Shedding......I think

[daver676]

Hello All,

My ball is about 3 months old, and since I got him, I have had to assist feed him twice. Anyways, I think he is going into his first shed, but I'm not sure. His skin is very dull and wrinkly. Is he shedding?

Also, I have been having alot of trouble keeping the humidity up in his tank. It's usually only around 40% or so. He has a large water dish, and a humid hide, but I never see him in them. The enclosure is a 15 gallon fish tank with a screen lid, half covered with a towel (to try and keep humidity in). Substrate is newspaper covered with paper towels. Warm side 90, cool side 76-80. I do mist, but that only keeps the humidity up for like 20 minutes or so. What can I do? Try a different substrate?

Thanks

Dave

PS - Kidney transplant successful so far. All the numbers look good. Thanks for your thoughts everyone!

[Solid Snake]

the best thing to do to keep humidity up in a tank is covering the lid with tin foil. Puting a towel over it won't help. Once u have the tin foil in, make sure u poke in alot of holes for ventalation. Mist it and slide the lid on. It should be around 70-80%. I use a 20 gallon and mine too is in a shed state.

Its 3 months old and its on its first shed!?

Mines 3 months old and hes on his 3rd shed. Guess yur not feeding it enough.

[sapphire_moon]

Wrinkly? Could be dehydrated.. Try misting like 3-4 times daily, and when he/she goes into shed about 5-6 times a day......Or get a humidfier, build a hose to go around it, and stick it on the uncovered part of the cage......If they eyes seem to be shiny silver and the belly is pink,then he/she is going into shed.

[Solid Snake]

rubber maids are really good for holding humidity. Some people dont have time to mist it 3-4 times daily. I recomend tin foiling the lid.

[MontyPython]

I've heard that 70-80 humidity is too much. They live in arid dry lands in Africa and don't get much humidity. They burrow in holes to stay away from the heat. The ideal humidity that i have heard is 50-60. Thank you

Brian

[lilyskip]

I think the 50-60 humidity thing is generally true, except when the snake goes into shed. When it's shedding the humidity should be higher to assist with a clean shed. But yeah, the arid homeland means a lower humidity during regular times than in shed.

[BurmBaroness]

Dave, take the towel you have over half of the screen lid and making it damp. Just wet it, wring it out really good, and lay back across the top. I use this with the few screen lids I have and it really helps with humidity. Good Luck

Hey, Btw, how's the little guy doing with feeding?

[Kathy]

if your screen lid locks really well, flip the tank on its side so the heat/humidity wont go out the top. The snake also gets more floor room that way.

[daver676]

BurmBaroness,

We just assist fed him a few days ago. Next feeding I'll try the tongs again, I just wanted to get something into him, he was looking pretty feeble. I just opened his mouth with the nose of the f/t fuzzy, and he did the rest. It was his best response so far. Coiled around it and swallowed it no prob, so I'm hopeful. I'll try dampening the towel. Thanks for your concern.

Kathy,

Wow great idea. I never thought of that. Thanks!

Dave