Help, very wrinkly baby

[noodlesoup]

I know wrinkly is a sign of shedding, and his eyes were cloudy (not extremely blue) on july 6th, but he hasnt shed and he is VERY wrinkly. Not sure if this is normal in baby boas?? His eyes arent cloudy anymore, he ate on monday, and I've been misting him and just added an extra water bowl to the warm side of his tank.

I've attached a picture. Please let me know if this is warrants a vet trip or what I need to do. I tend to over worry so I havent taken him to the vet just yet.

[noodlesoup]

Also would like to add that he is very aboreal and I've NEVER seen him on the ground of his enclosure. Not sure if he is drinking water, it's always very clean and appears untouched.

[noodlesoup]

Sorry one more thing, I also have a UVB light on, because I've heard it doesnt hurt, but does it??

[dannybgoode]

UV light should be fine but it does depend on strength of the bulb and the make.

That does look very wrinkly though. What are you feeding it and how often and what sources of water does it have access to.

[noodlesoup]

He's been eating every 6 days, he ate last on Monday. I called the vet and I'm going to try soaking him for ten minutes tonight. He eats hopper mice

[noodlesoup]

He ha a large water bowl on thee cool side of his tank, I added another to the warm side this morning

[RedTailRutiodon]

The way the shed cycle works is that they "go blue" for a few days (the period where the eyes get cloudy), look relatively normal for a few more, and then actually shed. Those few days between the blue stage and actually shedding can be confusing to new keepers (I've definitely been fooled by it) but this doesn't seem unusual to me. The whole cycle varies, but usually takes a week or two from the first indications of it starting to the actual shed.

[noodlesoup]

Thank you that makes me feel so much better. I just thought he looked overly wrinkled and I don't want to miss something, like him being sick or dehydrated.

[SerpentineDream]

How big is the snake and how big is his prey?

One common reason for snakes to have loose skin like that is malnourishment. Often new owners can underestimate the size of prey thay they should be feeding, either right from the start or when it's past time to move up to larger prey. There's no malice or cruelty--they just don't know.

Since he's got ready access to water that would be the next likely possibility.

Another guess, if he's being fed the correct size prey, might be internal parasites.

[noodlesoup]

The prey is a bit bigger than his largest section, it's a hopper, I can move up to small mice though if you think that would be better. Here's a pic of him eating, if that helps?


I soaked him for ten minutes today and got his humidity up to 68 on the cool side and 85 on the hot side. I also have a vet appointment for tomorrow, I'm assuming at this point that's a necessary step? Also, he currently has a carpet type bedding with lots of sphagnum moss, I am switching over to the coconut stuff that comes in a big block and holds more humidity (I bought it and it's at my house and everything) I just didn't want to switch out his bedding until after he sheds

[SerpentineDream]

Slightly larger than his thickest section is a good size. From the photo he *looks* like he should be able to take prey one size bigger than what you're giving him but it's hard to make that call without actually seeing him in person. Feeding him prey that's too big causes problems of its own.

Take a stool sample with you to the vet. They'll be able to test it for parasites. If nothing else, the vet should be able to give you an opinion on feeding size / frequency and your husbandry. That should help put your mind at ease.

[noodlesoup]

GREAT NEWS! The humidity was high last night and I woke up to a shedding snake! He's on his half log hide, I think he's using that rough surface to pull pieces off. It's a very piecy shed so I'll definitely half to switch the bedding and keep the humidity much higher in the future, and possibly soak him again if he retains any pieces, but he's shedding! I won't bring him to the vet today as I don't want to move him while he's in shed, should I still bring him monday?

[Andy_G]

I never advise soaking as there are easier and less stressful solutions. Consider a humid hide at shed time as well. I see no reason to bring him to a vet if there's no known issue.

[noodlesoup]

That's good to know, if I can't get the rest of the shed off do you recommend using a wet towel? I'm happy to change my techniques, I'm still learning :)

Thank you all for all the wonderful help, it was really great.

