Ciri's Shed Worries Pt 2

[Slicercrush]

It has been a little while since I made the original post about my Super Pastel Ball Python, Ciri, and her shedding issues. This is my first time with her shedding in my care, so its been a bit of a wild ride. About 70 percent of her shed came off after I went as far as to give her a 15 min soak, the only problem is now, the main part of her body that still has its shed is her head and upper neck. I cant really go in there with a wet cloth or my hands to peel it off, as shes still not very used to being handled and hides almost instantly, and it hasnt really seemed to have come off well on its own. There are some splits here and there along her cheeks where its started to come off, but thats about all. The only other place that hasnt come off yet is the tip of her tail, but thats slowly crumbling off as the days go by. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help her, id be happy to hear them. Should I leave it be for now, or have to take action and do my best to remove it by hand?

On a side note, im even more confused after today, as Paarthurnax gave me the most perfect shed ive ever seen this morning, and they live in the same rack with the same general parameters.

[SaltLife422]

Hey man every snake is different. When I first bought Cleopatra, she had shed stuck on her head and neck maybe like you're describing. When I asked on this forum, I was told to wait it out till next shed if she didn't seem bothered by it. I did just that and all of the shedding skin came off! That might just be an option for you, as well as a bump in humidity. Cheers! (Pics are from last year)


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[Bogertophis]

In all honesty, I'm a "hands-on" type & help them undress if needed. But first they need to soften up the old shed, & a 15 minute soak often isn't enough.

You might try using a container w/lid, with enough room for both the snake and quite a bit of either: soaked & very damp sphagnum moss, or a small wet
towel. It might take an hour or several in there, but they'll probably be able to remove the old skin on their own at that point. If they don't, that's when I
help out. This container should have air holes, of course; I usually use a "critter cottage" for this (they have well ventilated snap-on lids) & just leave it in
their cage so they aren't getting cold...leave the container near but not in/over the heated end of cage, so they're at average cage temperatures.

With any luck, you'll have very little or no shed to help them with after this, but check the eye caps, chin, neck & tail tip especially.

[Zincubus]

Maybe do frequent water sprays in the Viv / rub or try soaking ...


I have done the occasional 25 minute soak , in 86F temp water , in a sealed container - obviously leaving air space at the top but if it's a few inches deep they tend to happily spend most of the time underwater.
I have a container that has clasps on the top so it's safe to place it in the towel cupboard - which is warm and dark .
They wiggle about looking to escape for a minute or two but quickly calm down . On release I have a wet , rough textured towel ready and let the snake slither continually through the towel , when it's head appears I simply cover it up with the towel .
Anyways after the soak any dead skin or retained eye-caps simply comes off nice and gently on the towel ( has to be rough textured ) ..


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[Slicercrush]

Hey man every snake is different. When I first bought Cleopatra, she had shed stuck on her head and neck maybe like you're describing. When I asked on this forum, I was told to wait it out till next shed if she didn't seem bothered by it. I did just that and all of the shedding skin came off! That might just be an option for you, as well as a bump in humidity. Cheers! (Pics are from last year)


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Almost exactly the same, though her nose is covered by the old skin too (leading to an unhappy wheeze every time i accidentally scare her). Ill probably try another longer soak tonight and see if the rest gets off, if not i may just wait for her next shed.

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[WhompingWillow]

A little bit of Zilla Shed-Ease on a cotton ball or added to the soaking water can really help.