New BP Owner, Concern from my little guy

Im a new BP owner have had him for about 3 months now, never had a problem feeding him he has always been active and well mannered.

Recently he seems ot have had a bad shed. not by Humidity issues, i keep it at 50% all the time and he has a little humidity cave thats over the hot side of the tank.

Cold side is 80* F and hot side is 94*F with a basking spot of 100*F

he has shed twice before actually and they always were perfect.

this time however he has shed completely in one piece except for the top of his head adn the top side of the base of his head back for about 4 inches. the res, Eye caps, bell and the rest of his body all the way around even the tip of his tail shed no issues and perfectly. its been 3 days and he has gotten some more off but not all of it. im worried about scale rot or some irritation. i have given him a bath in tepid water and let him crawl through my hands and it has removed little of it. its troublesome because its on the top of his head and his neck and i fear hurting him as he is only about 6 months old. or so i was told by the Breeder i got him from.

Now he is due for a feeding but id really like to get this old shed off first because after a feed i dont handle him for at least 48H. my main issue is. when i put him in water unless im holding him i cant tell ig he is having a fun tile splashing around or if he is panicking. he doesn't seem to breath rapidly and look like his heart is beating a mile a minute but he does like ot thrash in the water on occasion, even though its so very shallow that there is no need for him to swim at all. am i stressing him to much? second question is. he seems to have slowed down and has taken to his wines and trees to climb and hid in since this bad shed started. should i be concerned or is it his way of telling me that he is not feeling the greatest because of this shed that went a little bit bad.

any tips on helping him remove this shed since its in a delicate area on him would help, he is very mild tempered and has never ever even poised to strike ta me so handling him inst the problem, its fear of stress or hurting him... also, i have been feeding him fuzzy mice one a week he is about 13" long should he get 1 or 2? He has only been getting 1.

His name is Monty i know its a clechee, but my girlfriend named him it was part of the agreement for her to let me bring a snake into the house let alone our bed room lol. i wanted to name him "Hanging J" because thatch his favorite shape to make when i handle him and my name is Jeff but that was out the window lol

thanks allot for the help, ive been a long time lurker here just registered. been reading since before i got my BP

Have you read this yet?

I would start there ;)

Also, the 100 degree basking spot... As far as I know BP's don't bask, and 100 degrees is too hot. Are you using a basking light? If so, I would suggest that you remove it. That is just my opinion though.

How are you measuring temps & humidity? Digital thermometers with probes? Humidity gauge with probe?

As far as feeding... the prey item shouldn't me much larger than the thickest part of your BP. If you have a scale, you could weigh his food - which should be approx 10-15% of your snakes weight (I believe - can someone confirm that for me, Its early and I'm still half asleep). You can also feed multiple prey items in one feeding if the prey size is too small.

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Originally Posted by STORMS

Have you read this yet?

I would start there ;)

Also, the 100 degree basking spot... As far as I know BP's don't bask, and 100 degrees is too hot. Are you using a basking light? If so, I would suggest that you remove it. That is just my opinion though.

How are you measuring temps & humidity? Digital thermometers with probes? Humidity gauge with probe?

As far as feeding... the prey item shouldn't me much larger than the thickest part of your BP. If you have a scale, you could weigh his food - which should be approx 10-15% of your snakes weight (I believe - can someone confirm that for me, Its early and I'm still half asleep). You can also feed multiple prey items in one feeding if the prey size is too small.

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i have the basking spot because it can get a little chilly and i use the lamp only when the ambient temperatures are hard to keep up. I live in an old house.

i use a infrared heat gun or what ever you may call it, IR Thermometer to check surface temps and i have a digital humidity probe placed substrate level dead center in the 30g tank i have read your shedding stickies and have tried bathing him and the moist wash cloth trick letting him crawl through it but like i said it hasn't removed all of it and im worried about hurting him. as for the pray i feed him fuzzies that are the same girth as his thickest part. i know that already :) i was just wondering if he should be getting 1 or 2?

thanks allot for your reply.

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

i have the basking spot because it can get a little chilly and i use the lamp only when the ambient temperatures are hard to keep up. I live in an old house.

i use a infrared heat gun or what ever you may call it, IR Thermometer to check surface temps and i have a digital humidity probe placed substrate level dead center in the 30g tank i have read your shedding stickies and have tried bathing him and the moist wash cloth trick letting him crawl through it but like i said it hasn't removed all of it and im worried about hurting him. as for the pray i feed him fuzzies that are the same girth as his thickest part. i know that already :) i was just wondering if he should be getting 1 or 2?

thanks allot for your reply.

