I recently bought my ball python from a breeder and I've been keeping the heat between 85 and 90, but I'm having trouble keeping the humidity up. The tank I have is a 20 gallon. The cover is half a permanent screen top and the other half is a glass door. It's a pretty nice cage, one that was given to me as a gift, but my ball is now shedding in bits instead of in one whole piece. His eye caps seem to have come off, but I'm going to take him in to a vet to have him checked out anyway. Now, after all that long rant, what I'd like to know is, should I cover the screen half of the top with glass to help raise the humidity, or is there something else I can do? I'd also like to know if I should change my 60 watt bulb for something lower? I turn the light off when it gets above 95 in the cage because I'm afraid of drying him out completely. This is my first time owning a snake by the way.
~nicole~
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ball python shedding in bits...I'm worried...
Replies (3)
you need to spray the cage more often when it is shedding. I have a humidifier that helps also. You can try putting the snake in the tub and soaking it and help it by taking of the bits of shed.
Try getting an under tank heating pad (UTH). Light bulbs dry the air out much qicker than an UTH. Try covering the top (screen part) after you spray the cage the next time it goes into a shed.
Good luck,
Chad
If you cover the screen part during shed cucles, using plastic wrap and securing it with clear tape, this should hold your humidity in well. Then you can mist the inner walls of the tank with warm water as needed.
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