Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I now have a couple of Vision racks for my Balls and Colubrids. Since I've started using them I'm getting bad and stuck sheds on just about every ball python -- juvenile and adult. The obvious problem is that these racks hold absolutely no humidity at all. They are open on all sides and might as well have a screen top. Has anyone else had this problem, I'm looking for any ideas to help before I start experimenting?

I mist twice a day.Its really dry in my house.About 30% humidity.I have been thinking about closing up some of the vent holes.
I was having stuck sheds also. Now that I have been misting, sheds have been coming off in one piece.

Dave

We have very low humidity here in south Texas, but I've had no shedding problems at all with the balls in my Vision CB70 racks. I use aspen bedding. I guess it's time for you to plug some holes to cut down on ventilation.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Most of my balls have had shedding problems since using this rack. I set up a "shed tub"...I have a sturdy rubbermaid type container with a lid, and a small amount of ventilation. I put heat tape at one end and stickem in there with waterbowl and mist till they are done shedding. Seems to work well. My next step is to take some styrafoam sheets and cut them to size to cover up all but the parts that the heat rope runs through.

John

- What kind of bedding do you have them on? you could switch to cypress
- Are they in a separate room where you could run a humidifier?

-Or you could just mist them when they are when they are about to go in shed.

I don't have visions, but my house gets incredibly dry in the winter. I usually just dump the water bowl over in the bin a few days after I've noticed they've gone opaque. Since I use aspen, I have to then completely clean the bin and add fresh bedding once they shed.
Lot's o luck!
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"There is a fine line between a hobby and mental illness"
COLD BLOOD.........WARM HEART

I use aspen as substrate. But I always have. I have never had shed issues until I switched to these racks. Both the juvenile and the Large ball racks...I'm getting the same problem in both. Setting up a shed tub of water is a short term fix, but that works better if you only have a few animals, I finally posted this because last week I had 5 different animals with shedding issues. Gonna have to cover up some of the holes I guess, not a cheap rack to have these issues. It doesn't affect the colubrids I have in the same racks (smaller versions).

and don't have any problems with stuck sheds...I have several of these racks, from hatchlings to adults and they all are doing great...

Maybe you could add a bigger water bowl to the enclosure...

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Jon
Cold Blooded Addiction

I have the same problem with an open sided home built rack. I have made humidity boxes for each tub. This helps. I also have racks from reptile basics. These hold humidity great, so I don't need the humidity boxes. The humidity boxes are tuperware, with a hole cut in the top. I fill with sphagnum moss, then moisten when needed. Hope this helps.

Ive been putting a shoe box tub with damp cypress mulch in with all the snakes or they ALL have bad sheds. I wish they'd make an option to not have all the holes in the levels.