Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey my snake shed for the first time and it was shedding all over the place like my bearded dragon even, ive seen pictures of one big piece. howcome its doing thaT?

it's most likely humidity or a health problem. my guess would be humidity though.

Because you didn't take the time to learn how to take care of your snake before you got it. And because the people you bought it from didn't take very good care of it either.

...but that's okay because now you know that there's something wrong, and you want to fix it. So, to get you started, take a small bath towel and soak it with warm water. Then put it in the bottom of your tank to let your new snake hide under and crawl between. This will help a lot with getting the old skin off. It is essential that all of it's old skin comes off...especially the scales that cover its eyes. Next, you'll want to spend the rest of the next few days reading this website, and any other website you can find that will help you make sure you are taking care of your snake correctly.

thanks for your help, i have a big water dish in his cage and i soak him once a week to make sure he poops and everything. i dont see how its my fault but ill do what you said and hopefully it helps

The humidity is too low in his cage. If you, like probably most people, keep him in a glass tank with a screen top, you can cover some of the screen with something (I like plastic wrap - it works and it's cheap) to keep the moisture in. Do you use a heat lamp? That can accelate moisture loss from the cage. You can put in a water bowl right under/above the heat source to increase evaporation, increasing humidity in the tank (if the screen it covered), misting the cage will increase humidity also.

You -can- keep it at proper humidity levels in an aquarium with screen top and heat lamp, despite what some people on this forum try to say. It's just harder. I have an amazon tree boa - which needs higher ambient humidity than a ball python - in a tank w/ heat lamp and screen lid. I have the lid covered mostly with plastic wrap, and a walgreens humidifier pumping into the cage 4x a day for about 6 minutes. (this way I -never- even have to mist). It has perfect sheds.
-----
-audri
Webpage/Pics

i agree that knowing about your animal before purchase is best. however people dont need to be repremanded when they ask for advise. people post in here to get answers not an a$$ reaming. go easy on people and just help create more informed readers.

I agree, not every one on here knows everthing there is to know about herps. Be nice.

i really dont care, constuctive criticism is fine with me. ive been called a noob and people say i should have researched more. but im pretty experienced with lizards..monitors beardies chameleons etc... this is my first snake though but i DID research alot just people dont always understand my questions perfectly. anyways thx for ur advice

where did you buy that snake from?

just a pet shop. i didnt want to order one from a breeder cause i live on vancouver island. kind of an awkward place to ship to.wouldve been very expensive (thats what a few breeders told me)

what pet shop? I live on the island as well and there are quite a few breeders here

hey e-mail me you're proper e-mail address as i cant reply to you with the one you sent

scott

If your snake is really having sheds that are in a hundred flakes, then that is a pretty clear sign that the environment and care has been way off for a pretty good time now. Most likely if the shed is as a bad as you described then there are more problems that should also be noticed quickly before they also become huge problems.

Sorry I was an A$$ but your snake is begging for a little sense of urgency from you. You need to learn all about snake husbandry NOW. You need to get a good thermometer and hygrometer NOW, so that you don't have to "estimate temps in the 90s." You need to make sure that your snake shed its eyecaps NOW, before they build up like a scab and blind it. Your snake is suffering and needs your attention.

Sorry for being an A$$.

im glad you were an ass i learned some stuff. but i put a damp towel and a bigger water dish (surface area wise) and hes shed off almost all the skin that was still on yesterday. his eyecaps did shed and he looks like hes doing good. the good thing about this site is whenever your unsure about something you can findout how to solve the problem in an hour.

btw, whats a good care sheet / faq that has a detailed husbandry section. ive read atleast 10 full caresheets and im doing everything right according to whoever wrote them.