shedding...HELP!!

[racer69]

my snake started shedding yesterday and he's gotten to about 1/4" past his head and it broke off. in peices and today i'm getting a better temp gauge that registers both sides of tank and a hide for the cool side. but my snake is aggressixve right now, so i don't know if i'd beable to put it in...should i use gloves and grab him out and into another enclosure until i'm done or shoud i just mist him untill he's done shedding and less aggressive.


i have now found that the dumb*** pet store told me to get the wrong temp gauges so i need to get a more accurate with a humidity gauge so right now i don't know a correct temp, the strip says 82deg and it's on the outside of tank i have a nocturnal light on all times and a heat pad unde the tank under the hide...what temps should i have!!


after doing alot of reading on here, the pet store had NO IDEA what they were talking abotu help!!!! basically run through evrything that needs to be done for me please and temps each side etc...also should i do it now or wiat until done shedding...alos what to mist him with they said minerl oil and water mix...i havent misted yet so i need to knwo, this came on all of a sudden..


HELP!!!!


thanks
Dan

[JLC]

Pet stores frequently have NO idea about the proper care of the animals they sell.

I would mist the snake with water only. Any sort of oil is just gonna make a huge mess and won't help a bit. And a humid hide would probably help a lot as well....get a small, plastic container with a lid...cut an entrance in the side...and line the container with damp paper towels, then place it on the warm side of the tank.

As for a new thermometer...I wouldn't bother the snake too much right now, as it sounds like he's pretty freaked out as it is. You can just set the new unit inside the cage in a cool-side corner...drop the warm-side probe on the warm end...and leave it like that until the poor little guy finishes his shed and has had a few days or a week to settle down again.

Once you're sure he's feeling more settled, then you can go back in there and set things up more precisely.

[racer69]

ok i went and got a 2 stage temp gauge with humidity gauge (good one) and a thermo-regulator what should i have the hot sid eset to turn on and off at...basicallly low and high temps? the cool side is pretty much staying around 70-75deg. here are some pics of the habitat...i had to quickly arrange so not to be bitten..lol...and he didn't get all the old skin off the head, but eye caps ARE off. let em know what you think, i have a tuppaware on the hot side with damp cool/warm paper towls in it...thanks to your advice...i need to get the humidity up ion there, it's only abotu 40 some %..here are the pics.

[JLC]

Read this:


http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

And pay particular attention to what it says about temperature ranges AND about hides for your snake.

I would guess that the very low humidity has led to this difficult shed for him. Hopefully he'll utilize the humid hide and get most if not all that old stuff off.

[racer69]

thank you.

[racer69]

ok hes not aggressive anymore, been hadeling him yesterdya and todya, very active, i gave him a warm bath today to help loosen dead skin so he can get it the rest of the way off...you digested his meal form saturday the rest of the way while in the tub..lol..i guess he'll be ready to eat on sat (normal feeding day) but as i was holding him and leting him dry off before returning to tank, i was rubbing his dead skin and it was moving and i started to peel but the wife said it looked like he didnt like it at all! what do i do just let him get it off him self and bathe him daily or every 2 days?


i relocated the temp probe to inside the hide and the temp in there is abotu 80deg. my local snake lady lolol...siad that's perfect, that is with otu the heat light, she recomends NO HEAT LIGHT just a pad under te warm side ???? what the heck? the ambeint temp is abtou 74 deg i have no probe to test ground or belly temp on the cool side, but she said he will move about on his own to the comfortable temps. and told me to use a 50 or 75w heat buld regual not nocturnal during the day to bump warm side temps up to 90 and then shut it off when i go to bed. .....this is to recreate the day/night effect correct? well anyways, i'm taking my snake to her on saturday to let her look him over and get exact sex (can't trust pet stores) will post wat she has to say...

thanks for all the help!

[TheAudOne]

Have you already put foil and tape over the top of his cage? I noticed you have a screen top. This helped bring our humidity up and helped keep our temps perfect with out havign to use an over head light or heating element of any sort.

Read this for help
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32800

Also dont pull his shed off while its dry....you can rub it while he is soaking or still damp...but never pull dry skin....ouch!

Where do you have this tank set up? In your living room with lots of sun light? Dark bedroom?
I had the same question way back when..with my tank...we never have had an over head light and I was wondering if I needed it. Well I was right, if the room gets alot of day light then no you dont need a light over head.

[racer69]

yes i have foil on the lid...and it's in bedroom, with otu light temps will fall under 80deg on warm side at night. i don't knwo what to do...i'm thinking of one of the heat ord things...but don't knoiw