really poor sheds

[tonyb]

ive just bought a new adult royal python and she was just about to shed when i got her. however, now shes started shedding its awful. her skin is just in a thousand small pieces. i asked the chap i got her from if she normally had good sheds and his reply was. "ive had her for three years and in that time her longest piece of shed was about two inches, dont worry shes always shed in small pieces"

will all those years of bad sheds affect her and make her always have bad sheds or will she recover now shes in better hands????

The guy i got her from didnt have a clue, he thought it was normal to shed in little pieces.

[Princess Erica]

It might take a few sheds for her to have good sheds, but if your husbandry is spot on, it'll happen.

To get the rest of this shed off, I'd suggest soaking her in VERY shallow water for like half an hour. The dried skin should be hanging off by that point, and very easy to remove. For the next shed, make sure she has access to somewhere to soak (like a moist hide, filled with damp sphagum moss or wet paper towels) and make sure your humidity is jacked through the roof (70%+). The very high humidity totally solved my guy's shed problems, hopefully it'll work for you too!

[mykee]

Assuming there is no retained shed on your ball after you fix her up this time, and assuming you take the advice and crank your humidity levels to 80+%, your next shed should be in one, beautiful piece. I would also suggest buying a book or three on the captive husbadry on ball pythons. Good luck.

[tonyb]

cheers i have a large humid hide for her anyway, ive always used them. its the guy i bought her from that should of bought a book or three. his set up was really bad. ivekept her humidity high since she started sheding, my snakes have never had a bad shed before so i didnt know if she would ever get back to normal.

[mykee]

Assuming your husbandry is close to dead on, you shouldn't have a problem next time 'round.