Stuck Shed Issues?

[HugYourDucks]

Hi y'all.

I've got a question about the shedding process. I got my BP in late December, and aside from an issue with mites in January, he's been doing very well! No eating issues, very friendly and inquisitive, seems to exhibit normal behavior from what I've read etc.

I'm a bit nervous now though, as he went blue on Monday (almost a week ago) and then started peeling his shed away Thursday. For the past three nights, he's been rubbing around on everything in the tank, but for the past two nights, it seems he's made very little progress. He's got his head and eyes clear, as well as his underside, but he still has shed from the back of his head to the end of his tail all along his back. (And yes, I know the ideal is for them to get it all off in one piece.)


I've been keeping the humidity in his tank around the 80s when I saw his eyes were blue, and he has a humidity box in the tank, which he's sat in only once for several hours.

I've been trying to read up on how long the shedding process should take, but I can't find anything specific on how long it should typically take them to actually get the shed off of their bodies once they start trying to rub it off. Since he's been at it for three nights now, I did stick him in a larger tupperware box with some damp paper towels at 85F for an hour this morning to try and help him rub some of it off, but it didn't make a huge difference.

Should it be taking him this long to get the shed off (in pieces, mind), or should I be trying some other things to help him out?

(hesitant to soak him if it comes to it. I tried that when he had mites and he HATED it)


So, quick summary - 80% humidity & moss box in tank, been rubbing off his shed for three nights now, head & underside clear but back still covered, making very, very slow to no progress right now - is that normal?

Thanks!

[jmcrook]

Shedding should take like 10-20min. You’ll need to assist the animal at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bogertophis]

Agree he needs help at this point- bear in mind that mites cause dehydration (& loss of nutrients too), but mainly dehydration-that's how some snakes die from them- shock & organ failure, etc.

Soaking can be improved upon- snakes hate the loss of traction, mostly. If you have a large enough ventilated plastic container, put a saturated terry towel in there with your snake & let that do most of the work. NEVER pull off dry pieces of skin that's not shedding, it can damage their new skin- wait until it's soft & moist & comes off easily. It mostly takes time, water & patience.

Skin that's supposed to have been shed never gets easier with time- mostly gets dryer & more stuck on. BE SURE his eye-caps come off with the shed, & also the tail tip. Both cause big problems if left on, but be very gentle & patient when helping.

[HugYourDucks]

Shedding should take like 10-20min. You’ll need to assist the animal at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree he needs help at this point- bear in mind that mites cause dehydration (& loss of nutrients too), but mainly dehydration-that's how some snakes die from them- shock & organ failure, etc.

Soaking can be improved upon- snakes hate the loss of traction, mostly. If you have a large enough ventilated plastic container, put a saturated terry towel in there with your snake & let that do most of the work. NEVER pull off dry pieces of skin that's not shedding, it can damage their new skin- wait until it's soft & moist & comes off easily. It mostly takes time, water & patience.

Skin that's supposed to have been shed never gets easier with time- mostly gets dryer & more stuck on. BE SURE his eye-caps come off with the shed, & also the tail tip. Both cause big problems if left on, but be very gentle & patient when helping.

Thank you both! The moment I got Jmcrook's reply, I started prepping to give him a bath. I was able to rub all of his shed off with a damp towel after he soaked for a while.
Thankfully, he took care of his tail tip and eye caps himself, so I just had to get his back. He's all good to go now! (:

(The mites were taken care of by the end of January. Would they actually still have an effect on shedding weeks later??)

[dakski]

Thank you both! The moment I got Jmcrook's reply, I started prepping to give him a bath. I was able to rub all of his shed off with a damp towel after he soaked for a while.
Thankfully, he took care of his tail tip and eye caps himself, so I just had to get his back. He's all good to go now! (:

(The mites were taken care of by the end of January. Would they actually still have an effect on shedding weeks later??)

Snakes have slow metabolisms - certainly compared to humans. It takes them a while to show symptoms of disease - even mites - and a while to get back on track. Yes, he could still be stressed and/or dehydrated.

Congrats on getting the shed off.

[HugYourDucks]

Snakes have slow metabolisms - certainly compared to humans. It takes them a while to show symptoms of disease - even mites - and a while to get back on track. Yes, he could still be stressed and/or dehydrated.

Congrats on getting the shed off.

Good to know, makes sense. Thank you!

[Bogertophis]

Yes, I agree with dakski- your snake is still recovering to achieve good hydration from the mites- that's the likely issue of the shed difficulty. Hopefully next time will be better. I'm very glad that nothing was too terribly stuck on (eye caps -especially- aren't "fun")- it could have been worse.