Is my BP dehydrated?

[Darrell_Winfield]

Hello folks, I am new around here! I have been frequenting this forum for quite some time due to Google searches linking me and have always found wonderful information and helpful people. I finally decided to get myself an account so that I can be a part of this community. Now, onto business:

I have a juvenile BP; I bought her as a feeding baby in early September. She has been doing well until a few weeks ago when she started to look dull and gained wrinkles. I thought that she was going into shed, so I started to pay more attention to her enclosure conditions. I started to get concerned about her humidity due to reading here about how a glass aquarium with a screen top has humidity issues. I got two hygrometers (one for cold side and one for hot). Lo and behold, even though the dial hygrometer that I got with the tank read ~60%, I had a whopping 45% humidity. Upon further reading, I discovered that it helps to raise the humidity if you cover the screen or move the water bowl to the warm side. I did both of these last Thursday and they had a positive impact of the humidity; I am rocking around 60% in the evenings now (I am gone most of the day as I am a full-time college student and part-time employee). I also discovered that the water was a bit cooler than I think my snake would like, so I put a temperature probe in it. It is now around 80 degrees (again, in the evening). However, my snake still appears to have the wrinkles as well as feels dry when I handle her. One of her eye caps is also dented. She has been this way for a few weeks, so I am hesitant to believe that it is a shed (although she has not shed while I've had her). What do you folks think of my predicament?

I can provide pictures if it will help.

[Eric Alan]

Don't worry about the water temperature at all - it won't be any lower than the temperature of the room. Just focus on keeping water available for your snake and keeping humidity above 50% at all times and above 60% during a shed cycle (definitely when you notice your BP has gone opaque - "cloudy eyes").

Here's a thread that's very informative about the shed cycle to help you recognize more of the signs and know what's going on every step of the way: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...edding-Process.

[MarkS]

Sounds like the shed might be stuck. One of my favorite ways to get off stuck shed skin is to wet down a snake bag in warm water, tie up the snake inside the bag, and put the bag back in the cage. Make sure the bag stays damp and check on it every few hours or so. A stuck shed can be bad if it's not removed, I've had a few colubrids who lost the tips of their tales when they didn't shed out all the way and the stuck shed on the tip of their tail cut off the blood supply to that area. That's kind of an extreme example and I've never had this happen to a ball python but a stuck shed should be removed if it's safe to do so. Another thing that is helpful for the future is to supply your snake with a humid hide box. take a plastic box (shoe, sweater, whatever size is appropriate) cut a hole in the side a bit bigger around then your snake and pack the box with damp sphagnum moss (or something else that holds moisture well) Put this hide box on the warm side of the cage and hopefully your snake will learn how to use it to help with shedding.

Welcome to the site and I hope you learn a lot during your time here.

[Darrell_Winfield]

Eric,

Oh yes, I remember that link! I have been referenced to that page many times when researching sheds. However, since she has been this way for at least two weeks, I am thinking that this is not a shed. Is there a for-sure way of knowing whether this is a shed or not?

Do you know of any good and relatively inexpensive (note: college student) humidity regulators?

[Darrell_Winfield]

Mark,

I will try the bag method this evening, would a damp cotton pillow case work?

As for the moisture hide, should I replace her warm hide with the moisture hide? Should I keep it moist always or just when I notice her looking dry or going into shed?

[Alexiel03]

it might be a stuck shed and what i usually do is soak the snake in warm water, about 80-85 degree water for about 10 mins or so and at about 10 mins i gently rub the skin off but not forcefully, it should just slide off. i usually use this method if they already started shedding and didnt finish or missed some spots. but if the snake didnt even start like you said i would just mist the cage with warm water, i would mist the snake itself too. i have my 2 snakes in aquariums and havent had much trouble with sheds if i mist them while in shed and make sure the room they are in stays warm enough as well as checking the interior temps and humidity. i hope this helped, good luck and welcome to the forums!

[MarkS]

Mark,

I will try the bag method this evening, would a damp cotton pillow case work?

As for the moisture hide, should I replace her warm hide with the moisture hide? Should I keep it moist always or just when I notice her looking dry or going into shed?

Pillow cases work great as long as it isn't a real high thread count. (the high thread counts that you get in the top quality pillowcases can actually become air tight when they get wet) as far as replacing the hide, it's up to you if you want to use it all the time or just when your snake looks like it's getting ready to shed. It won't hurt anything if you leave it in there all the time but you'll have to remember to wet it down every now and then (remember, damp - not wet) . Keep an eye on your snake to see which way it likes best.

[Zincubus]

I'd even consider giving the snake a 30minute soak in snake temp water ... Just make sure the container in secure so it doesn't escape .
I do this for my Royals on occasion , can't do any harm and may just make a difference

[Darrell_Winfield]

Zincubus,

How much water should I use? Also, is an air-tight container a concern?

[Eric Alan]

Do you know of any good and relatively inexpensive (note: college student) humidity regulators?

A spray bottle with water. It's cheap, and as long as you have a way to accurately measure humidity, it's effective.