Shedding Question

[Tranz]

So my BP has shed twice since i've gotten her, but both times she hasn't been able to get the shed off about the last inch or so of her tail. Is this a common thing?

[kc261]

Poor sheds are usually caused by not enough humidity. Do you have a digital hygrometer so you know what the humidity is in the enclosure?

If the humidity is in the proper range (50-60%), then you just need to find a way to increase it a little while your snake is in shed. Two popular options for this are misting the enclosure, or offering a humid hide.

If your humidity is not at least 50%, then it will be best if you can find a way to keep the humidity stable at a higher level. This can be done either by providing more sources of humidity (such as a water bowl with a larger surface area) or by trapping the moisture in the enclosure (such as by covering most of the screen top on a tank). If you post details on your enclosure, people will be able to help with lots of suggestions for your situation.

In the meantime, you can help him get the remaining shed off. Here is a thread that explains the soaking method:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

Another method to help with removing is to secure the snake in a damp pillow case, and then leave it in the warm end of the enclosure for a while (30 mins or so). Usually as the snake moves around in the pillow case, the moisture and gentle rubbing will remove stuck pieces of shed.

[Jay_Bunny]

As was mentioned, its probably a humidity thing. Whenever I have a snake that is having a bad shed I take them into the shower and use warm (not hot) water the humidity and warm water of the shower makes the skin come right off, but I have also used a tub with water in it as well and put it into the rack.

[seeya205]

You can also make a humid hide by cutting a hole(burn the edges so the snake can't get cut)in a plastic container and adding moss inside of it with a little water. The snake can go in it anytime it needs some extra moisture!

[BabysMomma]

If it's only the last inch or so of her tail and nowhere else, it's probably not as bad as these guys are making it sound. It's pretty common for them to retain a little patch there. Baby sometimes has about half a centimeter left on the tip of his tail, I just wet my fingers and gently rub it until it pops right off.

[Kaorte]

The last bit of the tail happens sometimes, just make sure to get it off if you notice that the snake isn't trying to get it off.