Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a cornsnake, the store labled it as a red albino. I dont know if that is WHAT it accutally is, but im pretty sure she looks like the pictures ive seen. Anyways. When i first got Lucy she shed the first day I put her in her tank. Now I got her a month and a half ago. She is shedding again, but her skin is coming off in flakes. She seems to be having a very hard time getting it off. Ive tried to wet her. But its all I can do because she seems to be very stressed, she is striking at me, not like she can hurt with a bite since she is only 17inches. She connected with me today. Silly children. Anyways, i cant give her a bath in warm water because she seems very agiated and tries to strike at me. She refuses to go in her water dish. Ive resorted to wetting her favorite tree that she is always in(shes weird, she has two hides, but chooses the trees instead) so she can get some moisutre from that. What else can i do to help her shed since she seems very cranky when i try to touch her. I dont want to kill her from stress!! She did shed her front half though and is still having problems with the back half. Any help would be very appricated!

Katrina Adara Hynes

p.s. this is my first post, so nice too meet you all

You don't soak a snake by trying to get it to stay in his water dish. You'll stress the heck out of him. No wonder he's striking at you.

Get a jar and put enough warm water (not hot) that would just cover the snake. Then put the snake in the jar. Obviously don't put a lid on and suffocate him. He'll keep his head out of the water.

Good luck,

Walt

I guess you didnt read my post... I never said i tried to force him to stay in his water dish, since she was striking at me when i tried to grab her, that is why i was putting water on her tree since shes always crawling threw it, it would get her wet..
anyways ill try the jar thing thanks.........

Katrina

" cant give her a bath in warm water because she seems very agiated and tries to strike at me"

i see where you get it from, but no i didnt force her in any water, i just wet her tree she crawls around i., what i meant by that is that i cant, cause she tries to bite me when i get close to her. Im just curious if hteir was any other method besides picking her up since right now she REALLY doesnt want to be touched....

If you don't want to pick her up right now you could put a "moist hide" in her cage...A tupperware container with a large enough hole in the top for her to crawl into easily. Cover the bottom of THAT with very moist paper towels. You might even put it at the warm end of her tank, thus encouraging evaporation and raising the overall humidity of her cage. If she has a screen top, cover it most of the way for a few days to hold the moisture in. Duffy

Thanks, i never thought about having a screen top might not keep in any humidty at all. Thats good future knowldage. Though she did shed, i put her in 1-2cms of warm water in an ice cream pail and put her back in her tank, she stayed in their for a few mins then she crawled out, and what do i know, right when she came out she shed! She let me handle her right after with out being the crank she was the last few days. I think she was just irritated cause her skin wasnt coming off but all is well. I was scared i was gonna end up with a "stumpy". I picked her up with the arm of a pair of glasses cause it was hooked so she wouldnt strike at me. She didnt strike the hook thats good. I think she was just trying to tlel me she was cranky and to leave her alone, which probally was causing her more stress then giving her a 2 min bath thanks.
Btw i fed her right after she shed, the intial grabbing i missed, but i got the rest of it its a bit blurry so bare with me, my webcam is only so good!
Ill post it in a new message so everyone doesnt miss

Katrina Adara Hynes

You can also cut (or melt with a propane lighter - even easier) a hole in the side of a small tupperware. Then put some spaghnum moss (available at Petsmart)in there and add some water to soak it. Put the top on the tupperware and they will go in. They love it and may stay in there for days.

As the other poster said, put this on the warm side (or under a basking light if you have one). You will see "rain" droplets on the underside of the tupperware lid. Then you know it's working.

Good Luck,

Walt

soak it down with a spay bottle every few hours. and as for the next shed, give her a hide with a very high humdity level
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

she has two hides, i know they arent humid right now, but one is on the hot and the other the cold. Thought she chooses NOT to use her hides. She prefers to hide behind or in the plastic trees i have for her. Is that normal?

Katrina Adara Hynes

Try putting the snake in a deli cup with a paper towel soaked in warm water....works everytime for me.
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Amel,Green Snow,Okatee,Motley Stripe,Hypos X 2,Snow females. Anery male, and pairs of Candys,Butter,and Motley Creamsicles