Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My ball didnt shed completely. there are patches on his back . What is the best way to get this skin off? I mist alot and it is strange that he didnt get it all off. This is the first time he has not completely shed. I will take ideas from other posts about humidity. But just need to know ho to get old skin off. Thanks Thomas

My ball python had a rough shed and I soaked it in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. Make sure the water is not too warm. I got a small shoebox size rubbermaid and put about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. After 15 minutes I started rubbing gently with my fingers on the areas that did not shed and they all came off. You make need to keep the snake in the water while doing this. Beware, your snake may poop while in the water. Guess it relaxes the snake too.

fill a container with water half the hieght of the snake. i mean if the snake is 1 inch high from stomach scale to back scale. then use a 1/2 inch of water...soak for a good hour or two. check every once in awhile for feces. the bath gets things moving alot of times.

>>My ball didnt shed completely. there are patches on his back . What is the best way to get this skin off? I mist alot and it is strange that he didnt get it all off. This is the first time he has not completely shed. I will take ideas from other posts about humidity. But just need to know ho to get old skin off. Thanks Thomas

If it were me I would soak him a bit and get a warm wet towel....not warm to you, temp around 80-85 (IR thermometers are great for this) then let the snake slither around in the damp towel to work off the bits. OR put him a box, in the towel and back on the heat of his enclosure. To prevent this I would put a humid hide in the enclosure. Get a sweater box, put a hole in the lid and fill it with damp spaghnum. Keep the moss damp, especially when shedding. Snakes that won't soak in a bowl will often go into a humid box more readily.
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Sonya

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