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You should be fine feeding 2 prey items (if you are unsure - weight the food). After he has one meal down wait for him to realign his jaw and offer the second one .

Curious...Other than the heat lamp, what are you using to heat the tank? Flexwatt, UTH, Heat tape?

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Originally Posted by STORMS

You should be fine feeding 2 prey items (if you are unsure - weight the food). After he has one meal down wait for him to realign his jaw and offer the second one .

Curious...Other than the heat lamp, what are you using to heat the tank? Flexwatt, UTH, Heat tape?

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using 2 UTH heaters i have a 30g one on the hot side that is always on. it usually keeps the hot side between 90-96*F

and i have a small 10g UTH on the cold side that i only plug in if that side drops below 80*F which i don't thin kit ever does. the 30g UTH does a great job with the sand substrate. u can help regulate heat but adding or removing thickness of the substrate. i Know most don't like sand substrate but i have tried coconut husk, aspen, news paper and sand. and he seems to never go on the substrate unless its sand. he tends to stick to his vines, also he swallowed a piece of aspen once. and has not had an issue swallowing sand so i have decided to keep it this way. im thinking about removing the Heat lap and putting a florescent on a time so he gets a proper day night cycle. is that alright?

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

using 2 UTH heaters i have a 30g one on the hot side that is always on. it usually keeps the hot side between 90-96*F

and i have a small 10g UTH on the cold side that i only plug in if that side drops below 80*F which i don't thin kit ever does. the 30g UTH does a great job with the sand substrate. u can help regulate heat but adding or removing thickness of the substrate. i Know most don't like sand substrate but i have tried coconut husk, aspen, news paper and sand. and he seems to never go on the substrate unless its sand. he tents to stick to his vines, also he swallowed a piece of aspen once. and has not had an issue swallowing sand so i have decided to keep it this way. im thinking about removing the Heat lap and putting a florescent on a time so he gets a proper day night cycle. is that alright?

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Are your UTH's on a thermostat or a dimmer?

Sand? Since you already seem to know that it is not recommended - I will just walk away from that one :rolleyes:

I don't think it is necessary to put a florescent light in, but again that is just my opinion.

The light that you are currently using to up the ambient temps - how many watts is it? Maybe you could put in a red or blue light with less wattage to help with your ambient temps. Ambient temps IMO should be close to 80 - 85 degrees. 100 degrees is excessive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

Are your UTH's on a thermostat or a dimmer?

Sand? Since you already seem to know that it is not recommended - I will just walk away from that one :rolleyes:

I don't think it is necessary to put a florescent light in, but again that is just my opinion.

The light that you are currently using to up the ambient temps - how many watts is it? Maybe you could put in a red or blue light with less wattage to help with your ambient temps. Ambient temps IMO should be close to 80 - 85 degrees. 100 degrees is excessive.

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its a 100W which i was told is ideal for 30g tanks. as for the sand, im really open to recommendations, what do you self use? its not a preference but rather just what i think he likes. im by no means a pro so i could be wrong. fully open to suggestions here :) and ambient temps stay around 80ish F i know 100F is to hot, i use those stick on heat gauges to measure ambient temp. one on each side. id be willing to switch over to a red lamp no issues there. im just unsure what wattage i should go with. most i have seen for sale are high like 200 area. im thinking about abandoning the Heat Lamp all together but i would like something for viewing purposes.


my UTH are unregulated. ive just been using substrate thickness with the IR Thermometer to regulate the heat. im thinking i should get a dimmer or thermostat for them and move over to a more friendly substrate am i correct? Opinion thermostat or Dimmer whats better used for UTH?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

its a 100W which i was told is ideal for 30g tanks. as for the sand, im really open to recommendations, what do you self use? its not a preference but rather just what i think he likes. im by no means a pro so i could be wrong. fully open to suggestions here :) and ambient temps stay around 80ish F i know 100F is to hot, i use those stick on heat gauges to measure ambient temp. one on each side. id be willing to switch over to a red lamp no issues there. im just unsure what wattage i should go with. most i have seen for sale are high like 200 area. im thinking about abandoning the Heat Lamp all together but i would like something for viewing purposes.


my UTH are unregulated. ive just been using substrate thickness with the IR Thermometer to regulate the heat. im thinking i should get a dimmer or thermostat for them and move over to a more friendly substrate am i correct? Opinion thermostat or Dimmer whats better used for UTH?

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Personally I use paper towels for substrate. It makes for easy clean up. Plus I always have paper towels on hand.

