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Registered User
Please help... shed problem *pics*
Hey everyone... I was really excited today because my ball shed for the first time since I got him about 1 1/2 months ago. One time, when I had first got him, he tried to escape and kind of scruffed up some skin on his "forehead" from the tank lid. I wasn't concerned and assumed it would just come off with his shed. However, I checked on him today and he had shed entirely except for his head. How exactly do I get it off... I can't quite soak his head for an hour. I'm worried the minor injury might be causing this problem.

1.0 Ball Python - Bellamy
I love balls.
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Registered User
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
I give my snakes and reptiles steam baths..I get a container and put like an inch of water in it that's nice and warm, bot not hot, enough so it creates steam. I put a large rock or something for the snake to lay on if they don't want to be in the water. I put them in the container and pop the lid on and give them 5-10 minutes. It's usually really easy and the skin easily rubs off if it's ready to come off.
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Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
I would soak it for about half an hour then try letting the snake slither through a wet washcloth! Make sure the water is about 90!
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
A soak in some warm water and then let the crawl through your hands covered in a rough towel.
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Registered User
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
Glad im not the only one who had this problem..my female BP had a messy shed this past week..pretty much came off in chunks, had to soak her in the tub.Which she hated...got the remainder of the loose skin off exept a small section on top of her head which doesnt seem to be lifting yet.so i guess ill wait and see what happens..the only thing that has me scratching my head is that her previous shed was perfect ..came off in one piece.had the same conditions this time.temp and humidity.and a mess...any thoughts on what happened would be appreciated...:
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
If it doesn't come off with a 30 minute soak, then just leave it alone until the next shed. I know it doesn't look cute and you'll probably want to pull it off but you could hurt the snake. I'd just leave it. Did the rest of the shed come off in one piece? If it didn't then you need to look into raising your humidity.
1.1 Classic Ball Pythons - Louise and Zeus
1.0 Poss. Granite - D*ck
1.0 Cane Corso - Benedetto
1.0 ACD/GSD Mix - Dino
1.0 Fat Cat - Jose
"It only happens if it doesn't matter."
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The Following User Says Thank You to sarahlovesmiike For This Useful Post:
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Banned
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
In my opinion your lucky. That is something easy to work with.
Soak with warm water for 30 min. Rub with towel or peal off. If it doesn't happen the first time try again.
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The Following User Says Thank You to MitsuMike For This Useful Post:
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Registered User
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
I've had a lot of luck with stuck sheds coming off by tossing a warm, damp towel into a tupperware with an inch or so of warm water in it. My snakes creep around on and in the towel and rub the shedding bits off themselves. Especially works great with my awful little Milk Snake who hates being handled.
1.1 Mojave BP ("Caffè Macchiato;" name pending)
1.0 Cinnamon BP ("Jayne")
1.0 Pastel BP ("Elliot")
0.1 Normal BP ("Biscotti")
0.1 Spider BP (name pending)
0.1 Apricot Pueblan Milksnake ("Bowline")
1.0 Dumeril Boa ("Julien")
0.1 Super-Dwarf Reticulated Python ("Temperance")
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The Following User Says Thank You to Kyle@theHeathertoft For This Useful Post:
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Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
I'd say let him sit in a tupperware with the lid closed (if you have one of the ones with the microwave hole, open it) in some warm water. I put in a washcloth so that if he doesn't want to be in the water he can sit on it, but still gets damp. Then I take him out and let him go through the warm washcloth. They get the picture that it helps them shed pretty quickly and they start rubbing on the washcloth, and it's great to get them used to having their heads touched a bit, making them less head shy.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Please help... shed problem *pics*
I'd def try the above mentioned soaking/steaming first, but i've also heard that you can use some (aka very little) baby oil and gently rub it into their skin. It will help soften it so they can maybe rub it off on their own.
After my snake got a cut and had stiches, the vet told me I had to assist her shed in that area only. Goes back to soaking them in warm water and gently rubing the area to work off the extra shed. This was because she has a pretty nasty scar and it sometimes is harder to shed off those "ugly little black scales" that come up after an injury.
Like it was said before, it's not a big deal, and you can def just wait till the next time he/she sheds! Good luck!!!
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