Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This has been a real rough winter for me and the collection so far. I've been able to manage barely by soaking my snakes everytime they shed. Ive had 3 humidifiers running non stop meters are reading 40-50%, but it doesnt seem to be helping much. Tonight my pastel shed and she looks horrible. She has what looks like skin hanging off her in shreds. It doesn't look like shed it looks like skin, but underneath the hood of skin she looks ok. I was just wondering if anyone else has seen this before. I'm going to soak her tomorrow. I was just wondering if anyone else has seen anything like what I'm describing and if there is anything to worry about other than just sheds and trying to get humidity up?
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1.0 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python

Do you do anything other than running humidifyers to keep the humidity up? Humid hides, tub misting, etc?

For my snakes that have particular problems shedding, I make sure they have a humid hide in their tub, especially when the gray-out. This can vary from a closed tupperware container full of moss with an access hole, to just a bowl sitting on top of a wet papertowel, depending on the snake. One female is notorious for getting shed stuck on her face. So right when she clears up from her gray-phase I take a cotton swab moistened with some mineral oil (unscented baby oil) and dap around her eyes, top of her head, and chin. She doesn't care much for this treatment, but it is quick and doesn't seem to bother her enough for her to resist food when she is hungry. Finally, a little bit of pro-active soaking during this post-gray-phase is good too. I use this with the mineral oil for snakes that have a bit of stuck shed from the last cycle.

Finally, I only humidify my pet room to 45-50%. Just enough to keep things comfortable if I am opening a lot of tubs.

Take what will work for you. Best of luck this winter.
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25 year old 0.1 from Lincoln, NE
Ball Pythons - 0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly, 2.1 Normals
Kingsnakes - 1.0 L. m. thayeri, 0.1 L. m. thayeri X L. alterna, 1.0 L. g. californiae
Other - 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 1.0 H. nascicus, ?.? Chrysemys picta, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

After a couple of rough sheds earlier this winter, I changed my strategy. I got a new tub for my rack that has no holes in it. I added fresh cypress mulch that is high humidity and when I have a snake that goes far enough in to she to get the cloudy eyes, I transfer them to this cage.

After one is done, I clean and disinfect the tub and replace the cypress when the next one is ready.

They clear up and have all had great sheds since.

Thats a really good idea. I'm gonna steal that one.
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1.0 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python

less holes works...

cypress...if you can get pure cypress...us it in all tubs all the time....keep it moist enough but not damp....dump water in it when needed....(dump...because the little spritz from a spray bottle is pointless)...

.......cypress....I cannot find it here in bulk at all....I would have needed hundreds of pounds of it a month...

other mulches work....beware cedar blends ...unlabeled ,cedar blends....

noone uses dirt....it works...but is really dirty obviously....

.....
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........JY

How big us your room? My snake room is 250 sq ft. I made an ultrasonic humidifier and have no trouble keeping my room any where between 50 and 80 percent humidity. I built it for under 400 including controller. I am out of town for the Dallas NARBC show but can post pictures next week. If you have any questions just email me.

Marshall
NoCo Reptiles
www.nocoreptiles.com

My room is probably 300 sq feet. Yeah I'd like to see pictures if you could email me. Thanks
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1.0 Spider Ball Python
1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pastel Ball Python
0.3 Het for Albino Ball Python
0.1 Pinstripe Ball Python
0.1 Bumble Bee Ball Python
1.0 Hypo Ball Python
1.0 Lesser Ball Python
0.1 Mojave Ball Python
0.2 Het for Piebald Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python

Hi,

I haven't read the other resonses yet, so if I'm being repetitive, I apologize. Our winters in Buffalo are very dry as well and they can take their toll on our shedding snakes if I don't compensate for it. I do so by dumping a bit of their water bowl into the substrate under their hide (which is in part above the heat source) once they go into the blue. Moist substrate will not bother their skin while in a shed and it usually dries out quickly anyway. If I moisten their substrate, they shed great, if I forget, they need a soaking. I personally wouldn't use a humidifier because of the electrical costs and mold potential in a sealed home/building in the wintertime. Prolonged, high ambient moisture is very bad for a stick built structure over time. If you keep the moisture in the substrate, the snakes will have more contact and derive more benefit. If after they shed, the substrate feels too moist, compost it and put in fresh, dry stuff. It is a common problem and you certainly are not alone. Good luck.

Will