Please help calm my nerves about my boy's wrinkles...

Well, first of all, this forum seems very helpful and I am hoping it will be for me. I just got Wolfgang one month ago. He was happy and healthy and eating great until just last week when his skin started to appear wrinkly behind his head and a bit on the body.

Is it true that dehydration is exclusively displayed by wrinkles running the length of the snake? I've bumped up the humidity with some plexi-glass and light misting...just in case he's shedding. I also introduced a humid hide. I would post some pictures but my camera is being repaired....:(

Anyone's help would be much appreciated.

RK

If he's young and hasn't shed yet, and you've had him for a month, I'd guess that he's going to shed.
However, when you change his water, do you notice that some is gone? How 'bout after he eats? Mine usually drink a lot (a very noticeable amount) after they eat.

Well, I've given him a couple of warm baths and it seemed to help a little.

Here's the lowdown...

He's about 4 months old

eats very well

I recently got irritated about the temps dropping in his tank when I turned on the AC so I tried a UTH to keep ambient temperatures, but scrapped it because someone suggested that it was too hot WITH a lamp. I decided on an infrared lamp with a rheostat so I could better monitor and control the temps.

He's still wrinkly though. I put a plexi-glass sheet over half the tank and the humidity is at 55-60...

I'm worried, but maybe for no good reason. My corn snakes weren't this worrisome...lol

Hmmm, what are the temps in the tank? You need to create a temperature gradient going from about 92 down to about 82 with ambient temps being about 80. Usually people use UTH's in tanks and monitor the heat with a thermostat. Lamps tend to zap humidity!
Have you read this care sheet: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=56846? It has all of the information you need to successfully keep snakes in glass tanks :gj:
Also, a picture of the set-up is always helpful. Is that your wee one in your avatar?! Cute!!

That's him...

I have the temps right (I'm obsessively monitoring them). Thing is that I introduced a UTH last week about 3 days before this started happening...which is why I switched to an infrared lamp (under the advice of a trusted reptile shop owner).

I have 80-90 cool to basking and about 85 ambient temperature...

I'm just hoping it isn't dehydration (cause I've heard that's really bad for young snakes)...but lots of people are saying that a young snake sheds every 3-4 weeks so it sounds like that might be the case. He's rubbing his nose a lot (and now that I look at his tank, he's out and about and the wrinkles are over his whole body) but his eyes haven't clouded. I know I'm obsessive, but I love him and want him to be healthy.

Oh...and about the setup...I can't take photos cause my camera is being repaired...but I have a 20L tank with bark mulch substrate...three hides (one hot & humid(sphagnum) one cold and one in the middle cause he likes it...water dish and climbing branches. I have a 75W infrared lamp and digital meters...

You could have missed the cloudy eyes???
Also, beware reptile shop owners who give advice. :P
I would use the lamp only to raise the ambient temps and go with the UTH hooked into a thermostat for the belly heat.
But really, a picture of the tank is always helpful!!

EDIT> Woops!~ we cross posted!! Yeah, sounds like it's all good except for some belly heat maybe....

Hmmm...I may have missed the cloudy eyes, but I stare at him so often that I doubt it...:D

As for the UTH...you think that they are a better idea than lamps...which would you recommend under the circumstances? I had purchased an Exo-Terra Desert Medium but maybe it's my rheostat that sucks...Zoo-med...?

Here's some pictures from my webcam...not very clear....

http://www.johnkanary.com/personal/Picture_41.jpg
http://www.johnkanary.com/personal/Picture_412.jpg

Anyways...still need some input about the wrinkles from anyone reading this thread...

Welcome!

Did you buy him at a pet store or through a private breeder? Do you know if he was WC (wild caught) or CB (captive bread)?

If Wild Caught (or if previously raised in sub-par conditions) there is a chance he has a parasite. Many big-chain pet stores sell WC ball pythons they buy in bulk because it is very cheap. Breeders have to charge a bit more due to their own time, care, feeding, housing, electric bills (etc) in raising the animals themselves. Personally, I think its money well spent.

If these 'wrinkles' continue to develop and you are concerned he might be ill, a trip to the nearest herp vet is always a good precaution.

Here is a list of some. Hopefully one will be in your area:
CLICK HERE

Thanks!

I know he's captive bred, I got him at Port Credit Pets (a reputable dealer who supplies most of the major pet stores in Mississauga and surrounding)...

I'm worried...:(

Heat lamps are notorious for sucking humidity out of the tank. What's his humidity being measured with and what is it at mostly? If he's going into shed, his humdity should be around 70%.

Just to say:

My youngin has 70-75% humidity all the time. Summer is killer here where I live. And i watch him after every meal, he always drinks. 2 exact hides on either side, water furthest from heat lamp.

He too has some wrinkles...

Without good pictures, I think it will be very hard to give you a definite answer over the net. It does sound like the beginning stages of shed to me. If you take him out and look at his belly, does it appear to have a pink-ish tint to it? If so, your bp is getting ready to shed. I know there's a thread or a sticky on the shedding process, but I'm too lazy to go find the link. But basically, pink belly for a few days, cloudy eyes for a day or two, then the eyes will clear up, but the skin and colors will look dull. With appropriate humidity (around 70% during the shed process) you will most likely wake up one morning to a rolled up snake skin and a shiny freshly shed snake... :gj:

A few weeks after I got my ball python, I lifted his hide one day to find him feeling really wrinkly and dry. I freaked and immediately took him to the vet. It turned out he was just going into his first shed with me (and I hadn't known what to expect at all, apparently... haha). So it may be just that, after all. :)

Everyone has been so attentive to this issue...thanks. Feels like a PTA meeting....lol....

Anyhoo...temp gradient is perfect (I know that lights zap humidity and UTH are the preferred, but the one I bought and installed may have been the culprit as I believe it was too hot)...humidity was dropping often until I put a plexi-glass sheet over half the tank top and now it is a consistent 60-70. He has a humid hide with sphagnum (but I don't think he knows about it yet...lol). I'm hesitant to stress him out anymore so I'm not handling him at all until I see some improvement. I'm hoping it's just a shed or minor dehydration (both of which are easily taken care of) but I haven't seen any clouding of the eyes or pink belly. I may have missed it but I spy on him obsessively.

I'm going to set up a vivarium this weekend a la Cassandra's suggestion on this forum. His current enclosure is pretty pimp but I'm going to totally pimp it out with overkill...lol...just cause I love him.