Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby ball is having a hard time shedding. I have soaked him in warm water and tried the shed aid solution but he is still having problems getting the skin off.
I make sure that his tank has a humidity of 50-60% all the time.

Any suggestions?

First of all - bump the humidity in your tank up to at least 70-75% during shed cycles - you can provide a humid hide - but I've found more often then not snakes wont use them. Also - soaking snakes and spraying them with that shed aid stuff - stresses them out and makes it more difficult for them to shed - you should just leave them be and let them get it done theirselves. That means no handling - no poking at them - no checking on them every 5 second to make sure they are ok. Bump the humidity - provide a water dish with fresh water and leave them be.

If the snake has already attempted its shed and it's got skin hanging all over it get a warm wet towel and place him inside for a while. Hold him still and just let the humidity inside the towel do it's work - then coax him to crawl through the towel apply a little pressure and the skin should slough off pretty easily. You can also use a pillow case and tie it up - but I find the courser towels work better.

Hope this helps.
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Tosha

"One of these days i am going to wake up..look around...and realize my place looks more like "Ace Venturas"s than my own." Coldthumb

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Thanks for the info.. I'll be sure to dump up the humidity when i get in tonight.

My baby ball just shed for the first time since I've had her and it all come off in a great piece. Anyway, what worked for me was keeping the humidity high (I sprayed down her hiding area everyday) and, once a day, I'd soak her in warm water for about an hour or so. I would put her in a plastic container that she couldn't get out of, fill it with the warm water (not so much that she would drown, but enough to cover her body) and leave her alone for the hour or so. The only time I bothered her during the entire shedding process was to get her out to soak her and putting her back in the tank. Otherwise, I let her do her thing. And it worked! Yesterday I came home and the skin was off, she had pooped... and she was HUNGRY
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1.1.1 Ball pythons (Diablo, Mercedes, and Ciqala)
0.2.0 Cats (Kate and Clarice)
1.0.0 Rabbits (Milosh)