First shed

I am experiencing my ball pythons first shed with me. I have been misting a few times each day, put some moss in his hides, and I've been checking up on him frequently. He's i. The blue stage and has been for 3 days now. Just wanting to know if there is anything else I can do to make it go smoothly?


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Just keep checking humidity, I usually start misting a bit once they clear up from being in blue and works great right before they shed.

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Originally Posted by syfaio

just keep checking humidity, i usually start misting a bit once they clear up from being in blue and works great right before they shed.

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As mentioned above , it works great once the snake is looking normal again , just keep misting each day until it sheds.

We're presuming you know that they go "blue" or " fade" or whatever for a while and then go back to normal ( even their eyes) and then a few days or so later they will shed ....

Okay cool. Thanks guys.


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

As mentioned above , it works great once the snake is looking normal again , just keep misting each day until it sheds.

We're presuming you know that they go "blue" or " fade" or whatever for a while and then go back to normal ( even their eyes) and then a few days or so later they will shed ....

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Yeah In my experience I find misting before out of blue just is too much un needed moisture

He's out of blue and exploring his cage so I'm expecting him to shed any day now! I misted the cage and put moss in. It looks and feels pretty humid!


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Recently one of my snakes shed. I checked in on his tank to check humidity and he peed, so I took the opportunity to clean the tank. My snake reeked of snake pee, so I put him in a bin with warm water. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he started to work on loosening up the skin on his face. I'm not sure if putting him in the water provoked him to shed, but it was the cleanest shed I've ever had.


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Originally Posted by Reed12321

Recently one of my snakes shed. I checked in on his tank to check humidity and he peed, so I took the opportunity to clean the tank. My snake reeked of snake pee, so I put him in a bin with warm water. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he started to work on loosening up the skin on his face. I'm not sure if putting him in the water provoked him to shed, but it was the cleanest shed I've ever had.


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Sometimes a good soak in warm water creates wonders for shed or even stuck shed

\m/

I just soaked my bp for about 10 minutes. Hoping it helps his process.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

I just soaked my bp for about 10 minutes. Hoping it helps his process.


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Soaking your BP is something that is not recommended nor necessary.

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

Soaking your BP is something that is not recommended or necessary.

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I know it's not necessary, but it actually is recommended. I don't see how it could be harmful, unless you soaked for a long time or multiple times.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

I know it's not necessary, but it actually is recommended. I don't see how it could be harmful, unless you soaked for a long time or multiple times.


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It can remove essential oils from the skin that aid the BP in shedding. Why would something be recommended that would cause the animal stress?

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

It can remove essential oils from the skin that aid the BP in shedding. Why would something be recommended that would cause the animal stress?

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If done improperly. I did do my research on this.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

If done improperly. I did do my research on this.


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What is the proper way to bathe a snake? Out of curiosity.

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

What is the proper way to bathe a snake? Out of curiosity.

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Put snake in a shallow warm bowl of water for 10-15 minutes, once during shed. It helps loosen the skin.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

Put snake in a shallow warm bowl of water for 10-15 minutes, once during shed. It helps loosen the skin.

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Rubbish. This is totally unnecessary. Just keep the humidity above 60% for the week of the shed and thats all you need.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Rubbish. This is totally unnecessary. Just keep the humidity above 60% for the week of the shed and thats all you need.

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Necessary? No. Beneficial? Yes.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

Necessary? No. Beneficial? Yes.


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It's beneficial to remove the essential oils the BP has built up specifically for shedding?

This discussion could go on for hours, if you provide a water bowel big enough for your BP to soak in and your BP does not use it, why would you think it's best to bathe the snake? Even though the snake has the choice and has chosen not to, assuming you have a large water bowel.

Either way, mostly every problem on this site to do with shedding issues comes from people bathing there BPs.

In the end it is up to you, to decide what is best for your BP, we are just offering you advice from experience.

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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

Necessary? No. Beneficial? Yes.

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Ok, I've only had 1000's of sheds. But I'm sure you would know best, after all.. this is your first ;)

Goodluck with the shed, hope it goes well!

No, seriously.

First off, I apologize for being a bit rude. I got frustrated - and thats wrong of me. So, I'm sorry!

Second of all, soaking your Ball Python is not in any way required. It doesn't help your snake at all. It is a myth that some folks came up with once upon a time and it has been repeated over and over with the same or similar results. It is 110% not a good idea. so Just listen to people who know, instead of reading crap online.

