I purchased my first ball python about three weeks ago. She eats like a champ and went into her first shed about a week ago. Yesterday, I noticed that she was trying to get her old skin off and it was coming off in pieces. I know that this is due to low humidity, so I tried spraying down the inside of the tank to increase the humidity. I left her be. I came back an hour or two later and she was still having problems. I removed her from the tank and soaked her in my kitchen sink in warm water. With my help, she shed her skin about a quarter of the way down but still had some on her neck, head, and eyes. I left her in a damp towel and placed her back in her tank. Later on yesterday afternoon, I went back to check on her and she still had the old skin on. I help her get this old skin off by gently rubbing her neck and head. It all came off. Needless to say, she is probably pretty pissed at me and stressed out. How can I prevent this in the future? I keep her on newspaper, she has a half log hide box, a large water dish, an under tank heater, and overhead heat light. I am afraid of too much humidity as I know it leads to bacteria problems. How can I create extra humidity for the shed cycle and not create health problems? Advice/Help is appreciated!
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Shedding Problems, Humidity Help
Replies (1)
Good humidity is important for your snakes metobolic functions - keep it around 50-60% then during shed cycles you can bump it up to 70% or above - I usually wait until their eyes clear - right before their shed- to bump the humidity - you can provide a humid shed box for your snake if you have a hard time keeping your humidity right - It's been my experience that my snakes never used them - but others swear by them. Being that she is new - she may still be a bit stressed which can cause a bad shed.
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Tosha 
"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"
7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
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