Potential Nerve/Muscle Damage?

[Vanouri]

What does she do that makes you think she 'enjoys' it? BPs signs of stress are things we would think mean something else 'enjoys' something, such as increased alertness, tongue flicking, movement, ect. It's really not beneficial at all and can actually make a shed more difficult.

You can fill a hide with damp sphagnum moss. The snake will go in there on its own if it needs more humidity during a shed.

I can thank you for your advice now. We are having this debate on another thread. I know my snake as she is more than just a pet to me. I know how to read when she starts getting uneasy and remove her from situations when she does so.

[DVirginiana]

I can thank you for your advice now. We are having this debate on another thread. I know my snake as she is more than just a pet to me. I know how to read when she starts getting uneasy and remove her from situations when she does so.

You're doing something that could be potentially harmful to your snake (look it up; literally dozens of threads on this) because you think she 'likes' it. Soaking is a different debate entirely.

But, you've already been told by multiple people that it is absolutely not necessary and potentially harmful, so if you're going to keep doing it you're going to keep doing it.

[Vanouri]

You're doing something that could be potentially harmful to your snake (look it up; literally dozens of threads on this) because you think she 'likes' it. Soaking is a different debate entirely.

But, you've already been told by multiple people that it is absolutely not necessary and potentially harmful, so if you're going to keep doing it you're going to keep doing it.

There will always be disagreement over what is best for my snake, but it is up to me to choose. I do not soak her just because "I think she likes it". She sheds best after a ten minute soak. It's no different than when she soaks in her water bowl. Until I see a negative health effect from it or am told by a certified vet, I will continue to do what works best for the both of us.

[DVirginiana]

Have you tried giving her the appropriate humidity and a humid hide? If not, you can't really say she sheds best after a ten minute soak.

Does she actually soak on her own in the water dish? If so, that might actually be a sign something is off with her. I've never heard of a BP that does that just because.

[Vanouri]

She sheds in one piece wheras she didn't before. Again, I'm not changing my practices because you disagree with them. I will give my pastel a humid hut since he freaks out in the water, but don't push for much else. I raise my snakes how I think best and it works for me. This thread is supposed to be about Loki and how his wound will effect him, not about how I bathe my snakes.

[DVirginiana]

And I bet he sheds perfectly and in one piece when actually provided with a humid hide or proper ambient humidity. The problem doesn't appear to have been nerve damage, but a bad reaction to being soaked. Only a vet can tell you 100% though.

Also, without going back, am I imagining that you said you had trouble keeping ambient humidity above 50? Or was that another thread?

[Vanouri]

And I bet he sheds perfectly and in one piece when actually provided with a humid hide or proper ambient humidity. The problem doesn't appear to have been nerve damage, but a bad reaction to being soaked. Only a vet can tell you 100% though.

Also, without going back, am I imagining that you said you had trouble keeping ambient humidity above 50? Or was that another thread?

Then that'll be great for him. His reaction isn't initially bad until being in the water for a few minutes. He seemed to be trying to get out but I noticed his tail and took a video, and promptly removed him after. He does flip sometimes out of the water so I didn't think it to be only water related.

I do seem to have issues with humidity but that may just be the gauge I have, after some reading I've noticed a lot of bad reviews and inaccurate readings for this type. I'll be getting a better hydrometer/thermometer this week so as to have a more accurate reading. I can then troubleshoot from there.

[DVirginiana]

That is really weird. But he mostly moves normally? So, when he flips, does it look like just a continuation of what he's doing in the water trying to keep the injury off the ground, or is he like, actually doing a rolling motion?

Let us know if you're still having problems with humidity after you get the new gauge. If it's below 50% that could easily be the reason you were seeing shedding issues.

[Vanouri]

It looks a lot like what he was doing in the bath, but I can't understand him trying to keep it off the ground if he's okay with me touching it. I'm not sure if I just have a gentle hand and everything else bothers him or what though.

I was told to raise it up to 70% near shedding time but I could never keep it there. I'll be getting the gauge hopefully tomorrow.

[DVirginiana]

Huh. Maybe try putting him on newspaper or paper towels for a little while and see if the texture of the substrate is what's bothering him? It'd get you closer to finding out if this is just sensitivity or nerve damage at any rate.

The wet sphagnum moss in a hide provides at least a little microcosm of the correct humidity even if you can't keep ambient that high, since it can't really evaporate off or anything. Probably not necessary all the time, but definitely helpful during a shed.