Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
I understand your hesitation, but fyi, in nearly all cases, snakes actually seem to understand & maybe even appreciate our help, as long as we're patient,
not rushing them. Be confident & persistent, but gentle always. This is one reason for our pet snakes to be accustomed to handling...when it comes to a
health issue, they are less stressed since it's not the first time for such contact. Nearly all snakes learn to accept us as non-threatening if we give them half
a chance, & trust me, they don't enjoy being stuck in their skin. Another thing that will help this (in the future, if not now) is to provide a humid hide when
your snake is going into shed, or even all the time (many enjoy it). I realize you probably don't have on hand what you need to make him a humid hide at
the moment, but you might want to look into that soon if not this moment...they aren't hard to set up. To keep the moisture inside, I use large food storage
containers (plastic) & cut a hole in the snap off top (big enough for the snake to easily fit thru). Halfway fill the inside with water-saturated & drained sphagnum
moss (or very damp orchid bark, etc) & place the box in cage (not on warm side or it will dry out too fast) & check periodically to make sure it stays moist
enough. Your snake will most likely find & explore it on his own, or if you hold your snake so his nose is near the door, many will go right in & check it out
that much sooner. In the humid hide, you could also use a very damp terry towel that fits in lieu of other damp substrate, so IF you have a suitable container
(big enough) you might even be able to set it up right now. Your snake will thank you...
Thanks! I've heard of humid hides but never considered them because I've always gotten a perfect shed on both my snakes. Is this any different then putting something that holds moisture in the hides that I use now (i.e. common black reptile basic hides). Since, I'm using AP cages, the humidity stays pretty high. I just sprayed my enclosure to bump it up.