Raise your humidity to 60% from the moment you notice your snakes colours going dull, until the snake has shed. Otherwise, leave the snake alone.

At the end of the day, you're going to do what you want no matter what I say to you - but I hope you take advice from someone who has been keeping snakes longer than you. I've literally had over 1000 sheds, clean sheds, perfect sheds... and not once have I EVER had to soak a snake.

Good luck with everything. I hope it goes well.

I'm not trying to say it's wrong not to bathe them, or trying to convince anyone that you should, I just want him to have a good shed, and through research and others experiences, I decided to try it. Please don't get offended, it was not my intention to do so. Here's some proof of soaking being helpful, if I need to find more, I can do that.

Recently one of my snakes shed. I checked in on his tank to check humidity and he peed, so I took the opportunity to clean the tank. My snake reeked of snake pee, so I put him in a bin with warm water. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he started to work on loosening up the skin on his face. I'm not sure if putting him in the water provoked him to shed, but it was the cleanest shed I've ever had.



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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

I'm not trying to say it's wrong not to bathe them, or trying to convince anyone that you should, I just want him to have a good shed, and through research and others experiences, I decided to try it. Please don't get offended, it was not my intention to do so. Here's some proof of soaking being helpful, if I need to find more, I can do that.

Recently one of my snakes shed. I checked in on his tank to check humidity and he peed, so I took the opportunity to clean the tank. My snake reeked of snake pee, so I put him in a bin with warm water. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he started to work on loosening up the skin on his face. IM NOT SURE if putting him in the water provoked him to shed, but it was the cleanest shed I've ever had.



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"I'm not sure" to me would not make me think I should try something.

If however there was countless threads on how soaking BPs had the best cleanest sheds ever, I would most probably try it out.

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

"I'm not sure" to me would not make me think I should try something.

If however there was countless threads on how soaking BPs had the best cleanest sheds ever, I would most probably try it out.

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If you want I can find some more examples for you.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

If you want I can find some more examples for you.


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You don't need to find examples for me because I won't be bathing my BP he has never had a bad shed and never been bathed. You need to do more research for yourself, best of luck with the shed.

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

You don't need to find examples for me because I won't be bathing my BP he has never had a bad shed and never been bathed. You need to do more research for yourself, best of luck with the shed.

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No worries, what works for you is what you should keep doing.


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Originally Posted by SRMD94

It can remove essential oils from the skin that aid the BP in shedding. Why would something be recommended that would cause the animal stress?

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Is this scientifically proven theory , incidentally ??

I'm no expert by any means but I've been keeping all manner of snakes for many years and never , ever heard of this idea , especially as oil isn't soluble in water.

. I even tried googling it and the only links came back to this site ...

If it is correct , there should be a thread made explaining everything in detail and made into a forum "sticky" .

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Is this scientifically proven theory , incidentally ??

I'm no expert by any means but I've been keeping all manner of snakes for many years and never , ever heard of this idea , especially as oil isn't soluble in water.

. I even tried googling it and the only links came back to this site ...

If it is correct , there should be a thread made explaining everything in detail and made into a forum "sticky" .

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I'm not sure if their is a scientific theory on the matter but if you think about what is really happening during the shedding process it makes a bit more sense. During the blue phase of a snakes shed cycle there is a fluid that builds up between the old skin and the new skin which is what makes the snake look so discolored during this time. Once the new skin has been successfully separated from the old skin the snakes colors go back to normal as it approaches the time it's going to slough off the old skin. I believe that soaking your snake during this blue phase interrupts the separating of the old skin from the new causing a bad patchy shed or even a completely stuck shed because the fluid that separates the skin was washed away. When my first snake was younger I used to soak him when he started to show signs of going into shed and most of the time he would have bad flakey sheds that I needed to help him remove but sometimes he would have a nice clean shed. I no longer soak any of my snakes. I just mist and provide the proper humidity range and they shed perfectly. :) You could possibly soak your snake after the blue phase and maybe it would result in a clean shed. But I would rather not stress my snakes out with a soak when they are already stressed by the shedding process itself. I'd rather just leave them be until they have completed the shed. I hope this is helpful and makes things a little more clear. I know it's hard to find good accurate info on certain bp matters sometimes.

