BP stopped mid-shed?

Hey, so my BP is going through his first shed with us. He was doing great and managed to peel the skin down off his neck and was working on his nose/face, but then he just went and hid for the rest of the night. Now this morning he hasn't made any more progress and isn't nosing around his rough hides anymore, he's just hiding or exploring a bit.

Humidity is hovering between 65-70%, and I'm misting periodically and placing a hot wet towel over the terrarium to keep the humidity up. I usually keep the humidity at exactly 50% but since he's shedding I know it's better to keep it higher. Temp is 85 at the hot side, ambient temp of 70. This is a bit low I know, and I'm still waiting on the damn bulb to come in the mail so we can improve this.

So my question was if this is okay or normal for BPs to shed rather slowly? Should we assist him with a warm bath? I know that isn't always a good thing and can sap the oils out of their skin that they need for shedding. Thanks!

Some of them are just plain lazy. :P

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...heddingpic.JPG


Or get scared/ distracted and go hide. :rolleyes:

The temps are a bit low as you know, but yeah. Some just require assistance. So me personally, id give it a day or two and if it has stuck shed, I'd just give it a 30 minute soak with a towel in the water (for it to rub on) and it should come right off.

That being said, all my ball pythons are tub snakes and they never ever have an issue with a complete shed. I keep their humidity around 68-70 at all times.


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I got tired of waiting for the bulb so I went out and got a hotter bulb so temps will be perfect. His chin piece came off, and his skin is looking a bit dehydrated(kind of pinched around his sides and such) so I'm doing a quick 10 minute soak in a box with just a wet towel. He hid for several days straight so I think he ended up dehydrated. I'll update on how he does!

Thanks for the suggestions!

If your humidity is good, he's not dehydrated. ;)


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Good to know. I'm a worrier so when I saw his skin get wrinkly I panicked a bit, lol. He's starting to shed off some other pieces slowly. I think he's just a lazy snake and is taking his time. It'll be something to get used to, my corn sheds like lightning so this is a change.

It's not a lazy snake. Raise your humidity and he will shed within the hour I bet. And if he doesn't, just put some wet moss in his hide. And if that doesn't work, soak him. :)


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Did it finish the shed?

If your humidity is really 50% most of the time it should not be having an issue shedding. If it is having trouble Id say there is a good chance the gauge you have is really off.

When you figure out which bulbs you need to keep the temps good make sure you buy two or three to have as back ups. Ive seen several threads over the years of people with no back up and their heat bulb burns out after hours on a holiday weekend. With a few on standby you will never have that problem.

It's very possible my gauge is off. It's reading at 65% today. Every night I cover his tank with a towel sprayed with warm water, after misting the bedding a bit. I'm also using a plastic tub so humidity ideally shouldn't be a problem, but I'll buy another gauge to make sure. I would be surprised if the humidity was much lower than 50%, but you never know. :)

For now he's soaking in room temp water in a sealed plastic box. He's made a bit more progress but not much. He definitely looks dehydrated, his skin is very pinched and wrinkly around the sides, unless that's normal for bps in shed. I'll update with a picture after his soak if the shed doesn't come off after that.

And will do KMG. I have another 100w coming in the mail, and two 60w just in case. I'll make sure to keep a supply!

Oh, and temps are great now. Ambient is about 80, hot spot of 90. :D

A very simple fix I started using years ago is adding moist moss to the hides. This will create higher humidity in the hides which is where the snake usually is. Doing this you do not have to worry about the total humidity of the tub.

Good job stocking up on what you need.

I do have some reptile moss so I'll make a humid hide with it! I used it when I first got him but after a day or two it started to stink like nothing else. So I figured it wouldn't be a permanent feature. Maybe just when he's shedding. :) I'll add that in, thanks for the suggestion. I'll update after he's done soaking.

Update, after soaking he seems a bit less wrinkly but still isn't making much progress with shedding. I held him in a warm wash cloth for a while, trying to get him to work off the skin by moving through it but he just sat balled up for the most part. We tried to get some pictures but they turned out blurry. Here are the two we got:


http://i.imgur.com/Ef8Rp0z.jpg

Showing off the wrinkly/creasing skin when he bends, and you can see on his neck where he got to when shedding.

http://i.imgur.com/NAWStpb.png

Very blurry one but you can see around his nose where he hasn't shed. The whole bottom half of his head is shed, but the top is untouched, including his eyecaps.

After trying to get him to shed more with the washcloth for a bit, I didn't want him stressed so I put him back in his tub. I'll keep an eye on him and update if anything changes. I'll also stick a humid hide in to help.

I have never had an issue with any odor. I have always used this and really enjoy it.

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Terra...ds=zoomed+moss

That's the same brand I got! Maybe it's because it was on the hot side. It just ended up smelling very strong and musty.

If you don't mind, do the pictures look alright? Should I just leave him alone for a bit and hope he sheds it off himself?

I have used the moss in hot hides and still never had an issue. Check out the box and follow the cleaning instructions from time to time. Maybe that will help.

