Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My little 4 month old has been super wrinkly for a week now. i mean, sometimes my buddies get wrinkly before they shed, but this is exceptional. on top of that, she isn't even *trying* to shed- she's just sitting on her perch and not moving around. most of my snakes are very inactive before they shed, but i know that GTPs are so sensitive and i am worried.
i took her out and she seemed out of it, when before she has been so sweet, alert, and friendly.
i have read countless sites, have put her in a container with wet towels, mist her 2-4 times a day. she ate very recently, so at least that seemed ok.

is there something wrong or do i need to be more patient? i might take her to the vivarium tomorrow to have her looked at.

What are the humidity levels like in the enclosure? Misting won't do much good if the cage doesn't hold the humidity in. How is it eating for you? Sounds like a difficult shed coming, or stuck shed, but hard to say for sure. I would place it in a small container or deli cup with wet paper towels, and leave the container in its cage where it is warm, for about 6 hours. I would be more comfortable doing this if it is eating well though, but hasn't eaten within the last few days. I received an animal like this once and had to shed it manually, like peeling a banana, but would avoid that if at all possible.

Good luck,
Bart

i tried that a few times, but not for so long. i just put her in again and will leave her in there for longer.
i think she is too small to assist with her shed- i am scared i would hurt her...

i have an exo-terra tank, with a huge (takes up most of the bottom of the tank) bowl of water with a bubbling fountain in it. i bought a humidity gauge from the store, but was then told that that kind doesn't work and they don't sell others. i need to get a real one... and i think i need to cover up part of the top of the screen tank, because i just can't tell how the humidity holds.

thank you for your response!

she is sitting in a little tub with wet towels in her tank, and i revamped the scene in there, and went online and bought a fogger machine (the good, outside-the-tank-expensive kind). i also blocked off a lot of the screen with tinfoil so that more humidity stays in. i hope she sheds on her own soon.. i love her so much and want her to be healthy!

hi!!!
was reading your post and i have the exact same exoterra
for both gtp and you must definatly cover the top,otherwise your not holding humidity .
i have the 9x12 heat panel on one end and the rest is coverd with a sheet of acrylic plexiglass,i do have a small section in the back i can move for more ventilation but never needed to.
the front cracks in the windows and vent on the bottom of them is suficient,plus you open up to mist anyways.

if you look at my picks you might see what i'm discribing.
i keep moss on the bottom to hold humidity a fair size bowl of water but not huge,vines and fake plants,mist twice a day and i have auto misting incase i don't make it home to do my part

hope this helps
steff

Your past the point of it shedding on its own. All the chemical cues are gone, so you can either shed it manually, or wait untill the next shed cycle ( which will be excelerated ). I wouldn't recommend waiting for more than a couple of weeks, otherwise you'll be looking at possible skin/tail damage.
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South Central Herpetological

thank you-
i took her to the vivarium, and someone there shed her manually. her skin came of completely and in one piece, however he said he was worried about her afterwards, because all down her back she was "sticky". he said that tacky feeling usually came when they weren't ready to shed yet. but it was confusing because her skin came off in one piece- she was *overdue* for the shed. i waited 48hrs to handle her, and just took her out... she is no longer "sticky", however, her skin doesn't look right. it has a shiny, almost scar-tissue-like quality down her spine and on the top of her head. it is still wrinkly. she has been drinking from her fountain a lot, and definitely has been more active than she was, so i am hoping that this will just heal after the next shed cycle. i have a fogger in her tank now, so the humidity will be nice and high and healing. i am still worried though.

any insight??

Use caution with foggers. I've heard of several people who had a fire due to them running out of water and the element overheating. I hope she really was shedding and you didn't prematurely shed her out. I've had some look pretty crappy before a shed.
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5.5~Cornsnakes
3.4.2~Green tree python
3.2~ATB
0.1~Sibon Nebulatus
Dogs, cats, horses....
www.franclycac.com

Is it captive raised or wild caught? Pick up a copy of Greg Maxwell's book, the More Complete Chondro, and read it from cover to cover.

I have a young neo also and just throwing this out there, I have mine in a small rubbermaid tub, few holes drilled, and mist daily or every other...holds humudity great..only heat source is an under-heat mat set at 85......works great!

I see a lot of people here with neo GTPs setting them up in elaborate vivarium style habitats. That's like putting the horse before the cart. Sure the guy selling all the junk is happy, but I doubt the Chondros are. A completely wrong mentality for Chondros. Rethink what you're doing. Here's an analogy -- Do you put a newborn baby in a full king size bed to sleep? No. You put them in a bassinet. Then a baby bed. Then a twin size bed, and so on. Make sense? You have to keep it simple. It's all about function and parameter control. All the decorations in the world don't contribute a thing. That stuff is for the humans. The snake could care less. Success isn't determined by the amount of money you spend. Instant gratification rarely works with reptiles, especially true with Chondros.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

This is the best advice I've seen in a long time. As I always say, do what works best for you, but more importantly for your animals.
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com