Quote Originally Posted by Sita View Post
I agree with the soak; it'll help the shedding process. Take a look at the caresheet, as it has some nice general advice for beardies: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...a-vitticeps%29

Beardies don't get scale rot quite as easily as snakes do, but it's usually caused the same way: wet or dirty substrate that is left in the cage for too long. Retained shed doesn't in and of itself cause rot, but it can contribute by holding in that moisture.

The most important part of shedding is to be sure that the shed comes off the toes and the tip of the tail, otherwise as it dries out it can cut off circulation and cause the tissue to die.

You didn't describe the enclosure, but in my opinion, based on the problems we see with beardies at our clinic, the top 3 things that need to be perfect with the enclosure are substrate, temps, and a UVB light. Substrate should ideally be ceramic tile, or something similar; sand can easily cause digestive issues and blockages. Temperatures need to be high enough, 95 basking and 85 cool side. Important to have that gradient so they can properly thermoregulate. Night-time temp can be 65-70. The UVB bulb is very important to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease, and it's recommended you replace bulbs after a year, whether or not they burn out, as they lose strength over time.

In general, this guy doesn't actually look too bad. He looks to be a good weight, just has some shed issues.
X2
Beardies don't shed in one piece like ball pythons do either. They shed in sections. From the pics it looks like the Beardie just has a very dirty underbelly. I agree with the notion that a bath would help. ) If you can get a soft brush you can brush very VERY gently in the direction of the scales on the underbelly to help loosen up some of the stuff stuck under the scales.