Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a 4 mnth old hatchling...iv only had him 10 days and now im seeing him shed for the first time....he eats fine9very good actually)..he started shedding on top of his head and then thats it..its now the next day and still just a patch of torn skin on the top of his head..is this normal??..i keep the humidity high..and i sprayed him a few times since i saw the beginning of a shed..the question is this...should i have something abrasive to help him shed with??his tank has nothing but a water dish and pvc pipe..everything is smooth..so i was thinking that maybe he is having trouble shedding because he has nothing to rub his head on..is a shed supposed to go on for 2 days?does it come in one big piece like most other snakes or does it shed in flakes like a monitor??..right now by the look of his head it looks more like a monitor shed than any snake im used to...thanks in advance for the advice..oh one more question..like i said he eats very good...almost too good..he would take a small pinkie every day if i offer it to him(i have fed him 3 days in a row)is it very bad to over feed him if he wants it??i hear all these problems with gtp not eating..and mine im worried about eating too much!!..thanks again james

James, it sounds as if the humidity is too low. Even if you spray him every day, if the cage is drying out in just a couple of hours, either you heat is too high, or the humidity is escaping too rapidly. If he's in an aquarium, I would suggest setting him up in a rubbermade container until he gets more size. Usually they can be kept in a 12 qt. size until they are 1-1.5 years old. If you have a deli-cup, GENTLY place the snake in the cup with a moist paper towel and place it back in the cage. This will usually help the skin come off within a couple of hours........and the skin should always come off in one piece. My babies don't seem to have any problem shedding with just the perch and a water bowl.

As for the feeding........one meal every 5-7 days for hatchlings to yearlings is enough. Feeding him 3 days in a row is going to cause problems. Juviniles especially, are know for prolapsing.........and this is usually cause by low humidity and overfeeding. A feeding neonate is a great thing, but don't feed him when he wants to eat.......feed him when he needs to eat. Usually it's a maturing male you hear that is not feeding. Good luck.

Brandon Osborne

>>>>>have a 4 mnth old hatchling...iv only had him 10 days and now im seeing him shed for the first time....he eats fine9very good actually)..he started shedding on top of his head and then thats it..its now the next day and still just a patch of torn skin on the top of his head..is this normal??..i keep the humidity high..and i sprayed him a few times since i saw the beginning of a shed..the question is this...should i have something abrasive to help him shed with??his tank has nothing but a water dish and pvc pipe..everything is smooth..so i was thinking that maybe he is having trouble shedding because he has nothing to rub his head on..is a shed supposed to go on for 2 days?does it come in one big piece like most other snakes or does it shed in flakes like a monitor??..right now by the look of his head it looks more like a monitor shed than any snake im used to...thanks in advance for the advice..oh one more question..like i said he eats very good...almost too good..he would take a small pinkie every day if i offer it to him(i have fed him 3 days in a row)is it very bad to over feed him if he wants it??i hear all these problems with gtp not eating..and mine im worried about eating too much!!..thanks again james