Uuuummmm .... Quick question

[ferguson95521]

So, a quick question here. How often do BP's shed ? It has been almost a month since Calypso shed last. Her temps run between 72 - 80 and humidity runs about 75%.

There has been no issues with her. I have had her for almost a month. She shed the day after I got her. Her skin has a opaque-ish color on her head that she has had for about a week. I think she may be getting ready to shed but I'm not sure. She has been eating with no problems.

Any advise is much appreciated !!

[siz]

first, she should be shedding soon if she is opaque. She will clear up and then shed. Make sure you bump your humidity up when she sheds to at least 85% or higher.
They shed when they grow - there isn't a 'set' time for them to shed.
Secondly your temps are way off. She should have a basking spot of about 92 f, and her ambient temps should be around 80f. 72f is too low. And your humidity doesn't need to be that high all the time, 60% or so is good but this shouldn't be constant if you are increasing humidity by misting because things will get damp and you could cause a respitory infection in your snake.

[Joel La Rocque]

How old is the snake? Any snake under a year of age with a good diet might shed every 45 to 60 days or 5 times the first year. The second year will be every 60 to 90 days and so on. All species are different but close.Siz is right about the temperatures, up them a bit. If you mist it try and not soak the surroundings, you don't want a fungus growing or infection. When her (or his) eyes cloud over, stop handling it until it sheds and I do not feed mine while in a shed cycle. I find a heated vaporizer works great and it keeps the room at 75 to 90% humidity during the cycle. Make sure it has a bowl large enough to soak in and change the water after every soak. Make sure you check the shed after it falls off to insure the Brill's' (Eye caps) have come off with the rest of the shed. If they remain on, which is unusual, wait for the next shed, they should come off then but if they don't, it is time to see the vet. Last but far from least, make sure it has a "Hide" box just large enough to stay in during a cycle, a snake with out a place to hide is a stressed snake and nothing will kill a snake faster then high stress.
Keep a bible of the snakes functions.
DATE FOOD AMT. TYPE B/M URITES SHED st. end CONDITION

I can tell you the date every animal I have has shed, used the bathroom, ate, etc. I find that I can stop problems before they start by looking at each bible for each snake. For example if it uses the bathroom three times a month and all of a sudden it starts to soil its den six times a month, something is up. Its a big hastle but necessary for me anyway. Hope this helps Joel

[mykee]

"Secondly your temps are way off. She should have a basking spot of about 92 f, and her ambient temps should be around 80f. 72f is too low."
Ummmm, yeah!
I'm honestly surprised you have not yet killed your ball python with those temps. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE for the health and safety of your reptiles, PLEASE buy a book on the captive husbandry of ball pythons and read it 14 times without stopping.

[ferguson95521]

Thanks for all the advice !! I changed quite a few things w/the cage.

The enclosure that she was in (I believe) was not holding the proper heat. That enclosure was what she came in. I went to the specialty reptile store and bought a whole NEW set up for her. This includes 3 different types of lights, under tank heater and different thermometers.

While I was at it, I also took her to the vet w/pics of the old enclosure and got her opinion on it (as I have never had BP's before). She did a full check over and said that she is fine w/no health issues. She agreed that the temps were WAY too low, but that is fixed now.

Also, I have started keeping a log of temps, etc like a QC sheet.

Thanks for all of your advice! It is soooo appreciated.

Joel -
She is about 3 1/2 years old from what we are told about her.

Mykee -
I have ordered 2 different BP books to read.
The book that was given to me when she was adopted is REALLY outdated ! It says to keep the temps much lower. Again, thank you sooo much !!

[Joel La Rocque]

Any time:
If you have a question, every person here will answer it, the answer might be off a little from one person to the next but the answer will be in the ball park. With out fairly high temps. your snake will not eat, it needs these temps to digest its food. We all started new to the Herp world so don't feel bad but get a book on the species you intend on acquiring prior to picking it up. Hope all goes well, they are wonderful animals to have around. Joel

[ferguson95521]

Joel,
We got her w/10 minute prior notice. LOL. Typically, if we are pondering getting a new pet we research it for about a month before hand. The girl that had her found that she could not provide her w/her food any longer due to financial issues. She came to our house while I was at work (my husband was @ home) and asked if we could take her. Turns out that she has gone thru 4 homes already and she was violently flung around while being held, so she was a scaredy cat. People were scared to hold her in fear that she would lash out @ them.

From the time we got her, she has been a perfect angel. She is very mellow and laid back. She loves to go to the park down the street and lay in the grass on a blanket and watch the kids play on the playground.

We have not had any issues, but I would rather. be proactive.

Thanks again !!