How often do BP's shed?

How often do they shed and how long does the process take?

Sometimes ppl should read or search before posting. See sticky above.

I did look and I didnt see the answer to my question. So is there any way that you can just tell me???

I saw on how long the process takes but I still need to know how often it happens and if there is anything important that I need to know about it.

Pay no attention to trcmustang...

Shedding happens more frequently when younger and less frequently when older given that shedding has to do with growing out of their skin.

When mine were really young, they would shed every few weeks. Now that they are older, they shed less frequently.

Bottom line: the snake knows when it needs to shed and will let you know by the changing of the eye color and the dull and wrinkly appearance :)

It depends on the age of the snake. Young snakes shed more often than older snakes b/c they are growing faster. It also depends on the snake itself. Some babies grow faster than others. I wanna say that baby balls shed about once a month, but like I said, that is just a very vague estimate...

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Originally Posted by trcmustang

Sometimes ppl should read or search before posting. See sticky above.

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There isn't a reason to post if you aren't going to be helpful. If you thought she should hadn't read the sticky, then get the link for it and post it. Forums can be confusing and overwhelming at first.

From what I have read and witnessed, it all depends on the snake. How old it is and how fast it is growing. As far as anything important... little higher humidity and leave the snake alone during this time.

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Originally Posted by tweets_4611

It depends on the age of the snake. Young snakes shed more often than older snakes b/c they are growing faster. It also depends on the snake itself. Some babies grow faster than others. I wanna say that baby balls shed about once a month, but like I said, that is just a very vague estimate...



There isn't a reason to post if you aren't going to be helpful. If you thought she should hadn't read the sticky, then get the link for it and post it. Forums can be confusing and overwhelming at first.

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I do apologize for my fast and inaccurate response. It is often that ppl just post questions without at least looking and searching the forums first. I am sorry.

Thanks to you all!!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate you patience with me and my questions. We are new owners and we want to make sure that we do right by our new baby! Our guy is I think about 6 months old and he is starting to look really dry on parts of his body so I think the process is starting!

Just make sure your humidity is high enough so that it will all come off. You want it to be up around 60% or so. ^_^

We cant seem to keep our humidity up, it stays around 60 and we spray and spray water and it just wont stay up? Got any ideas?

I keep the humidity at a pretty constant 55% and the snakes all shed just fine :)

You can cover a majority of the tank lid with foil to keep the humidity from escaping.

Also to bump up the humidity for a few days you can soak a towel in water, get it really wet, ring it out just so it's not dripping, and lay it over the tank lid. The towel will be slow to dry and keep the humidity high.

You need to be careful with this though cause wet towels can grow bad stuff, this is why I only suggest using it for a few days during shed. I know a guy who uses them all the time, but he's very vigilant, changing them out all the time to keep them clean.

You're shooting for 50-60%, I only bump my tanks up higher if I see a bad shed. My bp does fine in the low 50% range.

Remember that with the towel technique, as the towel is drying it is actually pulling moisture back out of the tank :)

i already have a piece of foil on top, its covering just enough of the top so that the heat lamp is open. then at night, i slide the foil over to the other side and turn on the blacklight. i just cannot keep the moisture up at all?? definately cant keep it steady. i can try to cover the top a little more, but if i go much further, the light will be covered? i have to mist the tank about every hour to keep it at 50%.

Tanks are challenging :oops:
Do you have some sphagnum moss in there? It helps a lot!

no, not yet. i went to buy some the other day, thinking it wasnt going to be very much. but they had a little bitty bag, and it was 15 bucks. didnt have the money to spend at the time. guess i can try to get some this weekend. is there anything else that i can put in there to keep moisture. and, question of the main subject but, do they always hide?? he never comes out, never!!! when i hold him hes fine, but after i put him up, i dont see him again til i pick up his cave and hold him.

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Originally Posted by starmom

Remember that with the towel technique, as the towel is drying it is actually pulling moisture back out of the tank :)

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which is why it has to be kept really wet and checked often.

