Chaos is having problems, possibly sick.

[Darkest]

Chaos is having troubles shedding. ABout 4 weeks ago she was in the "blue stage" then her skin started to peel. Now her tail and head/neck section shedded, but around the big part of her body and half of the tail section has not come off. What do i need to do to get her healthy again?

her humidity is around 55% since I dont have anything to keep the humidity up. And do I need to move her up from the basement ( mom made me put her there since she is scared of her). And she is not flicking out her tongue.

I tried introducing her a fuzzy mouse about a week ago but she just contricted it and never ate it. I think right about now I feel like I just want to give her up.

[daver676]

What are your temps? Does the snake have a few hides?

You need to find a way to get the humidity up. To get rid of the rest of the shed, wrap the snake in a warm, damp towel, but it in a small container (with air holes), and let is crawl around for a couple hours.

The fact that it isn't flicking it's tongue is a cause for concern. Could be the sign of a bigger problem. I would consult a vet about that.

[zero&stich]

Whats the ambient temp in your basement?
Usually for a snake to shed properally the humidity needs to be risen to 80% from their required humidity range which is 50-60%. A large water dish placed on the heat sorce, if usin a dome lamp and misting the sides of the glass and if usin a "wood" subtrate also helps to maintain humidity since wood absorbs water.

I've heard of people using perlite(sp?) which can be found at home garden stores say it helps to keep the humidity up, simply by sprayin the perlite and the other steps I suggested.

As for the tongue not "flicking", that could be related to a couple of issues, one bein incorrect temps. Some sugested if you had at least 2 hides 1 on eaither side of the cage. If the temp in the basement is below IMO 80 degrees its prolly a good idea to move it upstairs, in an area where there little-to-no foot traffic. Come winter it could be very chilly in the basement and the risk of a possiable R.I. is too great to risk.

But all in all, what's your setup like? A photo of your current setup?

[Darkest]

umm the temps in the basement I have no idea. My set up, 1 hide with a newspaper subsrate. My heating pad is broke, so temperarilly(sp) im using an over-tank basking lamp. I have no photo.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by Darkest
umm the temps in the basement I have no idea. My set up, 1 hide with a newspaper subsrate. My heating pad is broke, so temperarilly(sp) im using an over-tank basking lamp. I have no photo.


You dont know what the temps are in your own house?

You should find out what the temp is and quick, and especially with it being in the basement, i can pretty much tell you your temps are going to be way low, unless you keep your whole house at 80-85 degrees.

Your temps should be at least 80 degrees for an ambient, this means the room temperature, and a hot spot of about 90-92 deg.

Thats it for a setup? no water dish? You should have at least 2 hides in there for your ball. Do you not have a thermometer or anything to know what the temps are?

And if the heating pad is "broke" you should go out and buy a new one.

I really think you should have done more research before you got this snake.

[concept3]

I keep my python with a hot spot of 95-97 and the ambient in my reptile room is 82 during the day. Im sure your snake is freezing in your basement

[Artemis]

First, make sure your temps are right. If you use a tank with a screen top, cover most of the top up with a towel (except for where the light is) to help hold in heat and humidity both. Position the water dish in the middle, going slightly more towards the side with the lamp, to increase humidity.

For the bad shed, take your bathtub and fill it with an inch or two of tepid to slightly warm water, and soak your snake for about 10 minutes, or as long as you can. This will help the snake finish shedding, and getting stuck shed off is important, as it can lead to scarring and/or circulation loss.

Your snake needs proper temps to digest his food. Look at the Ball Python FAQ by Matt Kameka (one of the first threads in this forum) and make sure your ranges are right, using a digital thermometer.

When you have a UTH again, you might consider switching to a rubbermaid setup, at least temporarily. This way your snake will have all his needs met until you are able to more carefully control them in his current enclosure. In the meantime, do a search on here for "humid hide" and get ideas for how to make one of your own.

If your parents are unhappy about the snake, and will not provide you with the resources you need to take care of it, then it may be in the best interest of the snake to return it to where your purchased it.

Good luck-

Artemis

[cjice]

This may not work since the under tank heater is broken, but when I need a little more humidity for skin chunks, I put a warm wet hand towel in the tank on top of where the UTH is and put a hide over it. You have to make sure to check the temp of the towel here and there but it should stay nice and warm while providing a little extra humidity. I prefer to do that instead of putting my snake in a seperate enclosure for the night for security reasons. In my oppinion, you NEED to get a new heater asap, especially if the basement air is cool. Good luck.

[Darkest]

HetforHuman, I did lots of research before i got the snake 3 years before I got her. and I dunno what the temps are because its not my house. im only a kid. But I do have a water dish and I have a humid hide and a regular hide. She just got done shedding. least nite. and about the tongue thing, she is flicking it out but not all the way. I just bought another heating pad too

[HetForHuman]

Do you have a thermometer so you know what the temps are in the room and the cage??

If not i suggest you should get one.
If you do not have one go to Wal-Mart and pick up a digital indoor-outdoor thermometer with the probe that attaches to it.
Then go and place the probe on top of your UTH and see what it says. If it is below 90 you may just have to get one that will heat a bit better. Also take the thermometer and just place it in the cool side of the tank , let it sit for awhile and see what the temp is on the cool side. If it is too cold you will prob have to move the tank, or get a heat lamp to bring up your ambient temp.

I can almost bet you the snake is not flicking its tongue well because it is way to cold.

Let us know how it goes..

[Artemis]

Het is right, and it doesnt matter what the ambients in the room are, it matters that whatever that they happen to be, you make sure to adjust your heat sources so the temps in the enclosure are correct. If you do nothing else for your snake, make sure its temps are correct. That is probably the MOST important husbandry thing. They cannot digest their food without the correct temperature. They will not eat, and if they do, then the will either eventually regurgitate it, and still be starving, or die of sepsis from it rotting in their bellies.

Sorry if you already know this, from your 3 years of research and all, but if you truly did your research, then when someone asks what your temps are, you should be able to fire em off from memory and with certainty from your regular checks of what they are, IMHO.

Hope your snake is doing better-

Artemis

[Darkest]

yes artemis, she is doing better. The tank temps on the cool side is 80degress, and the warm side is 90. I am just going to take her to the vet to give her a "check-up".

[Artemis]

Awesome. Glad to hear it! Make sure to scope for a vet with reptile experience if you haven't already :)

Artemis