Another bad shed.

[AliCat37]

I didn't get a chance to make Ramesses a humid hide since his last shed, but I am still boggled as to why he's having poor sheds in the first place. I think I am going to revamp his entire set up (it's "naturalistic"). Does anyone use frog moss? I'm thinking it will help hold in humidity. Also, is coconut bark an okay substrate to use? Or should I use something else like repti-bark? Right now he is on landscaping mulch (NOT pine/cedar), but he's had the issues with the sheds even when he was on paper towels. His husbandry should be fine currently: His warm side is at 88 degrees (UTH) until I can get a separate thermostat for my corns. His cool side never drops below 75 at night since I keep an oil heater going. Day time the cool side is around 80. Humidity is a constant 60%, and I misted him daily when he went into blue to keep it around 70%. Thanks for any help.

[meowmeowkazoo]

Honestly it sounds like a vet visit might be in order. It sounds like your husbandry is good, so he might have something like parasites going on. If you can, get a fecal sample to bring to the vet. And I would switch him to paper towels for now, just because it's easier to monitor the health of an animal when it's on pure white. Where do you get your landscaping mulch? I wonder if the mulch perhaps is the cause of your shed issue.

[AliCat37]

Well, I got the mulch at Lowes, but he was having this issue way before I put him on it. I used to keep him on paper towels and he had this issue back then (about a year ago now) too
He got all the skin off himself the shed before the last one in June, but it was not a single piece. He started having bad sheds October of last year, followed by a good one in December. The last one he had an eye cap stuck that I got off, and I just looked at him and got two eye caps off and left the rest of his skin on him for now to see if he'll continue to shed (he only shed his head so far).
I keep my boa on the exact same stuff right now and he's never had an incomplete or even a broken shed. I will try to get a fecal next time my ball poos.
Thanks again.

[DooLittle]

I would try the eco earth/ coconut husk. You can keep that a little moist to help humidity. We use damp spagum moss in hides once we notice them get pink belly or turn blue. We bump humidity close 70 for sheds. All of ous have always had perfect sheds in those conditions.

[AliCat37]

Alright. I will try the eco earth. I also have mine at 70% humidity when he's in the blue, but we're still having this issue.

I ended up taking him out to soak since he looked really awful and just rolling his skin back and shedding for him. He seemed relieved. His skin was really dry feeling underneath (the side facing his body), as if he didn't produce the oils they use to get the skin off. It was really rough too. I'm not sure if this is how it is supposed to feel or not, when my king shed in my hand the one time it was really soft. I'm not sure if python skin is different than colubrid when it sheds.

[heathkno89]

Try shed aid from petsmart. It works wonders

[AliCat37]

Well all the skin is off now. I'm just more concerned about why he keeps having bad sheds.