Flakey Scales

[aszczur]

Hello all! I have a Mexican Black Kingsnake and he’s maybe 10 years old. He has never had any health problems but recently I noticed that he’s got dry, flaky, uneven surfaced scales. He shed recently and they looked shiny again but have since gone flaky again. They are on his head, I don’t see any other issues along his body and belly. I attached a picture where you can see the dryness. Does anyone know what this is or how to help him get better?

[Veronica]

Without really knowing everything about your snake's habitat, I would assume it's a humidity issue. It seems that their preferred humidity is from 40-60%. Can you check with a digital hygrometer to make sure the humidity is fine?

[MnGuy]

What's your snake's set up like? Do you have a full picture?

I'd suggest giving it a humid hide with damp sphagnum moss 24/7 even when it's not in shed. I'm a huge advocate of bioactive tanks, and I wonder if that would help, too.

I've used aspen before and I know it's incredibly popular and for good reason (affordable, clumps great to get rid of waste, holds tunnels, etc.), but it's also incredibly dry.

Good luck.