Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We've been having a snap of -40 weather and as such the ambient humidity has dropped below 11%. I've taken to spraying the tanks 2-3 times a day and keeping the heat lower to maintain humidity, but it's not helping.... my hatchling Eastern King had a complete failed shed this morning.

He was fine yesterday and looked his normal self and was snoozing on the warm side of his tank. From what I can tell, he's simply been too afraid to soak in his water bowl. He's a VERY scaredy snake despite me taping paper all around the base of his tank and putting lots of places to hide. He's also in a very quiet part of the basement.

I've got him soaking in a covered tank of about 1 cm of tepid water right now for the next hour or so (making sure the water temp doesn't drop without replacement) with a piece of driftwood he can rub against to get it off.

If I can't correct it, he'll be going to the vet in the morning.

Any suggestions to keep this from happening again? I've partially covered the tank to maintain humidity, spraying several times a day and make sure his water bowl is always full of clean water (changing it daily as well) but it's not helping much.

My other snake is her normal self.

Should I put a hide box full of damp moss for him to hide in as necessary since he's too afraid to soak?

I usually take a small deli cup or something like it with holes. I take some warm damp paper towels put them in the container with the snake for a few hours. This has never failed for me. It's nothing to be too worried about. Derek

Yes. A closed dark container with damp sphagnum moss inside will do the trick.

He soaked for about 20 minutes and shed himself perfectly on the rock I'd put in the water with him. And then was quiet while I inspected him all over for any retained skin/eye caps/tail bits. This is the snake that sees me coming and hides.

I checked him over again this morning, and he was probably 20% less schizo about me being around than usual. I wonder if he's just tired from his ordeal, or if he's starting to figure out that good things happen when I'm around. Pinkies magically appear in the tank, that itchy skin that wouldn't go away was cured etc.

He's a strange one though. Unless I show him specifically there's food in the tank, he won't go hunting to find it. Put him down within sight distance of the pinkies, and he immediately goes into hunting mode, sneaks up up on it and strikes.

Anyways, I'm off to the shop to pick up spaghnum moss. Ciao.