[BillyCostume]

When I brought home my amazon tree boa he went into shed within the first couple of day I had him. He had the same look before shedding. Mind you he was kept really dry and had a horrible shed. Like previously mentioned pay extra attention to humidity during shed. Including a humid hide is a good idea. Happy to hear all is sorted out :)

[SerpentineDream]

If he looks better you don't need the vet. If he's still wrinkly and you don't want to bring him in you can always bring a stool sample to test for internal parasites. That doesn't require the snake's presence. If it would put your mind at ease to take him in for a checkup that's OK too.

I've used a product called Repti Shedding Aid to help soften up the skin and make it easier for a snake with stuck shed to get it off. A warm moist towel works too. Providing a humid hide at shedding time is an excellent idea, especially if you live in an area where humidity is low.

[noodlesoup]

Perfect!! Thank you!! Last question, how long should I give him to finish the shed on his own? And how do I know if the eye caps have been shed?

[dannybgoode]

Perfect!! Thank you!! Last question, how long should I give him to finish the shed on his own? And how do I know if the eye caps have been shed?

My snakes usually shed in a few hours. Assuming the shed is complete and in one piece is easy enough to see the eye caps when you stretch the shed out.

It's rarer for an eye cap to be raletained than for bits of shed to be stuck elsewhere on the body - the eye caps are one of the first things to come off so usually unless humidity is way off they are fine.

In particular check around the tail - this is the last bit to come off and it's more common for there to be problems here. Stuck shed on the tail can, over time, cause the blood flow to be restricted and for it to lose part of it as a consequence.

[dannybgoode]

Oh and note do keep and eye on the snake - it does look very wrinkly even for it being in shed. Post some pics after its done.

[bigsnakegirl785]

How big is the snake and how big is his prey?

One common reason for snakes to have loose skin like that is malnourishment. Often new owners can underestimate the size of prey thay they should be feeding, either right from the start or when it's past time to move up to larger prey. There's no malice or cruelty--they just don't know.

Since he's got ready access to water that would be the next likely possibility.

Another guess, if he's being fed the correct size prey, might be internal parasites.

Actually, loose skin doesn't say anything of the snake's body tone. Loose skin like that indicates dehydration, not malnourishment. It looks like the boa has a case of stuck shed. Humidity should be 70-80% at all times, access to water does not increase a boa's hydration by a measurable amount if the humidity is not adequate.

A hopper every 6 days is overfeeding. It should be eating that same size meal every 10-14 days, no more than 7 at the absolute max. With young boas, a slight bulge is ok, but I like the bulge to be small enough it isn't obvious the snake has recently ate.

There is no need to bump the prey size, noodlesoup, an adult mouse is too much food for your boa right now. My boas don't normally make the jump to adult mice until they're 9-11 months and 150-180+ grams.



To get the humidity up, ditch the carpet completely. It's unsanitary and doesn't provide humidity. I would go with the coco coir like you planned, I usually pour just enough water in it to make it slightly damp. No water should come out when you squeeze it, and should fall freely from your hands when you let it fall from your hands (not in clumps).

I'm not sure if you're soaking him regularly, or you just soaked him for this shed cycle, but as mentioned soaking is unnecessary. I would only soak if the snake has a stuck shed, or if it's a medicinal bath.


If you do do a fecal, keep in mind you have to have a fresh, undried sample, and it has to be refridgerated if you aren't taking the sample in immediately. It can last in the fridge (not freezer) for 24 hours, maybe 48 max.

[noodlesoup]

**UPDATE**
The humidity has been so much higher than usual (around 80%) thank God. So this morning I woke up to fresh poop (I hadn't seen any in the 2 weeks I've owned him, I'll put it in the fridge and bring it to the vet tomorrow, just to rule out any parasites) He also shed another big piece of skin! I honestly think it was a lot of husbandry issues, which is completely my fault. As much research as I did beforehand, it's a completely different experience once you actually get the snake home.

Later today I will take him from the tank and remove the carpet and put in the new coco bedding :) that should help A LOT with humidity, I think he was honestly severely dehydrated :( Poor boy. But it won't happen again! And I will definitely switch to feeding every 7 days. The guy at the expo who I bought him from said every 5-7 days so I just threw out all of the stuff I read and listened to him, stupidly. And the soaking was just that one time for the stuck shed, the vet advised it.

