Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have noticed the skin on my 7 month python has become "wrinkly". I am concerned that it could be due to dehydration. I have sprayed the boa with mist daily and have changed his water dish daily as well.

I have also noticed that he is begining to shed. Were the wrinkles a result of dehydration or is it because he is begining to shed his skin?

If it is dehydration, what can I do to remedy the problem?

Thanks.

Sounds to me like the humidity may be too low. What is your setup? You might want to add a small plastic bowl of moist sphagnum moss with a hole to get in and out.
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Jay A. Martin

I have a very plain set up at the moment. I am still in the process of combating a mite problem. I dont want to place any moss or soil based substrate until I am absolutely certain the enclosure is mite free.

The boa is in a 25 gallon tank with a large hidebox and a 3" deep water dish. Temperature is steady at around 80-84 degrees. I first noticed the folds on his skin the last time I fed him, which was a week ago.

This is the Ball Python forum.

That's ok, yes, you need to combat the mite problem. I recommend Provent-a-Mite - great stuff! You could do well to soak your snake in luke-warm water. This might even drown a few mites. Be careful that there isn't too much water and your snake has a place to rest his head.
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Jay A. Martin

Yes it is a boa. There hasnt been another outbreak of mites, so I am not overly concerned with that at the moment.

The dehydration matter is my main concern rite now. What is the best method to force pedialite or gatorade into the ball python? Do I need a long tube forced down the snake?

Anyone with experience in this matter I would appreciate a reply.

Thanks.

you mention python and boa. You say you are combating mites and then you say there hasn't been another mite outbreak and you are not concerned.

I cannot help you until I know (and you know) what is going on.

At any rate, if your animal is dehydrated (unless severely), do not force anything in it. If it is just going through a dry shed and you do this, you can cause more damage than you think.
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Jay A. Martin

Oops sorry, I do have ball and a boa.. However, my question was regarding the ball python..

My initial question wasn't about the mites. You asked about my enclosure so I stated that I have a basic set up due to a mite problem in the past.

My question is about the possible dehydration my snake is suffering. How do you distinguish between severe dehydration and minor dehydration. In either case, what the best approach to combat this problem. When should you start force feeding fluid?

dont force fluids down its throat you can only make your stuation worse. it sounds like minor dehydration. first off put a larger water bowl in the cage if possible. not a deeper one but one with more surface area. if possible close off like half of the top of the cage with saran wrap. but leave the other half normal so you get some air flow. you can also use a hide box with lightly damp orchid moss. keep your temp in the upoper 80's like 88 it will take some time to show improvement but it will work. if you are real worried take the animal to the vet.

...I din't have time to read the prior posts (my mouse is acting up), but I'd say your snake has a retained shed skin. You might have missed its blue period, didn't up the humidity, and he couldn't shed his skin on the correct day. A snake that can't shed on the correct day (instinct) will give up and then you're left with a wrinkly snake with a retained shed skin.
Give this snake a good soak in lukewarm water (water deep enough to just cover the snake while lying flat-put a heat pad under about 1/3 of the container and frequently CHECK THE TEMP so you don't parboil him!!) and the skin should loosen in places enough for you to shed him out. Just prior to doing so re-wet its head to make sure his head skin is soften. You may need to use a fine-tip forcep to shed its head and remove the eyecaps SLOWLY! Hope this helps! Scott J. Michaels DVM