Shedding Q's

[ladyparrott]

At what point is a shed considered a "stuck" shed?

If you have to help the snake remove the skin, what is the best way to do that (beyond letting them crawl through a damp towel in your hands, because mine just sits there)?

How long do you usually wait and let a snake try and figure it's skin removal out by itself before you physically step in (as in, you've put damp paper towels in hides, etc.)?

What do you recommend for accurately measuring humidity that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg but is still quality?

Sorry if any of this has been answered a million times, I tried my best to get as much info as I could from existing posts.

[KMG]

Has the snake started the shed process itself? If not, you should not be doing anything until it starts. No matter how bad the shed might be you should be able to see signs of it beginning.

If your snake has started the shed process and it's flaky and coming off in patches I suggest you do nothing physically to the snake. Boost your humidity and keep it right. To help with this get moss and put it the hides. Keep it moist until the snake sheds. After you get a complete shed you can allow it to dry out before making it damp again. Then when you see the first signs of shed make it damp again and keep it that way until you get a shed.

Accurite thermometer/humidity combo gauge can be had on Amazon and at Walmart for about $12. It has a wired probe for the hotspot and then the unit will read the ambient temp and humidity.

[ladyparrott]

Has the snake started the shed process itself? If not, you should not be doing anything until it starts. No matter how bad the shed might be you should be able to see signs of it beginning.

If your snake has started the shed process and it's flaky and coming off in patches I suggest you do nothing physically to the snake. Boost your humidity and keep it right. To help with this get moss and put it the hides. Keep it moist until the snake sheds. After you get a complete shed you can allow it to dry out before making it damp again. Then when you see the first signs of shed make it damp again and keep it that way until you get a shed.

Accurite thermometer/humidity combo gauge can be had on Amazon and at Walmart for about $12. It has a wired probe for the hotspot and then the unit will read the ambient temp and humidity.

He's been shedding for about 4 or 5 days now, and most of it is off except for a few patches on his upper body near the base of his neck. Humidity is high, there's moss available in both hides, temps are good, etc etc. He's got some edges up on the remaining patches, and I can tell he's trying, I'm just trying to figure out what to do if he can't get the remaining shed to go anywhere.

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[KMG]

A shed should not take days to peel off.....and it SHOULD peel off. Having a shed flake off in patches means your humidity is not high and has not been correct.

During a shed make sure the moss stays damp.

As for the stuck shed just leave it alone. Get your humidity corrected and it will come off with the next shed.

If the shed is not in once nice piece it was not a great shed and you have work to do.

[Zincubus]

A shed should not take days to peel off.....and it SHOULD peel off. Having a shed flake off in patches means your humidity is not high and has not been correct.

During a shed make sure the moss stays damp.

As for the stuck shed just leave it alone. Get your humidity corrected and it will come off with the next shed.

If the shed is not in once nice piece it was not a great shed and you have work to do.

Just my opinion .

Once there's been an issue with low humidity and the old skin is still on why not soak then use the damp towel method to get the dead skin off and give the snake a fresh start .

Then make sure the humidy issue is addressed for next time .

Leaving it on can't feel so great for the snake and it will be peeling off in bits all over the viv / rub for weeks ..

[KMG]

Just my opinion .

Once there's been an issue with low humidity and the old skin is still on why not soak then use the damp towel method to get the dead skin off and give the snake a fresh start .

Then make sure the humidy issue is addressed for next time .

Leaving it on can't feel so great for the snake and it will be peeling off in bits all over the viv / rub for weeks ..

I don't like suggesting for newer keepers to do this because being too rough and/or too persistent to get the stuck shed off can injure the snake by ripping the snakes good skin, causing a larger issue.

In most cases the stuck shed is not a hazard to the snake and I believe it safer for the animal if the owner works on the husbandry issue and allow the snake to take care of the shedding.

I do bring up the towel method on occasion but that's usually after seeing a pillow case suggested. Which I personally don't like.


