Helped my snake shed

This morning I found my ball just starting to peel his shed off so I picked him up misted him down and gently peeled the shed off of him with no problem. This after noon he pounded down four mice for me great eater he is.

id ont know if its healthy to assist unless they are having issues?

i mist mine but have never pulled his skin on him..

All my bps have shedding issues but I only assist after 2 days (like if it's stuck on their head or something)
Also 4 mice is a bit much what is the size/weight of the mice and snake?

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Originally Posted by BallPythonsRule

All my bps have shedding issues but I only assist after 2 days (like if it's stuck on their head or something)
Also 4 mice is a bit much what is the size/weight of the mice and snake?

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If your snakes continually have shedding problems, there is something wrong with your husbandry. Sometimes stress can cause bad sheds as well.

Low humidity is the problem with bad sheds... if its above 55% all the time you should never have to help unless theres like a little section or something small. If your having problems getting the humidity up you can always soak your snake the day after it comes outta blue phase before they start to work it off... I tried everything with my first bp and first shed but it was still crap bc my humidity was like 45... got the humidity up above 55 and havent had to help with any since.

I had a boy that had a REALLY bad shed a few weeks ago...I remembered Christie's bad shed thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43403

I've never seen a shed come off sooooo easily...

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

If your snakes continually have shedding problems, there is something wrong with your husbandry. Sometimes stress can cause bad sheds as well.

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I doubt there is something wrong with husbandry temps are 90 warm side and 85 cool side, humidity is 50% regular and 65% shedding time, I have 2 hides each for my snakes, I'm thinking stress might be it but... I don't know how I'm stressing 'em out. I don't handle them after eating (I wait 48 hours) I handle my snakes for 20 minutes max and they are seperated from each other so it's not one bothering the other...
Sometimes I wish snakes could talk... :sigh2:
One of them is going into shed though so maybe he'll be fine now as I moved him from a glass tank to a tub. (Is it possible that the tank was stressing him?)

Sotek my normal male had a lazy first shed with me. he took the head piece off his self but didnt even try to get the rest off. i soaked him like twice then gently rubbed him down to simulate how snakes should be trying to shed. i got most it off minus a small bit on the neck that was reluctant. so i left that good thing Sotek isnt head shy and doesnt mind me pawing him up for 20 mins. his second shed with me was in 2 pieces his upper head and a nice ball of shed with a nice steamer near it. my females first shed wasn't completely one piece but she did manage to get it all off herself.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

If your snakes continually have shedding problems, there is something wrong with your husbandry. Sometimes stress can cause bad sheds as well.

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I have to disagree with this. My 5 year old male, Loki, has always
had trouble shedding. I will say that since he's been moved into a rack it's been better, but he still has problems.
His temps are fine (92 -85) and humidity was just at 74%.
He's actually in the middle of a shed right now, and it's coming off in pieces. :) So, tomorrow, after he's had a little time to
start digesting his meal, I'll probably soak him and peel off
the skin he didn't get.

Snakiemom... How do you explain the problem then? Do you fe elthere is no problem? I agree that something must be off if sheds are constantly in pieces. I have 9 snakes that all shed in 1piece everytime and the only time I didnt have a 1 piece shed was when my humidity was off.... Are you usuing a digital humidity gauge? I wasnt when i was having problems ... switched to digital and good to go.

I did this just a few days ago. not because it was necessary, but just for the experience.

I knew Snakey was just about to shed and I was holding him and he started to get really dusty looking and his skin started to separated in a few places. so, I grabbed a spare piece of repti-carpet I had and held him in that. The skin had separated on his neck so I opened it up and helped him. He was OK with me helping with everything except on his head. While I was helping, he kept nose-diving into the repti-carpet and eventually separated the skin at the front and finished off his head while I helped him with his body. When he was done I put him up and he went right back to his regular routine.

It was a cool experience but I doubt I'll make a habit of it. I did find one good thing about helping is that you can catch stray bits and pick them off before they dry up and stick.

all of mine shed in whole besides on male who get it off but sometimes has a bit on his tail but he is 100% healthy eats 4 rat pups or 1 or 2 large rats wit no problem

I do not see how "certain snakes" can have trouble shedding. If provided with the proper high humidity as soon as you notice the eyes going blue, why should a snake have shedding issues? Unless it was dehydrated beforehand or thin with baggy skin.. please explain why you'd think that a particular snake would have shed issues when provided with proper humidity and temps, if you think that you have a snake that does!
The only things my brain can come up with, are maybe snakes that have been burnt thermally or have excessive scarring? Or the dehydration bit..

I also do not see why someone would help their healthy snake to shed. For one, this is a very stressful time for any snake; it is so vulnerable to the outside world when it is shedding. I myself do not even feed while a snake is in-shed, though some people do and it works for them..
But a snake can shed fine on its own without our hanky-pankying with it. Provide the proper humidity and temps, and maybe something to rub against, and you're golden.

