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A Probalem with my snake's shed

Itamaro Mar 19, 2004 03:14 PM

I have a young ball for about a month now.
Will I bought he was probably in start of a shed cycle and I guess he got stressed and the shed did'nt pass well, and it went off in small pieces, but it came of after a while but only a piece of skin still covered his head, and before I could take it of, it entered another shed cycle and again, the shed passed much better than the previous one, but still, the skin over his head still stayed.
People recommended me to do him a bath, and I did but when I reach to his head it frights him and he curles up. But I also got reccomendation about keeping him in the tab for some 15 minutes or so, that he will get used to the situation, and than trying to take his skin of.
I'll try it tommorow because today he had a couple of 'hellos' with the bathm but I was wandering maybe someone here can give me some other nice and original edvice that might help.

P.S.
The Shed ended four days ago, and about a few days before the shed stared he ate for the last time (and young mouse). The thing is that I'm not feeding him because I don't want to pressure his head or something.

thanks!

Replies (8)

Tigergenesis Mar 19, 2004 05:24 PM

Bad sheds are due to low humidity. What's your humidity?

My BPs first shed was in pieces also. I tried many things to help him get the skin off, and what worked best for me was to take a tupperware/rubbermaid like bowl, punch airholes in the lid, fill with damp spaghum moss, place the snake in the bowl, put the lid on and sit on the warm side of the tank. I left him in there for about an hour and when he came out the skin was very soft. I then wrapped him in a damp towel and as he crawled around the towel rubbed the skin off.
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fredhammes Mar 19, 2004 11:22 PM

I have had good luck with the put-him-in-a-damp-pillowcase trick.
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Itamaro Mar 20, 2004 04:58 AM

What is the trick?
And I try to keep my humidity level around 70% but it always drops pretty fast to 50-60%. But in a week or so I'll change the wood chips to forest bark, that as I heard it keeps the humidity much better than the chips.

toddbecker Mar 20, 2004 10:00 AM

what kind of enclosure is your snake in. Glass aquirium?

Itamaro Mar 20, 2004 11:01 AM

Glass terrarium.
But he have enought things he can rub against if this is where you're heading, such as rocks, a tree branch and two clay pots.

jaydaddy_26 Mar 20, 2004 11:04 AM

I do not think that is what he was aiming at. It is because glass tanks (especially ones with screen tops) do not hold humidity very well at all.
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toddbecker Mar 20, 2004 10:44 PM

Glass terrariums with screen cages make it so difficult to maintain humidity. I would suggest that you block off about 3/4 of the screen with tape or aluminum foil. If you use tape just ensure that your snake cannot get any part of its body onto the sticky part of the tape. I would also suggest that you put in a humid hide with some sphagnum moss. This should hlp a lot in your ability to maintain the proper humidity levels and this should eliminate the bad sheds. Hope this helps. todd

Itamaro Mar 21, 2004 10:22 AM

Ok.
NExt week I'll switch his mattres to the Forest Bark thing, and see how it goes with the humidity.
Then I'll try all of the humidity boxes and all.
Thanks.

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