Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if anybody is familiar with snakes that consistantly have bad sheds everytime? I have a variable kingsnake who is just over a year old and everytime he sheds, it comes off in pieces, has leftover pieces stuck to him,ect.
I've tried misting his tank, uping the humidity, adding extra water bowls, you name it. Last time I even put a whole bunch of really damp paper towels in there and kept them moist and he stayed under them and still had a bad shed.

thanks,
shawn

Hard to say what's going on with that snake Shawn and it sounds like you're doing everything right by misting and providing a damp area. All I can add is a water bowl large enough for the snake to soak in prior to a shed but the damp box typically resolves the tattered shed issue if the snake uses it.
I have an odd morph syspila that requires either a damp box to sit in for several days before a shed or an hour long soak just before a shed and he's had several soak N'peel sessions especially after the long cooling period. He's the only one afflicted in a collection of many syspila and his offspring and sibs are just fine.
It's just a freak issue with a particular snake that we see now and then and isnt' necessarialy connected to any deficency, disease or parasite.
Jeff

I had this happen with my Abbott Okeetee - I lightly mist his cage once a week now and when he's in blue, and since then - it all comes off in one piece.
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11.14 L. getula californiae (Cal. King)
2.3 L. getula nigrita (MBK)
1.0 L. getula floridana (Brooksi)
1.1 Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Corn)
0.1 Pituophis catenifer catenifer (Pacific gopher)
0.1 Heterodon nasicus nasicus (W Hognose)
4.2.14 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata - (Cal. Alligator Lizard)

Oh - one thing you might try is a humidity chamber.
Get a box with a hole he can crawl in - and fill it with damp (but not wet) moss.

It could just be he has weird skin issue.
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11.14 L. getula californiae (Cal. King)
2.3 L. getula nigrita (MBK)
1.0 L. getula floridana (Brooksi)
1.1 Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Corn)
0.1 Pituophis catenifer catenifer (Pacific gopher)
0.1 Heterodon nasicus nasicus (W Hognose)
4.2.14 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata - (Cal. Alligator Lizard)