should i be concerned?

[jeff_blake]

hey all, i've had my ball python 3 1/2 months now. and a few weeks backs she shedded. granted, not the best shed. but i now have humidity issuse worked out. now it seems on the center of her head, and few spots going down her back are.. well faded patches of scales. is this due to a bad shed? or mites. im a fairly new bp owner just looking for some answers trying to help her out.

[RichsBallPythons]

its stuck shed. Just use a moist towel and rub the spots and should come right off

[jeff_blake]

you can somewhat tell at the back of her on this pic, as well as the shady areas on the top of her head.

[Virus]

First off, for posting pics. Those are always welcome here.

However, it's stuck shed. As mentioned, the moist towel trick works fine. You can also let her slither through the folded towel, that should work.

[jeff_blake]

So its not harmful I take it. I'll try that wet towel trick tomorrow. I appreciate all your help very much here. Like i said, im a newb, thats trying to do things right for her.

[Virus]

No worries, we all start somewhere, right?

I'm still rather new myself, as I've only had mine since March.

[jeff_blake]

hasnt been but barely month and the bluish cloudy eyes again.. another shed so soon?

[Emily Hubbard]

I am new too. I have had mine almost a month and she went into shed three days after she arrived. Humidity was not right, she was stressed, I was stressed, all around just a ridiculous shed.

You have probably heard about the soaking trick, but just incase you haven't, there is a great sticky note on this forum that explains this process.

I have found that my snake really does not appreciate being rubbed down with the washcloth at the end of her soak. She is just completely over it by that point. Every time, I try very gently until she starts squirming like crazy to let me know she has had enough. I find I can get the stuck shed started just a little and she gets a chunk rubbed off herself back in her tank. Her first awful shed literally took three soaks to get rid of. The washcloth trick is great to try to find out if your snake will put up with it. So many people say it works like a charm, but my snake just wants no part of it. Feisty little beast.

The first shed for us new snake owners seems to be stressful for almost everyone. Especially when you are just figuring out how to balance temp and humidity! It is all a learning process, learning not just what your snake needs but what it wants. They can't tell us when they are uncomfortable, or annoyed, or stressed by anything but their body language, which can be extremely subtle! We're all still learning.

[jeff_blake]

yeah he first one was horrible i did 3 soaks. kept humidity at 70-75, and she still had a few spots left. mines not a huge fan of towels, damp or wet. made a humid hide as well. not once did she go in. first shed was stressful, now i know what to expect and what to do. well see how this shed goes in a few days.

[SlitherinSisters]

Looks like stuck shed to me. Winter sucks for humidity since the furnace sucks the humidity out of the air. I generally don't stress about a little stuck shed, but if you really want them off you can use the wet towel trick.