Yes, you really do need to regulate the UTH's. Dimmers/Rheostats are fairly inexpensive. I have 3 BP's and two of their tanks are on thermostats and on the 3rd one I use a rheostat. So far I haven't ran into a problem with the rheostat, but I know others that have. It really all depends on what works for your BP and you. Thermostats are far more effective IMO and they can be picked up from about $50 to a couple hundred dollars.

The sticky type gauges that you are using are inaccurate. I would replace those ASAP, and get a digital thermometer with a probe. Place the probe above the UTH and then adjust the temp with the dimmer/rheostat.

As far as the infared bulbs, they should come in a wide range of watts. I have 50's, 60's & 75's for my different animals and enclosures. You could also raise the light away from your tank too. Is it safe to assume you have your BP in a glass enclosure? Is your heat lamp directly on the screen?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

Personally I use paper towels for substrate. It makes for easy clean up. Plus I always have paper towels on hand.

Yes, you really do need to regulate the UTH's. Dimmers/Rheostats are fairly inexpensive. I have 3 BP's and two of their tanks are on thermostats and on the 3rd one I use a rheostat. So far I haven't ran into a problem with the rheostat, but I know others that have. It really all depends on what works for your BP and you. Thermostats are far more effective IMO and they can be picked up from about $50 to a couple hundred dollars.

The sticky type gauges that you are using are inaccurate. I would replace those ASAP, and get a digital thermometer with a probe. Place the probe above the UTH and then adjust the temp with the dimmer/rheostat.

As far as the infared bulbs, they should come in a wide range of watts. I have 50's, 60's & 75's for my different animals and enclosures. You could also raise the light away from your tank too. Is it safe to assume you have your BP in a glass enclosure? Is your heat lamp directly on the screen?

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correct its a glass enclosure with a screen vent under the sliding doors on the front and the top is fully vented. i have a piece of news paper covering 50% of the screen to keep humidity up.

today im going to grab a rheostat, and IR heat lamp and maybe this http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/En...U6IlNuYWtlIjt9 instead of a water dish. to help keep the humidity up a little higher is that a good idea? i never see him soaking in his dish. its large enough. i just don't think he is a soaker. so removing a soaking sized sized dish for something to keep the humidity a little bit higher might benefit him more. for re usability and ease of cleaning im thinking terrarium absorbent carpet may be a good call. let me know if im wrong. i dont know if you miss understood me but i use the stick on Temp gauges for ambient temp only i use the IR thermometer gun to do surface temps and i check multiple times a day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

correct its a glass enclosure with a screen vent under the sliding doors on the front and the top is fully vented. i have a piece of news paper covering 50% of the screen to keep humidity up.

today im going to grab a rheostat, and IR heat lamp and maybe this http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/En...U6IlNuYWtlIjt9 instead of a water dish. to help keep the humidity up a little higher is that a good idea? i never see him soaking in his dish. its large enough. i just don't think he is a soaker. so removing a soaking sized sized dish for something to keep the humidity a little bit higher might benefit him more. for re usability and ease of cleaning im thinking terrarium absorbent carpet may be a good call. let me know if im wrong. i dont know if you miss understood me but i use the stick on Temp gauges for ambient temp only i use the IR thermometer gun to do surface temps and i check multiple times a day.

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I wouldn't suggest repti-carpet. Bacteria will have a field day in his tank. I would give paper towels a try - you might like them. And they really don't look all that bad in a glass enclosure.

OK temp gun is a good thing. I must have missed that. Sorry. Regardless the sticky gauges are still inaccurate.

I don't see any harm in the waterfall. Most BP's (as far as I know) aren't soakers unless they have mites ;)

Also to keep humidity in a glass enclosure you could do something like this...

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/IM000437.jpg

I went to walmart and got some thick(ish) vinyl from the sewing dept and cut it to fit over the screened portion of the enclosure and cut out holes for the light/air circulation. I rarely use the red heat lights....mostly cold winter nights ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

I wouldn't suggest repti-carpet. Bacteria will have a field day in his tank. I would give paper towels a try - you might like them. And they really don't look all that bad in a glass enclosure.

OK temp gun is a good thing. I must have missed that. Sorry. Regardless the sticky gauges are still inaccurate.

I don't see any harm in the waterfall. Most BP's (as far as I know) aren't soakers unless they have mites ;)

Also to keep humidity in a glass enclosure you could do something like this...

