Shed problem... seeking advice

[Shad0w]

Good day all,

Here is the situation,
The male ATB I got 2 weeks ago went into shed.
Last night he shed his head/eyes up to about 2 inches down his neck where it stopped.

I tried helping him with soaking etc... and it seems like the skin 2 inches below the head is glued to his body and not comming off very easy...

Just looking for advice... dont wanna stress him too much.

[Paleosuchus]

Hey Shadow, the only advise i have is to either take a long cotton swab and try and get it off that way, Or, put the amazom into a warm/damp pillow case over night with alittle piece of bark or something for an extra rough surfice.

-Jason

[JonD]

My original male I picked up was kind of a rescue. He had many sheds stuck along his neck and was infested with mites. It took about 3 sheds for him to go back to normal.

I would stay away from a wet/damp pillow case because wet fabric doesn't breathe well and could suffocate it. I can't remember Shad0w, is it in a custom enclosure, rubber maid or tank?

What I would do is go to Walmart or a store like that. They have these clear tall sterelite containers with blue lids that latch shut and have a handle on top. (They arn't that big) Drill/burn some holes in it. Put a branch or something that the Amazon can climb on, as well as a half inch of water on the bottom( no substrate) I will also spray down the container as well to increase humidity right away.

He should lose his stuck shed with in a few hours!

This extra container is used for transport or a holding cage while im cleaning, so it isn't a one time waste of $.

Hope this helps. This is what has worked well for me in the past.;)

Cheers;

Jon Dona

[JonD]

I forgot to mention, I find this method the most stress free on the snake as well as myself. Amazon's don't always like being man handled;) This way it allows them to work it off them selves
:)

[marisa]

After you have dealt with the current skin issues, I would focus on hydrating the snake over the next couple weeks to prevent another bad shed.

I would inject his prey items with water. I do/did this for our GTP and it works wonders on them. All prey is also fed wet, to add extra water.

Marisa

[JonD]

Good point Marisa!

[Manitoban Herps]

Our male ATB had the same problem and we just added a humidifier to his cage and in a matter of a few days all of his stuck skin was gone.

Good luck.

[BOA68]

Just curious Shadow, but what is the humidity in the enclosure on a daily basis?? day and night

[JonD]

Originally posted by BOA68
Just curious Shadow, but what is the humidity in the enclosure on a daily basis?? day and night
He just got it two weeks ago. Most likely would have been from previous owners husbandry.;)

[Shad0w]

humidity is between 80% or so on the high side and 70% or so on the low side...

And yea... When I got them they looked somewhat dehydrated and took a chance on them...

Soaked the male last night, and took off about 40% of the skin... he ate tonight so im going to keep humidity on the high end and try again in a couple of days after a soaking.