It should never take weeks for a keeper to get their humidity right and complete a shed.

[Zincubus]

I don't like suggesting for newer keepers to do this because being too rough and/or too persistent to get the stuck shed off can injure the snake by ripping the snakes good skin, causing a larger issue.

In most cases the stuck shed is not a hazard to the snake and I believe it safer for the animal if the owner works on the husbandry issue and allow the snake to take care of the shedding.

I do bring up the towel method on occasion but that's usually after seeing a pillow case suggested. Which I personally don't like.


It should never take weeks for a keeper to get their humidity right and complete a shed.

The snake isn't going to go through a whole new shedding process in the next week or so is it though , so the bits are gonna be falling off all over the place over the coming days .... There are well documented posts all over this forum showing how to soak and let the snake move gently through a damp towel afterwards ... It's certainly better than newbies trying to peel off bits with their fingers .....

[KMG]

The snake isn't going to go through a whole new shedding process in the next week or so is it though , so the bits are gonna be falling off all over the place over the coming days .... There are well documented posts all over this forum showing how to soak and let the snake move gently through a damp towel afterwards ... It's certainly better than newbies trying to peel off bits with their fingers .....

I know a soak and towel will work and if the user wants to use that method they are certainly open to do so. It is not something that I usually suggest. As I said I don't believe its the safest method for a newer owner to try. There are many variables to it and I for one try to give the easy and safe advice so that nothing I say brings another's animal into a harmful place. Its just a little stuck shed. Pretty low on the danger scale and the humidity is what needs to be concentrated on.

If the user asks a question and does not like my suggestion they are certainly able to use the search option and find the same question answered a thousand times before. They can then pick the answer or resolution they see fit. However if they start a thread I will give the best advice I see to fit that situation.

When dealing with stuck shed I have no concern with the flaky shed and how many pieces a keeper may have to pick up as it comes off. My concern is finding a solution to the problem, which is humidity. I also don't consider it a hard task to pick up pieces of shed.

[ladyparrott]

Wow I was not expecting so much scorn to be directed my way. First of all, OBVIOUSLY if my husbandry was correct he would have shed in one piece. CLEARLY I have failed in that regard. I am TRYING to fix it. The weather has been 10 degrees one day, 60 the next, and my apartment is not put together well. It is severely affecting my ability to maintain good humidity and you bet your rude butt I am working on it. Patronizing me for the fact that my snake is taking forever to shed isn't going to magically make his skin fall off. I have tried letting him run through a towel, he doesn't want to do it. He won't move through it. Each hide is at a higher humidity than the overall viv currently and I am doing what I've read in other posts. All I was asking is what to do to solve the situation I've so clearly muddled. I fixed the husbandry problem as soon as I realized there was a problem and I'm just trying to figure out what to do if I caught it too late, which you have made very clear that I have. Thank you ever so much for your advice.

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[gaitedappy]

Wow I was not expecting so much scorn to be directed my way. First of all, OBVIOUSLY if my husbandry was correct he would have shed in one piece. CLEARLY I have failed in that regard. I am TRYING to fix it. The weather has been 10 degrees one day, 60 the next, and my apartment is not put together well. It is severely affecting my ability to maintain good humidity and you bet your rude butt I am working on it. Patronizing me for the fact that my snake is taking forever to shed isn't going to magically make his skin fall off. I have tried letting him run through a towel, he doesn't want to do it. He won't move through it. Each hide is at a higher humidity than the overall viv currently and I am doing what I've read in other posts. All I was asking is what to do to solve the situation I've so clearly muddled. I fixed the husbandry problem as soon as I realized there was a problem and I'm just trying to figure out what to do if I caught it too late, which you have made very clear that I have. Thank you ever so much for your advice.

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What has worked for me with stuck sheds is I mist the stuck areas and massage them gently. Once the skin starts coming up keep massaging while attempting to gently allow it to peel off, going with the lay of the scales of course. (My snake who has had a few bad sheds doesn't like to move through the damp towels either.)


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