Raw patches after shedding

[Kaorte]

rats are much more affectionate and trainable.

I see where you are coming from and I agree with you. I also agree that feeding one appropriately sized rat is easier and better than feeding multiple mice. I guess you just learn to get over it. I feel sorry for every rodent that I feed to my snakes but it doesn't prevent me from feeding them. Everything has to eat.

[nixer]

I have a ball python that was given to me 3 years ago and it is a classroom pet in my high school room. Monty is about 4.5 feet long and about 7 years old. During the summers (I live in Central Indiana) I have been keeping Monty in an outdoor 4ft x 8ft x 6ft outdoor habitat with plenty of water and sand on the bottom, shade and branches to climb and shelves to rest on. Monty is housed with my 3 box turtles and my green iguana during the summer in that habitat and loves it! Monty is housed by itself (I have no idea what its sex is) during the school year. During the school year Monty is in a 40 gal aquarium with wood bark for the substrate and a water bowl and a 1/2 log for privacy. Under the water bowl I have a heater and 2 heat lamps over the water. Monty eats well- 2 mice or Siberian rats/2 weeks. Monty was shedding every 5-6 weeks all last year. Last April Monty started to have bad sheds-- coming off in patches. I increased the humidity by adding another water bowl. The summer shed was fine. When I brought Monty in this fall (mid-September) it's skin was really crinkely (however you spell it). It started to get that way at the end of August. Monty's belly was pink and the skin was dull so I knew it was about to shed again. I was extrememly concerned about the condition of the skin so I put in damp Eco Earth for the substrate to really increase the humidity. Monty has logs to crawl up on to get away from the moisture-- which it did not do. Monty shed yesterday and it came off in 3 big bunches- much better than the spring, not as good as the summer, but apparently some of the shed stuck to the new skin and pulled off some of the new skin! Monty has about 8 raw, open patches about the size of peas on it's back. Monty still has one patch of shed stuck to his new skin and if I gently pull it it looks like I will cause another wound. I called the exotic vet and she said that since it is not infected to wash it with antibacterial soap and it woud be fine-- WHAT IS CAUSING THIS?? What am I doing wrong? I know that it has to hurt and I do NOT want it to happen again! As I said I have put Monty outside for 2 years during the summer and it as been really healthy at the end of the summer. HELP.

our weather in indiana is almost never suited for ball pythons. i would not continue to house it outside let alone with box turtles or an iguana.

for what its worth eco earth typically;from observations on this forum, is not the best thing for ball pythons. i have seen many ppl come in here with scale rot or the onstart of it asking whats wrong. then again sand is never an option for a substrate. i would really refer you to the care sheet that dr. del posted earlier.

the vet you called while might be great for other exotic pets does not sound like he/she knows much about treating reptiles. put the snake on just plain newspaper or paper towel. also clean the wounds with some betadine or povi-iodine. keep them as clean as you can! you shouldnt pull the shed off at all. for about an hour a day put him in a plastic tub with a few damp paper towels and let him slither through all that. it should help his stuck skin.
keep him well hydrated and the humidity in his enclosure at around 60% and he should be fine.

start looking for a real herp vet now! if the wounds get infected you will need it!

[BPelizabeth]

I am just going to put this out there as I am new to all of this ....but this came to mind.

Would housing outside make the snake more susciptible to mites....and might that cause problems with the shed????

Not sure ...but again.....it came to mind with outside housing.

Also if you have trouble with humidity....you might just want to try a hide with wet moss in it??

[nixer]

I am just going to put this out there as I am new to all of this ....but this came to mind.

Would housing outside make the snake more susciptible to mites....and might that cause problems with the shed????

Not sure ...but again.....it came to mind with outside housing.

Also if you have trouble with humidity....you might just want to try a hide with wet moss in it??

yes it allow for mites and many many other serious or deadly issues. anything from eating poisoned rodents eaten to other animals eating the snake.

as for mites causing a bad shed... well i cant really say i have never had reptiles mites i use provent-a-mite on everything monthly especially on my QT stuff and around the entryway to my snake room.

wet moss wouldnt be a good idea for a snake with open wounds