Thank EVERY ONE above, you helped more than you know. I don't know if my snake would be doing this well right now without all of your advice :) It's so so greatly appreciated. I will post update pics once I redo the enclosure tonight :)

[bigsnakegirl785]

That's great to hear! How's she looking now that she's had a fresh shed? The double shed thing has me confused, so hopefully that just means she looks like normal now.

A lot of people seem to like the 5-7 day plan for most snakes, I'd classify it as power feeding since you're feeding the snake long before it's had a chance to digest its food. 10-14 days is best for young boas, 7 being the minimum I'd go before feeding them again. If it makes you feel uncomfortable to go so long between feedings, 7 days will be fine for the time being. Be aware, once she turns a year, she needs to be put on a 10-14 day schedule as her metabolism will begin dropping. She'll still grow fairly rapidly for another 1-3+ years though - they're not overly fast growers when fed properly, but she'll still grow a lot during this time compared to when/if she reaches 6'+ (it could take several years to grow another foot after this point). As an adult, you'll be looking at a schedule of one appropriately sized rat or rabbit every 4-6 weeks. I usually start implementing this frequency around the 3-4 year mark.

[noodlesoup]

He's looking SO much better :D I've been so stressed over this, so it feels good knowing what to do now and that he's fine! I'll start with 7 days for right now, and then bump to 8, 9, 10 in the coming months! I don't think it was a double shed, he was just stuck in this shed. Humidity was MUCH to low. Won't do that again.

There's a little bit of mold on the corner of his wooden hide, like a tiny bit from the sphagnum moss touching it and how wet I needed to get it the past few days with the bad flooring choice. When I switch out the flooring tonight should I just toss the wood and buy a new one or is there a way to clean off the mold? It's a very very tiny amount of mold, but I'm not sure about protocol here.

[bigsnakegirl785]

He's looking SO much better :D I've been so stressed over this, so it feels good knowing what to do now and that he's fine! I'll start with 7 days for right now, and then bump to 8, 9, 10 in the coming months! I don't think it was a double shed, he was just stuck in this shed. Humidity was MUCH to low. Won't do that again.

There's a little bit of mold on the corner of his wooden hide, like a tiny bit from the sphagnum moss touching it and how wet I needed to get it the past few days with the bad flooring choice. When I switch out the flooring tonight should I just toss the wood and buy a new one or is there a way to clean off the mold? It's a very very tiny amount of mold, but I'm not sure about protocol here.

The new bedding will facilitate mold growth on wood touching it as well. You will have to either treat the wood so that it's water resistant (use non-toxic sealers of course), or use plastics only.

[noodlesoup]

I switched to plastic :) He still hasn't shed his neck or head. He ate fine 48 hours ago, what should I do now? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I've been spraying him down multiple times a day, as well as the tank. I'm having trouble getting the humidity consistent. I'll leave it at 70/80% but when I get home it'll be around 56%? I have a towel over part of the screen to try and keep the humidity up. Let me know what you guys think!

[bigsnakegirl785]

I switched to plastic :) He still hasn't shed his neck or head. He ate fine 48 hours ago, what should I do now? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I've been spraying him down multiple times a day, as well as the tank. I'm having trouble getting the humidity consistent. I'll leave it at 70/80% but when I get home it'll be around 56%? I have a towel over part of the screen to try and keep the humidity up. Let me know what you guys think!

Try wrapping the screen with Saran wrap or aluminum foil. Towels are porous, and won't do much to keep the humidity from escaping, even if it's wet (all that does is give you a moldy towel and the same humidity problems inside the tank).

Have you already switched to the coco coir, or are you still on aspen?

If you're using coco coir: are you just spraying, or are you actually pouring cupfuls of water into the bedding and mixing it up? I have found in the past with coco coir that just spraying the bedding doesn't do much. You have to actually pour water into it and mix it up. I can link you a video I made a few years ago of what I do if you want. You're just wanting to pour enough to make it slightly damp, not wet, and the moisture will slowly evaporate out of the bedding and provide 100% of your humidity, you won't ever need to spray again.