The pics look like a regular stuck shed. Id leave the snake alone and add moss to the hides.

Don't try to peel it off. You can really hurt the snake doing so.

Good to know, I'll replace the moss more frequently and scrub out the container.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on him and update if anything gets worse. And don't worry, I wouldn't dream of trying to peel it off. The only assisting I tried was holding him in the washrag and letting him slide through it(a tip I read on this forum). :) Thanks for your help.

Still no luck! He's just not rubbing in his enclosure. He has a few rougher hides but he just immediately goes and hides instead of rubbing at all. The shed is getting more patchy but his whole face is still covered.

Currently trying the pillowcase method(warm washcloth in a pillowcase tied shut with the snake) to see if that'll help. I know I shouldn't pull/peel at the skin, but can I gently rub the peeling skin with my fingers to help it rub off? I figured I'd ask. I'm positive this isn't a humidity issue at this point. Maybe I just need more patience.

I wouldn't peel it or try to assist. I would add the moss, mist, and relax. Once it has been in high enough humidity the skin will shed. Low humidity can't be cured over night. Just as it tooK a while to create it takes time to fix.

Will do. The pillowcase worked a bit, a large chunk from his middle is now shed but his face and bottom half is still covered. I'll keep the humidity high and try to relax and let him do his thing :P Thanks for your consistent quick help, KMG! It's so appreciated as a very worry-filled new BP owner.

Update again. He has not fully shed still. I've been soaking him once a day for 15-30 minutes and keeping his enclosure at 60-70%. The only parts left are on top of his head(eyecaps in tact) and a bit on his neck area. Should I assist him with a wet q-tip to get his face skin off?

Id leave it alone. This is not going to be fixed in one shed. You just need to keep the humidity good and after a few sheds if the humidity has been good you will start having good sheds.

Soak him for an hour. And put a washcloth in with it. One hour.


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You can also go to a craft store or an office supply store and get a money counter to put on your thumb. When you take him out from the soak, if he hasn't shed completely, use it to gently rub the excess skin off.


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Okay, I've already soaked him today so tomorrow I'll stick him in for a full hour and see how it goes. He's not acting any more stressed and he ate fine with the partial shed still in tact, so I'll try and be patient and let him handle it.

And good to know about the money counter. I've been using a wash cloth to hold him and try to let him get off the skin without much luck so I may have to try that.

Also going to pick up another humidity detector because this one very well might be broken.

Thanks for the advice :)

Soaked for an hour, then I left him alone all day and still no difference. Here are some pictures. Only the top half of his head+neck area are not shed, and he isn't rubbing that area anywhere so it's just not getting shed. His eyecaps are still in tact. I tried letting him run through a wet warm towel(as shown in the pics) but barely anything came off. He also really did not like doing it. I just feel so bad for him. Is there anything else to do/try or should I leave him as he is? I mentioned before but he did eat even while like this. Sorry if I'm posting and worrying too much over this.

I did have an unrelated question as well! Is belly heat/an UTH required for proper digestion for ball pythons? I know it typically is for corns, but I wasn't sure if the same applied to these guys. If so I'll go and buy one with a thermostat, and turn down the heat lamp. I was just curious and wanted to ask without making an all new thread.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FX5jVAyc.pnghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F9J2tDKZ.pnghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FvDaMvS9.pnghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FN5Gn2Rm.png

Belly heat is def needed for proper digestion.

Good to know, that'll be on the shopping list next time I'm out. Thanks! :)

Belly heat is not a must. The lamp alone is fine as long a it creates a warm hide and keeps the ambient temps good(>75f).

Heat is the key. The manner in which it is delivered to them is not as important. Some keepers only provide proper ambient temps and have thriving collections.

Relax about the shed. It May not all come of this time. The important thing is you provide the proper humidity so this next shed is better. Unless the stuck shed is presenting an issue or health concern it can be left alone. Your snake shows no issues. Stressing yourself and the snake is going to help nothing.

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Originally Posted by sufficio

Good to know, that'll be on the shopping list next time I'm out. Thanks! :)

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If you are going to buy a tstat save your money and get a good one from the start. I'm a Herpstat guy. Have four and love them.

Oh, okay, if it's not necessary I'll save my money for now then. The tank is now plenty warm with the 100w bulb. I'll keep that in mind if I ever do get an UTH though :)

And will do for the shed. It's hard to not worry and fuss over him but he isn't acting as if he's in any kind of distress because of the shed, so I'll let him be. He's growing quick so the next shed won't take long.

Thanks everyone for the help :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sufficio

Oh, okay, if it's not necessary I'll save my money for now then. The tank is now plenty warm with the 100w bulb. I'll keep that in mind if I ever do get an UTH though :)

And will do for the shed. It's hard to not worry and fuss over him but he isn't acting as if he's in any kind of distress because of the shed, so I'll let him be. He's growing quick so the next shed won't take long.

Thanks everyone for the help :)

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Yep. Just keep it happy so it eats and he'll be shedding very soon.