hey, a couple questions.

[mysticman22]

so, ive had my BP, "bishop", for about 3 months now, he is about 10 months old i think. I am a little worryed, and have some questioned that i hope you guys can help me with.

bishop is having a really bad shed right now. so i covered the mesh screen around the light for more humidity. i already have let him move through a damp towel. will it eventually come off?

also, i have some problems with handling. he is still real skiddish and nervous of quick movements. but if i sit infront of the cage he will come out to my hands. what are some things i can do, beyond simply holding him, to make him lighten up? my old cornsnake, i could touch him on his nose without having any problems, but i was too young to rmemebr really how i got to that stage with it haha. could my bp just be too young still and will calm down later?

thanks for any help.

[mmchoppers]

Did you let it settle in without disruptions for at least a week? Since it has been 3 months, has it eaten regularly? This is just some stuff to examine the quality of husbandry, and the level of stress. Ball Pythons can become stressed by a bunch of things, but as long as you maintain a proper environment, it should be fine. Some bps are nervous and skittish, but with normal handeling they seem to calm down. There are some who are always going to be jumpy, nervous, and may even seem aggresive, but from what I hear, they are the best eaters! I don't know what you can do besides hold him to tame him. It's like, you can't get better at playing guitar, unless you play it. Hope that helped

[Styx]

Mine was very skittish when I first got him, but after letting him settle I started to handle him and then I started to maul him. Now he's only moderately headshy and I can have a look inside his mouth (sort of) if I manipulate his head a bit first. I really wanted him to get used to rough handling though in case he ever needed to go to the vet and for wellness checks (by me). Kind of counter productive if you snake is biting the crap out of your vet or balling up.

I think a lot of our bonding has come from bad sheds. I used to have the worst time with him shedding in his old cage, I could not keep the humidity up and I live in a desert. So I would have to soak him and sit down for an hour and peel off his skin. ^^;

[mysticman22]

thanks for taking a look at my message guys. mmmchoppers, i did let him settle in for 2 weeks when i got him and he has never had any problems eating, he loves eating haha. should i think of peeling the shed off? or will he eventually get it off? he only has the tip of his mouth off.

[hoo-t]

thanks for taking a look at my message guys. mmmchoppers, i did let him settle in for 2 weeks when i got him and he has never had any problems eating, he loves eating haha. should i think of peeling the shed off? or will he eventually get it off? he only has the tip of his mouth off.

Don't even consider peeling the shed off until you get it loosened first. Once its loosened, the snake should be able to get most if not all of it off himself. If he's having that bad of a time, your humidity is way too low. During shed, the humidity in his enclosure should be around 65 to 70%. Start by giving him a bath in warm water (80 to 85 degrees fahrenheit), and not more than about an inch deep. Let him soak in that for 30 to 45 minutes. Mist his tank with a spray bottle, then place a wet towel over the screen to keep the humidity up. He should be able to get at least most of it off himself once its softened up. If he still hasn't gotten it all off, then you can think about helping him. Re-soak the towel in warm water, and let him hide under the towel in your lap for 30 minutes or so. Then gently rub over the retained shed. It should come off very easily at that point.

Think of it kind of like a band-aid. When your skin is dry, and you pull a band-aid off, it hurts and will pull out hair. But if you have a band-aid on when you get in the bath tub, by the time you're ready to get out, the band-aid literally falls off.

Steve

[mmchoppers]

Don't even consider peeling the shed off until you get it loosened first. Once its loosened, the snake should be able to get most if not all of it off himself. If he's having that bad of a time, your humidity is way too low. During shed, the humidity in his enclosure should be around 65 to 70%. Start by giving him a bath in warm water (80 to 85 degrees fahrenheit), and not more than about an inch deep. Let him soak in that for 30 to 45 minutes. Mist his tank with a spray bottle, then place a wet towel over the screen to keep the humidity up. He should be able to get at least most of it off himself once its softened up. If he still hasn't gotten it all off, then you can think about helping him. Re-soak the towel in warm water, and let him hide under the towel in your lap for 30 minutes or so. Then gently rub over the retained shed. It should come off very easily at that point.

Think of it kind of like a band-aid. When your skin is dry, and you pull a band-aid off, it hurts and will pull out hair. But if you have a band-aid on when you get in the bath tub, by the time you're ready to get out, the band-aid literally falls off.

Steve

Your analogy(sp) was better than mine!

[hoo-t]

Your analogy(sp) was better than mine!

It's like, you can't get better at playing guitar, unless you play it.

Are you kidding? I LOVED that!

Steve

[Styx]

Steve, that's what I had to do with Phleg. But he just didn't rub when I'd do what I could for him for whatever reason, so I had to get it off myself after a good soak. Came off pretty easy. He'd let his skin sit on him for weeks if I didn't take if off, and usually, it was just barely clinging to him.

You're right that it was the humidity though. With his new enclosure his sheds are MUCH better.

[dr del]

Hey mysticman22,


Have you got room in your viv for a wetbox? At that size a small tupperware box or ice cream carton with a small hole cut in the side and half full of damp peat or sphagnum moss should give him a small secure hiding place with quite high humidity.Stick a small rough rock or piece of cork in there and it's a home made shedding health spa .

Oh and some snakes are just plain lazy about shedding every now and again one of mine will get her head clear then just stop trying.I now keep an eye on her and if she hasn't made any attempt after 24 hours I just take her out and do it by hand.I put a plant sprayer in a hot place full of tap water (after I've let it stand for 24 hours - probably not needed but I always did it for fish where it was and it's a habit now) then gently mist her as I peel if I encounter a stubborn bit.She hates me doing her head but seems to enjoy the rest of it

Come to think of it this might also acclimate her to handling.

It's quite important to make sure the wet box stays clean as I always think it would be an ideal breeding ground for nasties. Peat is quite cheap from garden centers though so it doesn't cost much to replace it on a regular basis.I always keep the box in there but I suppose it could be removed and only put in when the snake is in shed.


dr del