Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this is probably useless without photos but i don't have a macro cam....

...1st time my baby ball shed there was a few remaining patches of skin at the tail which i soaked and peeled off with my fingers

.....this time there looked to be the same sort of thing but i couldn't peel it off after soaking for 20 mins.

.....on closer inspection - instead of unshed skin remaining on top of the new scales it appeared to be recessed patches as if some areas didn't get that deep, glossy, rich surface like the rest of him.

He doesn't react when I touch it and it doesn't look unhealthy, just matt finish where the rest looks glossy. It's in very small scatterd patches near the tail only....only about 1% body coverage.

I know it's hard without pics but I thought it might ring some bells

Has anyone else had this?

I had one hatch out like that too. I asked about it and was told by someone that they had several ch babies come in like that. He also said that they out grow it. Mine did. After it grew alittle, the dot, dot, dot, dot, dot disappeared.
Is that what it looks like? A bunch of dots down the spine area towards or on the tail end?
Hope this helps.

not really dotty, there are some single scales appearing matt instead of glossy but also a patch about 2cmx2cm on the side of his body 10cm from tail tip, not near the spine.

Thanks, i hope it clears

Willzy

Sounds like dry skin or like it shed or like a rough patch of skin. If you are having difficult sheds, your humidity may not be right. What kind of bedding do you use?

I'd just double check everything, make sure there's no sharp/overly rough edges in the cage, and definately make sure that the cage is humid (but not wet!). How dry has it been in your area?

If it doesn't seem to bug the snake, I wouldn't pick at it... Just leave it alone, make sure the next shed is perfect, and chances are it'll be fine after that.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

Hi Jenny,

thanks for your reply...

i've had him for 4 months and I was using paper towel until recently when i switched to orchid bark - this seems to retain humidity and was recommended by the pet store owner.

In London,UK, pet shops seem to have aspen,beech chip,hemp and orchid bark. I've never seen this cypress bedding that everyone talks about, except in all the pics.

the humidity is about 50% in London so it's not difficult to maintain 60-70%. Last night it was 65% in the tank and I'd misted lightly 2 days ago. During the shed I put sphagnum moss in the hide and misted a bit more - the last shed it was 80% for the whole shed cycle andI expected him to shed perfectly.

I'm sure it's just a 1-off thing that will clear.

Thanks for the peace of mind and advice,

Willzy