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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

I'm not sure if their is a scientific theory on the matter but if you think about what is really happening during the shedding process it makes a bit more sense. During the blue phase of a snakes shed cycle there is a liquid that builds up between the old skin and the new skin which is what makes the snake look so discolored during this time. Once the new skin has been successfully separated from the old skin the snakes colors go back to normal as it approaches the time it's going to slough off the old skin. I believe that soaking your snake during this blue phase interrupts the separating of the old skin from the new causing a bad patchy shed or even a completely stuck shed because the liquid the separates the skin was washed away. When my first snake was younger I used to soak him when he started to show signs of going into shed and most of the time he would have bad flakey sheds that I needed to help him remove but sometimes he would have a nice clean shed. I no longer soak any of my snakes. I just mist and provide the proper humidity range and they shed perfectly. :) You could possibly soak your snake after the blue phase and maybe it would result in a clean shed. But I would rather not stress my snakes out with a soak when they are already stressed by the shedding process itself. I'd rather just leave them be until they have completed the shed. I hope this is helpful and makes things a little more clear. I know it's hard to find good accurate info on certain bp matters sometimes.

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From what I've seen in various threads ... the advice given was for a short soak AFTER the blue phase when the snake was back to normal colour ... I've not seen any suggestion of soaking before or during the "blue phase" ..

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

From what I've seen in various threads ... the advice given was for a short soak AFTER the blue phase when the snake was back to normal colour ... I've not seen any suggestion of soaking before or during the "blue phase" ..

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Hmmm I'm never really ever seen people specify a before or after blue phase when they are advising a soak. Most just say "try soaking your snake to help with the shed" so the person asking the question will soak at any stage of the shed cycle. But many of us just find it a lot easier and more beneficial/less stressful to the snake when you just bump up the humidity a bit. But hey it's whatever works best for the individual and their animals. :)

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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

Hmmm I'm never really ever seen people specify a before or after blue phase when they are advising a soak. Most just say "try soaking your snake to help with the shed" so the person asking the question will soak at any stage of the shed cycle. But many of us just find it a lot easier and more beneficial/less stressful to the snake when you just bump up the humidity a bit. But hey it's whatever works best for the individual and their animals. :)

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Well in this very thread , the op mentioned that the snake was out of blue and wandering around and that's when a few hinted about the idea of soaking .....

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Well in this very thread , the op mentioned that the snake was out of blue and wandering around and that's when a few hinted about the idea of soaking .....

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Ohh sure does, shoot must've missed that one [emoji5]️

Incidentally , I took the liberty of starting threads in THREE different , well respected snake forums - an hour or so ago - just asking if anyone knew anything about the theory that soaking Royals can cause essentials oils to be stripped away and can cause future health issues ...in a very short space of time I had 9 replies from 9 different people and not one had ever heard anything about such an idea , all disagreed with the theory and all supported the method described above ....

Interesting ..... maybe it's a cultural thing again. ... like the live feeding

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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

I'm not trying to say it's wrong not to bathe them, or trying to convince anyone that you should, I just want him to have a good shed, and through research and others experiences, I decided to try it. Please don't get offended, it was not my intention to do so. Here's some proof of soaking being helpful, if I need to find more, I can do that.

Recently one of my snakes shed. I checked in on his tank to check humidity and he peed, so I took the opportunity to clean the tank. My snake reeked of snake pee, so I put him in a bin with warm water. As soon as I put him back in the tank, he started to work on loosening up the skin on his face. I'm not sure if putting him in the water provoked him to shed, but it was the cleanest shed I've ever had.



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I fail to see how this is proof of the soak being helpful? Perhaps he had been keeping proper humidity levels throughout the duration of the shed cycle and that was why the snake had a good shed? Seems a matter of coincidence to me.

I own one Ball Python. Personally, I do not do anything differently when it sheds. I am mindful of the fact that the environment I provide is adequate to aid in proper shedding. My Ball Python sheds perfectly nearly every time.

In over ten years of keeping snakes, I have only soaked a snake one time... It was a garter being treated for parasites that damaged connective tissues, and the shed was retained and literally only coming off one scale at a time.
All other times I've had shed issues, letting the snake crawl through wet paper towels and/or shed boxes have done the trick. I might up humidity a bit right before a shed, but I've never done a preemptive soak.

I just don't see any evidence that a pre-emptive soak is necessary for a good shed. If it were, I imagine BPs would be SOL in their native habitat. I can see it as a last resort for a retained shed that is hanging on despite all other options, but not as a preemptive sort of thing.

