the towel over its head again and keep letting it go through your hands for a few minutes . Any loose shed comes off on the towel and even if there's no shed to come off they look cleaner , plumper and just healthier IMHO .

The first time I tried this was a few years ago when I had a Royal that hadn't eaten for two months , she suddenly looked all dull and wrinkly . I posted something about her on the forum and was told that she sounded dehydrated and soak her ....
After the soak she immediately looked better , back to normal in fact AND better yet she ate the very next day after an 8 week gap !

What I personally do and I have snakes with a stuck shed or just having a hard time shedding is putting them in a sterilite tub or a Rubbermaid tub with warm water. Of course something that's not to too hot or too cold for the snake also will leave them in there for about an hour. I don't put any air holes or anything in it because it'll hold the humidity a lot more. Any time I've had snakes who have a hard time shedding or stuck shed after doing that a couple of times most of the skin will come right off.

Depending on the size of snake will obviously depend on what size Tub to use. I will only personally Fill it maybe 20 to 30%. Obviously completely depends on how deep the tub is that you're using.

Well all, I must thank you greatly! I tried soaking her last night and tried the pillowcase method for an hour or so. When I pulled her out she was slightly upset (as was expected) but obviously still retaining her shed. I used my spray bottle (that was cheap, Eric, thank you!) to moisturize her habitat and put her in for the night. I went to look at her this morning and found two small pieces of shed near where she was sleeping, but couldn't find any more so I assumed that she still hadn't shed. I picked her up to examine her closely. Lo and behold, her entire shed had slid off and was only attached by the tail cap. i removed her shed and the cap, and she is very healthy and happy. Thank you all!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darrell_Winfield

Well all, I must thank you greatly! I tried soaking her last night and tried the pillowcase method for an hour or so. When I pulled her out she was slightly upset (as was expected) but obviously still retaining her shed. I used my spray bottle (that was cheap, Eric, thank you!) to moisturize her habitat and put her in for the night. I went to look at her this morning and found two small pieces of shed near where she was sleeping, but couldn't find any more so I assumed that she still hadn't shed. I picked her up to examine her closely. Lo and behold, her entire shed had slid off and was only attached by the tail cap. i removed her shed and the cap, and she is very healthy and happy. Thank you all!

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...and they all lived happily ever after! I love a story with a happy ending. :)

I have been using a damp towel (wetting 2x daily) on top of my habitat as well as a humid hide within my habitat since I got that information from this thread. The damp towel has made the humidity levels in my habitat to be in the range the a BP requires (50-60, more during shed) and I have been noticing a pattern with her use of the humid hide. I knew she was going into shed soon when she started spending more time in her humid hide. Just Friday, I caught her in the blue-eyes mode and knew that a shed was soon. I was gone over the weekend, so I was unable to keep the towel as damp as I wanted, so her habitat humidity fell to about 40%. I checked this morning, and she was not in her humid hide as usual. Instead, a perfect shed with tail and eye caps and all was sitting in there.

I used a plastic Folger's coffee container for the hide and put paper towels and a cutout of a towel in the bottom for her, and that has worked well. We thank you all for your help!