Quote Originally Posted by Zombie View Post
Sounds like her substrate is too damp. Try switching her to a cypress mulch. Or make sure you dry out the substrate before putting it in her enclosure.

I'd take it out and take a hair dryer to it or just spread it out and get it dried. The moisture on her belly will cause belly rot, and that's a whole other can of worms you don't wanna open .
Yup, that's my thought exactly. I actually think she's got a mild case of scale rot already - And when I say mild, I mean really mild, *nothing* like the pics that come up when you Google it. So last night, I opted to remove all the new substrate, cleaned out her tank, lined it with newspaper and put her hides and water dish back in. Then washed her (just with warm water though, I've seen some folks say they used soap, but since I'm not sure what kind of soap is best, I opted not to use it), and put a thin layer of non-medicated Neosporin on her. The biggest thing I've noticed thus far, is that since the newspaper is thinner than the coco husk was, then the heat comes through it better and she's able to get warm without burrowing. Not that she can burrow anyway, into newspaper, I don't think... But, I don't really put anything past a snake, sneaky little buggers. I'm going to keep her this way until she sheds again, and in the meantime, I'll keep working on balancing out her temps better, to encourage her to eat. Does her fasting impact her ability to shed? I have assumed so, since if she's not eating, she's not growing, but since her scales are mildly damaged, I'm hoping that'll prompt her body into a shed soon and we can heal her up. I believe I've caught it very early, and I still think that funny whistle she does thru her nose sometimes is substrate caught in there - It is totally intermittent and like I said, there are NO other signs of RI, so I'll watch her, but I think she's okay. She's been a really sturdy animal, even thrived during my earliest rookie days in Sept. 2011, when I was pretty clueless - I mean, I'd read a lot, of course, but I had no hands on experience, so had to learn with her. Honestly, I'm sorta proud of myself - I've even helped her out of being head shy, and she's had nothing but perfect sheds since Oct. of last year, only her very first one was rough. I keep records on all of my animals, and noted that she slowed down in feeding early this year, from January to April she only accepted food 3 times. From May thru September, she ate consistently every 10-14 days, no problem. Right up to the start of breeding season - So I think I see her pattern, and while I need to continue to be diligent, I think overall she's doing well. I've never enjoyed a pet as much as I have my snakes, many people think I'm strange for it, but I don't really care. They're soothing, fascinating, and I love them.

Zombie, thank you a hundred times over for all your help, I'm a major worrywort and your advice has been really valuable.