Hi,

My lazy,bad shedder does indeed have a lot of scaring caused by wrapping round the heat source as a hatchling - at least 4 large patches with the 2 at the rear being so bad the scales that grew back were extremely mis-shapen and pure white. You can see both patches slightly at the bottom of this pic.

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

His main problem is he simply doesn't try to shed very hard at all - he makes either a derisory attempt at getting the top of his head clear then stops or makes not even that attempt. I think in the entire time I've had him he has shed on his own maybe twice - now I watch him and just start helping as soon as he gives up.

This is one of my girls but she shed's fine I just caught her as she was starting and thought it made a great picture. :D

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


dr del

Wow; so scarring can affect shedding. If it is a case of that, I do think that helping him is the best option.
Your other snake looks like she is wearing a snakeskin hoodie!

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Originally Posted by dr del

This is one of my girls but she shed's fine I just caught her as she was starting and thought it made a great picture. :D

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


dr del

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You can see the eye cap in this picture shedding off..............nice shot D! :gj:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I do not see how "certain snakes" can have trouble shedding. If provided with the proper high humidity as soon as you notice the eyes going blue, why should a snake have shedding issues? Unless it was dehydrated beforehand or thin with baggy skin.. please explain why you'd think that a particular snake would have shed issues when provided with proper humidity and temps, if you think that you have a snake that does!
The only things my brain can come up with, are maybe snakes that have been burnt thermally or have excessive scarring? Or the dehydration bit..

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My boy does have a lot of scarring a few inches behind his head.
the scales have all grown back and, though mis-shaped, they are pretty normal colored. To measure temps and humidity,
I use the Accurite digital gauge with the 'outdoor temp' probe that this site so highly reccomends. In fact, I have one in each tub.
As to why Loki always has trouble, I honestly don't know.
His temps are constant, as is the humidity. I got him at aproximately 6 months of age, and in his 5 years, he's shed in one
piece less than 10 times.
My other two snakes are kept in the exact same enviroment, and they both have NO problems. So, I simply can't explain it.:confused:

Snakey used to shed perfectly everytime, but as he's gotten older he's started to consistently get the odd piece of retained shed here and there. I wouldn't describe him as a "problem shedder" but I have been curious.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Wow; so scarring can affect shedding. If it is a case of that, I do think that helping him is the best option.
Your other snake looks like she is wearing a snakeskin hoodie!

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Hi,

Well I'm uncertain - when he was a lot younger then occasionally he would slightly "tear" his skin shedding at the scars but that stopped fairly quickly (under 2 years tops). I wondered if the skin that healed over was just more fragile. Occasionally when he is in blue there is a "bubble" of fluid near the right hand side discoloured section but it disapears when he clears pre-shed and doesn't appear for every shed but I did wonder if it was a sign of underlying weakness in the skin/muscle bond.

However I don't know if that is definately the reason he doesn't try and shed himself.:confused:

It is entirely possible he is just a lazy little so and so.:)

And thank you she is quite the little thug to any rats she encounters.:D


dr del

I know that Adam has told me that there are some snakes that are just poor shedders, no matter how good your husbandry is.

Oliver just got a tiny piece of his head off on his most recent shed, and I had to soak him and assist him with the rest of his shed. He's been a perfect shedder every other time.

Made me wonder if him breeding had anything to do with it, because that's the only thing that's changed for him (even though the enclosure he was "visiting", Echo has perfect sheds all the time).

Reminds me of my friend's boa. She had some scarring from before she got her, and would develop a little pockey of fluid near the one scar like you said. Upon shedding, clear liquid would come out and the skin underneath would be without said bubble; so I guess it was a buildup of the fliud that forms in between the skins before shedding?

I can understand that perhaps some snakes are bad at shedding no matter what.

I do not understand why anyone would pull the skin off the snakes themselves. I've had a few bad sheds and I use the wet pillowcase and problem solved. Rather do that then damage the new scales under the shed.

I don't see where you get the damage thing from. They normally get it off by rubbing themselves in the dirt and against rough objects. How is a soft human finger going to be damaging?

A " soft human finger" is different than PULLING the shed off.

A snake rubbing itself on someone's hand to shed is one thing. A person pulling the shed off is another.

Hi,

I think you may have a slightly rougher idea of "pulling the skin off" in mind than we do Lisa.:)

I basically use the pad of my finger to rub at the edge of the stuck area (starting at the end closest to his nose) till it begins to lift misting with warm water from a plant sprayer ( they still hate it even when its warm :( ) as neccesary and sort of rolling it back like a sock. Not much actual pulling goes on at all really.:)

If you encounter a bit that will not lift easily then try spraying again and if that doesn't work I either soak or use the pillowcase and simply try again afterwards.


dr del

If I had a snake that was consistently shedding badly and needed help, I would want to know why. Simply stating "some of them just shed bad" does not really explain it to satisfaction in my opinion. Is it a deficiency that prevents the snake from building up the fluid that forms in between the new skin and old, that aids in shedding? Is it inadequate intake of water or minor dehydration? Parasites? Bloating or overfeeding that makes the skin tighter than a snake's that is not relatively overfed for its size?