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

In over ten years of keeping snakes, I have only soaked a snake one time... It was a garter being treated for parasites that damaged connective tissues, and the shed was retained and literally only coming off one scale at a time.
All other times I've had shed issues, letting the snake crawl through wet paper towels and/or shed boxes have done the trick. I might up humidity a bit right before a shed, but I've never done a preemptive soak.

I just don't see any evidence that a pre-emptive soak is necessary for a good shed. If it were, I imagine BPs would be SOL in their native habitat. I can see it as a last resort for a retained shed that is hanging on despite all other options, but not as a preemptive sort of thing.

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As I've said before, I am not saying it's necessary. But it can be helpful to loosen the skin and make the process easier. If you really think about it, wouldn't it be easier to get out of a moist skin rather than a dry one? If you want I can find links from this site and the web showing how soaking can be helpful.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

If you really think about it, wouldn't it be easier to get out of a moist skin rather than a dry one?

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This is exactly what misting or using a humid hide does. I literally had one of my snakes shed today. I knew she was going to shed so I misted her tub a bit. She had a nice long perfect shed that was nice and moist when I removed it and I could easily unravel it since it hadn't dried up yet.

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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

This is exactly what misting or using a humid hide does. I literally had one of my snakes shed today. I knew she was going to shed so I misted her tub a bit. She had a nice long perfect shed that was nice and moist when I removed it and I could easily unravel it since it hadn't dried up yet.

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Misting, humid hides, soaking are all good techniques in my opinion. Glad to hear your snake shed well.


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Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls

Misting, humid hides, soaking are all good techniques in my opinion. Glad to hear your snake shed well.


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I think the same thing is true :) I think soaking can be beneficial as well but it really just boils down to what works best for you and your animals. Like the whole feeding inside the enclosure or in a separate bin debate lol. Both ways Can work, some just prefer one to the other.
And thanks [emoji4] I was going to do an update on her and share pics since she was looking extra pretty after her shed but I couldn't find the good camera and her colors are so impossible to capture indoors. So I'll have to wait until it warms up so she can have an outdoor photoshoot.

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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

I think the same thing is true :) I think soaking can be beneficial as well but it really just boils down to what works best for you and your animals. Like the whole feeding inside the enclosure or in a separate bin debate lol. Both ways Can work, some just prefer one to the other.

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Exactly.


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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

In over ten years of keeping snakes, I have only soaked a snake one time... It was a garter being treated for parasites that damaged connective tissues, and the shed was retained and literally only coming off one scale at a time.
All other times I've had shed issues, letting the snake crawl through wet paper towels and/or shed boxes have done the trick. I might up humidity a bit right before a shed, but I've never done a preemptive soak.

I just don't see any evidence that a pre-emptive soak is necessary for a good shed. If it were, I imagine BPs would be SOL in their native habitat. I can see it as a last resort for a retained shed that is hanging on despite all other options, but not as a preemptive sort of thing.

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Where did this ' preemptive ' aspect come from ??

I've not seen anybody suggesting a soak BEFORE a snake goes into shed , certainly not myself .... the time for a short soak is AFTER it has had an unsuccessful shed ..

The point that the experienced keepers are trying to make, if I may speak on behalf, is that if you have correct husbandry then soaking isn't needed.

Rather than taking the "easy way out" right away, why not focus on developing a proper husbandry routine for your snake? Soaking may work, but if you have the correct husbandry then it's not required.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

The point that the experienced keepers are trying to make, if I may speak on behalf, is that if you have correct husbandry then soaking isn't needed.

Rather than taking the "easy way out" right away, why not focus on developing a proper husbandry routine for your snake? Soaking may work, but if you have the correct husbandry then it's not required.

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That's fair enough although I think that point has been mentioned many times on this and the other related threads to be fair ..

As regards the stripping of essential oils debate , this may " shed " some light on the topic :-
Copied and pasted from another forum .

" Actually, the expression essetial oils is referred to their aromatic properties. It's true that reptile scales have several kind of fat acids and waxes on their surface, but the main characteristic of this kind of molecules is it's hydrophobia (they repel water). So, bathing your snake would not harm it, unless you add something else to the water"

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Where did this ' preemptive ' aspect come from ??

I've not seen anybody suggesting a soak BEFORE a snake goes into shed , certainly not myself .... the time for a short soak is AFTER it has had an unsuccessful shed ..

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The 'preemptive aspect' was referring to the fact that this thread i talking bout soaking prior to a shed being retained. IMO there's no reason to soak until you know something has gone wrong with the shed. If the shed is progressing normally, there's no reason to soak. Just let the snake shed on its own.