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/IM000437.jpg

I went to walmart and got some thick(ish) vinyl from the sewing dept and cut it to fit over the screened portion of the enclosure and cut out holes for the light/air circulation. I rarely use the red heat lights....mostly cold winter nights ;)

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that setup looks like a great idea. im going to try that thanks. as well as the paper towel, although i think it would have just as much of a housing effect for bacteria. i clean the tank weekly. so either or i guess. and im thinking the water fall is a better idea the more i think of it... as we know moving water causes humidity :) thanks for all your help.

one last question. do you thin khis lack of ambition and general lack of activity in the last 3 days is due to this bad shed? and is there anything you can suggest besides the stickies to help him out? im getting worried about skin/scale issues.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

that setup looks like a great idea. im going to try that thanks. as well as the paper towel, although i think it would have just as much of a housing effect for bacteria. i clean the tank weekly. so either or i guess. and im thinking the water fall is a better idea the more i think of it... as we know moving water causes humidity :) thanks for all your help.

one last question. do you thin khis lack of ambition and general lack of activity in the last 3 days is due to this bad shed? and is there anything you can suggest besides the stickies to help him out? im getting worried about skin/scale issues.

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If you get the humidity issue fixed it should all come off with his next shed. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as there is not too much moisture (wet) on the substrate scale rot should not be a concern. I believe he would have to be sitting in a sopping wet enclosure for a lengthy amount of time for scale rot to be an issue. Some one please correct me if I am wrong ;)

I can't really see his bad shed having to do with his current inactivity... When you say he is inactive, is this during daylight hours? If so, no worries. BP's are nocturnal and for the most part you really won't see them during the day - they like to hide, it's just what they do. However, if he is inactive at night (mine are usually out & about from midnight to about 4:00am) then that could be caused by something more. Has he had a vet checkup? Fecals? Or it could be husbandry related. To be honest, each snake is different, so I'm not entirely sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

If you get the humidity issue fixed it should all come off with his next shed. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as there is not too much moisture (wet) on the substrate scale rot should not be a concern. I believe he would have to be sitting in a sopping wet enclosure for a lengthy amount of time for scale rot to be an issue. Some one please correct me if I am wrong ;)

I can't really see his bad shed having to do with his current inactivity... When you say he is inactive, is this during daylight hours? If so, no worries. BP's are nocturnal and for the most part you really won't see them during the day - they like to hide, it's just what they do. However, if he is inactive at night (mine are usually out & about from midnight to about 4:00am) then that could be caused by something more. Has he had a vet checkup? Fecals? Or it could be husbandry related. To be honest, each snake is different, so I'm not entirely sure.

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he was checked by a vet and given a clean bill of health. he hasn't pooped while i owned him but did a few days before i got him. so he hasn't had a fecal test however the breeder is also a close friend of my parents and i trust her when she says that all her snakes are parasite free and in great health. once he poops i will have it tested though. usually he becomes a lil more active around 11PM but he hasn't since the shed went bad. since its around his neck and top and base of his skull im wondering if its uncomfortable for him. im going to try your suggestions, and also im going to feed him today because i know he is hungry he eats like clock work. get that humidity issue fixed up get it to around 70% and see if he cant get it off him self. its very close it just seems it may be in an awkward position to start removing it. i know he is still trying because when he is moving he is thrashing his head about and rubbing frequently on his cave water bowl and stick.

thanks allot for you help and not blasting me for being a little bit of a newbie :salute:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

he was checked by a vet and given a clean bill of health. he hasn't pooped while i owned him but did a few days before i got him. so he hasn't had a fecal test however the breeder is also a close friend of my parents and i trust her when she says that all her snakes are parasite free and in great health. once he poops i will have it tested though. usually he becomes a lil more active around 11PM but he hasn't since the shed went bad. since its around his neck and top and base of his skull im wondering if its uncomfortable for him. im going to try your suggestions, and also im going to feed him today because i know he is hungry he eats like clock work. get that humidity issue fixed up get it to around 70% and see if he cant get it off him self. its very close it just seems it may be in an awkward position to start removing it. i know he is still trying because when he is moving he is thrashing his head about and rubbing frequently on his cave water bowl and stick.

thanks allot for you help and not blasting me for being a little bit of a newbie :salute:

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I know you read the sticky on shedding...By chance did you try the damp pillow case trick? I had to do that for a bad shed my newest girl had and it worked like a charm. She also had old skin stuck to her head and neck. Just a thought...

Glad I could help ;) Good luck with him :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

I know you read the sticky on shedding...By chance did you try the damp pillow case trick? I had to do that for a bad shed my newest girl had and it worked like a charm. She also had old skin stuck to her head and neck. Just a thought...

Glad I could help ;) Good luck with him :D

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That was my next thing to try, ive been a little bit wary of the damp pillow case just because im worried he will be come to cool and pic up some sort of RI.

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

That was my next thing to try, ive been a little bit wary of the damp pillow case just because im worried he will be come to cool and pic up some sort of RI.

