Shed cycle or dehydration?

[Nucl34r_Fr06]

Hello everyone! I currently have a baby ball python, and I had a few questions about her. Her skin looks very wrinkly and she won't really move around the terrarium much. I originally thought she was just beginning to shed, since the timing seems to be about right and I thought I saw her eyes beginning to cloud over, but her skin has only become more wrinkled and now I don't even see the blue'ish cover on her eyes anymore. I read that this could be dehydration so I wanted to be sure. The temps in her tank are around 91 degrees on the hot side, 83-84 degrees on the cooler side, with around 78 degrees overall in the open. I mist the tank usually twice a day, and the humidity usually stays around 57-68%. After I thought she was beginning to shed, I also began misting more often, trying to keep the humidity at around 70% at least. She also has a water bowl between her two hides, which I change daily. Any help is greatly appreciated!

(sorry for the bad image quality btw)
https://imgur.com/DwOHakS

[nikkubus]

Both. After their eyes go blue, they will go clear again before actually shedding. Your cool side is a bit too hot which could be contributing to dehydration. Otherwise everything you said sounds good. You might provide her a humid hide till she is done shedding to help boost her during shedding since she seems overly dry. Did you get her really recently? Sometimes first shed can be pretty rough because shipping/transport takes a lot out of them.

[EL-Ziggy]

I agree that adding a humid hide might be a good idea. I don’t most my enclosures but I will dump a bowl of water into the substrate if I think the ambient humidity is too low.

[Bogertophis]

I agree that adding a humid hide might be a good idea. I don’t [mist] my enclosures but I will dump a bowl of water into the substrate if I think the ambient humidity is too low.

It's much harder to see an impending shed cycle on a white snake, so they're less "forgiving" if you don't increase their humidity to help their shed cycle. But you still have time to help- as suggested, a humid hide & increasing the humidity should help a lot.

[Nucl34r_Fr06]

Thanks so much for the info! I got her just over a month ago, so she is still pretty new, and this is my first snake so I am not super experienced either. I'll definitely get her a humid hide as soon as I can, as well as try some other things to keep the humidity up.

[EL-Ziggy]

It's much harder to see an impending shed cycle on a white snake, so they're less "forgiving" if you don't increase their humidity to help their shed cycle. But you still have time to help- as suggested, a humid hide & increasing the humidity should help a lot.

I know what you mean. I have one white snake and it took me a little while to recognize when he was going into shed. I’m not one that pays much attention to humidity “requirements” though. I’m not sure if the OP lives in a really dry area and perhaps he needs to bump up his humidity levels especially if his snake is dehydrated. My ambient humidity here in the Southeast US ranges from 35-65% depending on the season, and I’ve never had an RI with any of my snakes and only one bad shed which I think was a one off caused by the animal being slightly dehydrated from not eating for 5 months during the winter. He always had fresh water and my husbandry was dialed in. His subsequent sheds have all been perfect. I don’t keep BPs anymore but I have a few pythons and boas that supposedly need high humidity. I just haven’t found that to be the case. YMMV.

[Bogertophis]

I know what you mean. I have one white snake and it took me a little while to recognize when he was going into shed. I’m not one that pays much attention to humidity “requirements” though. I’m not sure if the OP lives in a really dry area and perhaps he needs to bump up his humidity levels especially if his snake is dehydrated. My ambient humidity here in the Southeast US ranges from 35-65% depending on the season, and I’ve never had an RI with any of my snakes and only one bad shed which I think was a one off caused by the animal being slightly dehydrated from not eating for 5 months during the winter. He always had fresh water and my husbandry was dialed in. His subsequent sheds have all been perfect. I don’t keep BPs anymore but I have a few pythons and boas that supposedly need high humidity. I just haven’t found that to be the case. YMMV.

For the record, I don't keep BPs anymore either, nor do I "obsess" about humidity (it's humid here too). I used to keep various albino snakes (king & rat snakes)- & it was really hard at first to tell if they were going into a shed cycle. That "milkiness" you look for in the coloration just isn't noticeable until they start looking like the snake in the OP's photo- "crinkled". I've always found checking a snake's eyes with a small bright flashlight in a dark room to be the best way I could be sure. (hint: shine the beam from the side, across the arc of their eyes) Also, just the texture...the way the snake's skin folds look (especially around the neck area) give it away, once you're familiar with what to look for. Anyway, the OP has my sympathy- being new to snakes & starting with a white one is a challenge to tell when their snake is in shed & needs more humidity. But...it gets easier!

OP- you can make your own "humid hide" for your snake- using a plastic food container of sufficient size, or even a plastic hide (upside down) & add soaked (very damp) moss or other substrate they can snuggle into that holds moisture well- even a very damp terry cloth towel. Re-hydrate as needed.

[Nucl34r_Fr06]

Thanks again for all of the info, I have now gotten a humid hide set up but she doesn't seem very interested in it, I'll continue to monitor and keep the humidity up in the entire terrarium as well. Half the reason I was so worried was because it seemed to happen so suddenly, she was completely fine for around 3 weeks, and then in only 2 days started to look like this. If she continues to ignore the humid hide should I actually place her inside of it? or would it still be better to just wait and let her find it on her own?

[Bogertophis]

Thanks again for all of the info, I have now gotten a humid hide set up but she doesn't seem very interested in it, I'll continue to monitor and keep the humidity up in the entire terrarium as well. Half the reason I was so worried was because it seemed to happen so suddenly, she was completely fine for around 3 weeks, and then in only 2 days started to look like this. If she continues to ignore the humid hide should I actually place her inside of it? or would it still be better to just wait and let her find it on her own?

Most snakes seek it out on their own, & as you can probably guess, they don't take directions very well. Much like "herding cats"! They also take a while to trust "new things" in their homes.

And btw, it doesn't matter where your snake is on their "feeding schedule", it's best NOT to offer food while they're noticeably "in shed". This is because shedding uses up water in their body, & so does digestion. While some snakes do both alright, many others get very stuck in their shed if they take a meal during this time. They don't "multi-task" very well, they get dehydrated. (that can also cause regurgitation, if not shed issues)

This is also why many snakes instinctively refuse to eat- either when they're IN shed, or when they're just coming into a shed- they can feel it before we can see it, trust me.