Hi,

I agree I'd like to know why he is the way he is but it seems to be more a psychological rather than physical cause as the shed cycle itself seems to be fine he just doesn't try and shed at the end of it. :confused:

He is in deep blue just now in fact so I took some pictures that show the "bubbles" of fluid as best I can and one that shows his swollen nose ( vet AGAIN on friday :mad: hopefully with a diagnosis this time). The nose isn't related by the way as it is a relatively recent problem though it probably doesn't help. I had hoped to show the vet the bubbles but he will have lost them by friday for sure.:(

Just to show he does go fully blue;
http://www.satanswombat.pwp.blueyond...ts/blueyes.JPG

A good shot of one of his milder scars;
http://www.satanswombat.pwp.blueyond...oseandscar.JPG

On the next two you can see the "pouching" of the fluid bubbles around his scar - these are of the same scar so you can see how much the fluid can move around the area. Once he sheds there will be no sign of anything wrong and the skin seems to be attatched to the underlying flesh perfectly well but this turns up to a greater or lesser amount with every shed and disappears as the fluid layer dissapates.

http://www.satanswombat.pwp.blueyond.../whitescar.JPG

http://www.satanswombat.pwp.blueyond...opdownscar.JPG



dr del

everyone is taking this out of proportion. assisting by gently rubbing is one thing, pulling is a complete other. if you are holding the snake and you gently grab the shed and he slithers forward, i see no harm in holding the skin if it slides of smooth then its fine....if it sticks thats not so bueno.......its all within a fine line people :gj:

To be honest the 1 time I had to assist with shedding it seemed as though she enjoyed my help... At first she was a little squirmish but after a couple mins she understood what was going on and just chilled there... warm water and a washcloth works wonders with no harm.

exactly the same experience here. Once or twice at the beginning, he clearly got kind of nervous and wanted to bolt, but I gently redirected him back to his little shedding zone. Then, he settled down and the rest went smoothly. He got busy doing his thing trying to get his nose started while curling around the repti-carpet. As he went around in it I just sort of grabbed the skin to give it a good anchor and let him do most of the work. Once it was all done, he was totally relaxed.

dr del: I didn't need to use water. I found the skin to be quite moist underneath. There was clearly a layer of fluid between the old and new skin. It doesn't surprise me that your boy has some fluid pockets. It seems very likely that just a small bit of the old skin has separated early and some of the fluid from the surrounding area and moved there, forming a pocket.

Also, if the fluid pockets are by the nose (I can't quite pick them out), then I would also say that I doubt its a coincidence that his nose is swollen. You see, when I helped snakey shed, he repeatedly forced his nose into the repticarpet in an effort to split the skin there. His nose didn't swell, but I could clearly see some redness in his heat pits. So, perhaps your boy has a couple of spots that separate early and this sensation, in turn, causes him to prematurely start rubbing his nose to get the shed started. Because the rest of his skin isn't ready to come off, he isn't successful and ends up irritating the flesh around his nose, causing it to swell. I wonder if he isn't so frusterated by shedding time, he's given up!?!?

I helped my first ball python shed. We got her when she was a baby and she was the first snake I had handled EVER. Her first few sheds did not go very well. They came off in pieces.

To help the process I took a washcloth and soaked it in warm water. I then held her and let her climb through my hands, which had the wash cloth in them. This allowed the shed to become saturated with water as well as having it rub against the washcloth. This method worked very well.

Luckily after the first few times I have not had to help one of the snakes shed. Although for me at least it was a good experience learning to hold a snake and interact with them.

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Originally Posted by bearhart

dr del: I didn't need to use water. I found the skin to be quite moist underneath. There was clearly a layer of fluid between the old and new skin. It doesn't surprise me that your boy has some fluid pockets. It seems very likely that just a small bit of the old skin has separated early and some of the fluid from the surrounding area and moved there, forming a pocket.

Also, if the fluid pockets are by the nose (I can't quite pick them out), then I would also say that I doubt its a coincidence that his nose is swollen. You see, when I helped snakey shed, he repeatedly forced his nose into the repticarpet in an effort to split the skin there. His nose didn't swell, but I could clearly see some redness in his heat pits. So, perhaps your boy has a couple of spots that separate early and this sensation, in turn, causes him to prematurely start rubbing his nose to get the shed started. Because the rest of his skin isn't ready to come off, he isn't successful and ends up irritating the flesh around his nose, causing it to swell. I wonder if he isn't so frusterated by shedding time, he's given up!?!?

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Hi,

Yup that does seem a likely cause for the pockets of fluid forming.

The pockets form around his scars which are mainly in the tail section with a few about half way up his body and have done so for years whereas the nose thing only started in may this year so I don't think they are connected (though with my luck god knows).

Not only does the goof not start rubbing his head early most of the time he doesn't do it at all.:P

I can't say I've noticed any actual fluid between the skin layers really but I will keep an eye out this shed cycle if he puts as little effort in as he usually does.:gj:


dr del