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He won't be in there long enough to have to worry about that ;)
Give it a try - I think I ended up doing the pillowcase 2-3 times before all the stuck shed finally came off. I spread it out over a few days. So be patient and if it doesn't all come off in the 1st try..give it a day or so and try again.

Good luck :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STORMS

He won't be in there long enough to have to worry about that ;)
Give it a try - I think I ended up doing the pillowcase 2-3 times before all the stuck shed finally came off. I spread it out over a few days. So be patient and if it doesn't all come off in the 1st try..give it a day or so and try again.

Good luck :D

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thanks i will try that out. :)

I think its awesome that you're trying to help your snake. I'll tell you what I know :)

the search feature on this site is amazing, there are so many threads filled with lots of useful information.

1. a basking spot of 100 i much too hot for a BP. 90-96 is fine.

2. There is an excellent sticky on how to raise humidity in glass tanks using seran wrap, duct tape and tin foil.

3. sand as a substrate -- sand is a pretty inappropriate substrate for most reptiles, contrary to popular belief. Sand has a ton of dust, as well as gets in the nostrils of the snake and from what i understand irritates the sales and such, and also dosnt do much for humidity. Aspen, cypress mulch, coconut bark, etc that are much more appropriate for balls. From what i understand, balls dont really bury in their substrates. Papertowels, newspaper and other kraft papers are also great substrates.

4. As for the shed, a little stuck shed is not a problem at all :) . As long as the shed does not circle anything (such as the neck or tail tip) your snake will be fine. There are a few stickies about dealing with stuck sheds if it bothers you that much. Snakes can have a layer or two or three of stuck shed without it really being an issue. My Honduran milk snake came to me with at least 3 layers of eyecaps, she has since shed properly and is now fine.

Sorry if some of this is repeated info from other posters.

Good luck with your snake :)

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

I think its awesome that you're trying to help your snake. I'll tell you what I know :)

the search feature on this site is amazing, there are so many threads filled with lots of useful information.

1. a basking spot of 100 i much too hot for a BP. 90-96 is fine.

2. There is an excellent sticky on how to raise humidity in glass tanks using seran wrap, duct tape and tin foil.

3. sand as a substrate -- sand is a pretty inappropriate substrate for most reptiles, contrary to popular belief. Sand has a ton of dust, as well as gets in the nostrils of the snake and from what i understand irritates the sales and such, and also dosnt do much for humidity. Aspen, cypress mulch, coconut bark, etc that are much more appropriate for balls. From what i understand, balls dont really bury in their substrates. Papertowels, newspaper and other kraft papers are also great substrates.

4. As for the shed, a little stuck shed is not a problem at all :) . As long as the shed does not circle anything (such as the neck or tail tip) your snake will be fine. There are a few stickies about dealing with stuck sheds if it bothers you that much. Snakes can have a layer or two or three of stuck shed without it really being an issue. My Honduran milk snake came to me with at least 3 layers of eyecaps, she has since shed properly and is now fine.

Sorry if some of this is repeated info from other posters.

Good luck with your snake :)

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thanks, im more worried about the bad shed bothering my little buddy then anything els. i have read and been told that they find it quite irritating and it can cause scale defects and irritation. i would like to get his habitat up to the 70% humidity range and get some better thermal regulation according to suggestions here. Ultimately, i guess my concern is for his health and well being mentally an physically. i don't want to stress him either way. and i did accept the task of caring for him properly and to the best of his needs when i bought him. so no reason not to, that would be just cruel. :)

I built a rheostat at work today with some spare electrical sockets, a dimmer and some in dustrial grounded electrical cabling. its working quite well, i put in a 50W bulb in my heat lamp from a smaller enclosure i wasnt using and i have the temps spot on with no more 100*F basking spot

picked up a 30lb bag of aspin substrate for $8 dont really know if thats a deal, but the betstoe owner's son offered me a bag of what they buy in bul for there in house caages.

ill post pictures in a little bit thanks allot guys and or gals for your help.

if a moderator or admin wants to move this to the husbandry section no hard feelings it seems to be more themed this way now.

Here are some pics

he seems to be in much better spirits today and he can smell his food on the shelf above him i think


http://i44.tinypic.com/ohauf.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/6tisy0.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2rm5jt2.jpg

That looks sweet!

Where did you get that cage?

My local pet store sells them. they have a wide variety, it didn't have a label. ill see if i can find what brand it is. its very convenient. it also has a removable reinforced screen top with pre-etched wiring grooves and it has locking clips on all 4 corners built in. the 2 way sliding doors on front are lockable with key, and it has a vents screen you can see that runs all along the underside of the sliding doors. i thought it was perfect!