Shedding questions??

[Quacking-Terror]

Thank you Jeo! It's always nice having someone with more knowledge chime in in case I was mistaken. Good points too!

[Minpin1985]

I have a Ball Python who is about 5 months old and he is now shedding but it has been difficult for him to get all the skin off and it comes off in patches and it took him a while to get the majority off but there are still pieces on his back. pieces. Anything I can do to help? I've seen people on TV peel off a rat snake's skin easily, but I researched ball pythons and some say not to do this? So what should I do to help?

[Homegrownscales]

Your humidity is too low if it's coming off in patches. You need to keep your humidity higher and you wont have that problem.


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[cmz1234]

I have a Ball Python who is about 5 months old and he is now shedding but it has been difficult for him to get all the skin off and it comes off in patches and it took him a while to get the majority off but there are still pieces on his back. pieces. Anything I can do to help? I've seen people on TV peel off a rat snake's skin easily, but I researched ball pythons and some say not to do this? So what should I do to help?

I usually bump my humidity up 10% when they are in shed. Helps everything come off smoothly. Oh I also put in a rough piece of rock so they can use it to remover their shed. I've noticed some snakes will feed during shed and some won't, also depending how far along they are in shed. My bloods feed during shed but not during deep blue, that's because they are aggressive feeders. I would suggest you stick to your normal feeding cycle during his shed. Take note when he doesn't eat during his shed cycle so next time he's in shed you know when not to feed him.

Also I used to feed in my snake in a separate cage, but decided to just feed them in their cage. I'm not an expert, but I bet any expert or any large scale would argue their is no need for a separate feeding cage.

GL and post some pics of your set-up and BP.

[Jessica Loesch]

Actually I think you're the first person I've ever seen argue that a separate enclosure encourages cage aggression.

There are mixed schools of thought on the separate enclosure idea.

Pro-beliefs:

• The new cage is different and the snake associates it with feeding, so the home cage doesn't become a food zone
• The new cage can have a more dinner friendly bedding(if any)
• cleanup afterwards is usually easier(if it's necessary)

Con-beliefs:

• The transfer into/out of the food pen can be stressful and discourage eating
• The lack of familiar hides may make the snake less likely to eat
• Reaching in to a hungry snake cage may trigger a bite.
• The lack of heating makes slow eating an issue(or requires the purchase of more heating devisces)

Not all of the Pro's/Con's have been proven(some probably never will be) but that's the most common/strongest arguments each way. It's up to you ultimately, either way usually works fine in the end.

It is unlikely that snakes will associate their cage as a food zone. Some will but most dont.

[AliCat37]

I used to feed my ball out of his cage, but he is a VERY slow eater, and it became an inconvenience to me. I started to feed in cage and noticed no difference in his behaviour at all. He's been on a hunger strike lately, and last night when I reached in to his cage to clean he started hissing at me and LOOKED interested in my hand. I simply continued my business in his cage and then put a f/t rat in and he happily ate. However, as a personal choice, I do not feed when my snakes are in shed. Not only do mine usually refuse, but it can also lead to a bad shed.

As for the humidity, I'd bump it up quite a bit. For whatever reason, my ball python ALWAYS has bad sheds, even though his humidity is at a constant 60% and raised when he is in shed. I usually have to help him get his remaining skin off, but last time he got all of his skin off himself, but when I found him in the morning it was in a million pieces. So, if anyone can lend me tips... I'd appreciate it too xD

[AliCat37]

Oh, and my boa does associate his cage with feeding. But I would rather him associate his cage with food than coming out of the cage with it.