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Originally Posted by cierahailee

i already have a piece of foil on top, its covering just enough of the top so that the heat lamp is open. then at night, i slide the foil over to the other side and turn on the blacklight. i just cannot keep the moisture up at all?? definately cant keep it steady. i can try to cover the top a little more, but if i go much further, the light will be covered? i have to mist the tank about every hour to keep it at 50%.

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Maybe try a CHE instead of a light emitting bulb? I switched from a night bulb to a CHE and it doesn't zap my humidity near as much.

With the night bulb I was misting every hour too, now I mist twice daily.

Do you keep two water bowls? keeping one in the cool side to drink and one partly on the heat pad to evaporate can help a lot too.

i will probably try the towel tomorrow. i put a little longer piece of foil on the top, gonna see how it does for a day. what is a CHE? is that like an under tank heater? and as far as my night bulb, my black light, the humidity stays fine, but its when i use the day lamp is when i cant keep my humidity. i only have one water bowl in there right now, and its about 3/4 of the way directly under my light, but it really isnt doing any good.

if I were you I'd run the black light all the time then, the other light really isn't necessary. Also you said earlier that the humidity is at 60%? If it is, I wouldn't go much higher than that.

As for the signs of going into shed, there is a very useful sticky at the top that has just about everything you would need to know about the shed process. If your bp looks "dry" I might actually be concerned. Their skin should look dull and their eyecaps blue, but not necessarily dry.

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Originally Posted by cierahailee

i will probably try the towel tomorrow. i put a little longer piece of foil on the top, gonna see how it does for a day. what is a CHE? is that like an under tank heater? and as far as my night bulb, my black light, the humidity stays fine, but its when i use the day lamp is when i cant keep my humidity. i only have one water bowl in there right now, and its about 3/4 of the way directly under my light, but it really isnt doing any good.

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A CHE is a ceramic heat emmitter, it's basically a bulb that gives off heat but no light.

Yeah the bowl under the light would be no good cause any evaporation would just get zapped by the light.

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Originally Posted by Smith285

if I were you I'd run the black light all the time then, the other light really isn't necessary. Also you said earlier that the humidity is at 60%? If it is, I wouldn't go much higher than that.

As for the signs of going into shed, there is a very useful sticky at the top that has just about everything you would need to know about the shed process. If your bp looks "dry" I might actually be concerned. Their skin should look dull and their eyecaps blue, but not necessarily dry.

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Yeah! just run the night bulb all the time. the other bulb isn't necessary. BP's don't need the 'suns' rays since they're not active during the day. The do need a light dark cycle so if you switch to using just the night bulb be sure to turn on the rooms lights during the day and off at night.

i will just use the blacklight then. i mainly only use the main lamp for him to bask in, but he never comes out to bask, so i guess he dont need it right now?? hes not really dry, but when he bends or turns, his skin sort of wrinkles up?? dont know how to explain it really. ill definately try just the black light though.

ball pythons don't need to bask so you're good just leaving the blacklight on all day :gj:

I'm not sure what wrinkled skin means so I'll let someone else answer that one.

it might be normal, i dont know, its just up mainly towards his head, well, back a couply inches from his head, when he twists or bends real tight, the sides wrinkle.

i truly appreciate all of your help!! i was told they need to bask, thats the main reason i had the other lamp in there. im sure all of this will help tremendously!!!!

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Originally Posted by cierahailee

i truly appreciate all of your help!! i was told they need to bask, thats the main reason i had the other lamp in there. im sure all of this will help tremendously!!!!

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Whoever told you that was probably just trying to get you to buy an expensive bulb. Ball pythons are crepuscular (meaning awake at dawn and dusk, twilight) therefore they're never out when the sun, so no basking.

Glad we could help! and good on you making sure your bp is healthy. :gj:

been awesome help!!! thank you all and i look forward to visiting this site regularly!!!! yall have a good night and Happy Thanksgiving!!!