Shed questions

[rastamac]

Hello all. I am fairly new to the chondro world but I absolutely have fallen in love. I had to have one and after a little research(months, not hours) jumped at the opportunity to own one. A bit of a mistake on my part, Especially when everything I researched advised against my set plan. However, I now have a baby Aru named Yoshi, 7 months old. Has fed twice on ft pinks since moving in and shed her first time two nights ago. I try to keep my humidity high but it is relatively dry here. I have found a small patch of leftover shed on her back. I am working on greg maxwells book but currently would like to know my options for dealing with the patch of leftover bad shed and how harmful it may be. I have tryed simple q-tip and warm water but I may be too gentle as I am doing everything not to hurt the fragile spine or stress the snake and cannot seem to remove the patch.
Any help is much appreciated.
Thank you.

[lady_bug87]

does it wrap around or is it just a small patch?

try a warm bath, and then help the shed or the snake will do it on its own, dont pull it off slide the snake through your fingers and it should come off

my GTP had one shed like that its a pain in the butt for sure good luck

[lady_bug87]

side note: I swear by the Monsoon misting system I have complete perfect sheds every time they are expensive but worth it

[Lankyrob]

If it is a pre colour change GTP and the shed doesnt wrap around the body i would be inclined to just concentrate on keeping the humidity up and leave it alone.

Next time you see it going into blue ready for shedding keep the humidity at over 80% constantly until the shed and it should clear it for you.

[lady_bug87]

thats why I swear by my monsoon, I am not home nearly enough to keep on a manual spraying system and the screen-top + monsoon keeps it nice an humid

[Lankyrob]

We spray ours twice a day - after spraying it hits about 75% and it dries to around 55-60% by evening when we spray again to get it back to 75%. In shed we spray more each time so that it goes up to arounf 85%

[rastamac]

Thank you for your info. It is a pre colour change juvenile and it is a straight patch that is a couple cms in length. My humidity desipates super fast, within a few hours I am back to 20-%. I am definately going to look into the monsoon misting system. I am interested in a fog machine, will this potentially maintain humidity better? As well, I hear an insane amount of scepticism on handling a juvenile such as my own, but sometimes it is necessary. I was wndering if someone with experience and wisdom would like to run through (in depth) the hazards faced with a juvenile and an (in depth) explanation on spinal injuries, signs and prevention and proper handling. I believe I am doing well but I dont have near enough experience and a mentor would be appreciated.

[Gungirl]

If your humidity drops that fast that often I would look into getting a proper home for your little one. You should not have to spray 3,4,5 or more times a day. Fix its environment and your will solve your issue with the shed.

[rastamac]

I have an exoterra 12x12x18 atm. It has a mesh top that i have half covered with a damp cloth and 1/4 covered by the light leaving 1/4 for air circulation. The damp cloth seems to prolong the evaporation but still drying much too fast. As this was her first shed in the new home, I half expected a bad shed what with the big move and all. I was more looking for the procedure to go about dealing with it. I know that improper shed of the eye caps can lead to fatal injury so I want to be safe over sorry. Thank you for the input.

[Lankyrob]

Any tank with a mesh top will be a mightmare for keeping humidity up, personally i would go for a plastic or wooden vivarium so that humidity will be much less of an issue.

In terms of handling my GTP is approx 18 months old and has been handled 7 times, all of these were AFTER his colour change, anybdamage to a juveniles tail can be fatal as they have major difficulty feeding without hanging from a perch.

[rastamac]

Thanks Rob. I am going to be looking to switch to a larger enclosure soon. But for the time being, I will make due.I am simply finicky and anal about the care of my baby. everything must be just right and i'm in the process of achieving perfection. Thanks to the help of this forum, hopefully she grows up to be big and strong and as soon as i get a camera that can do these beauties the sexy justice they deserve, I will post many pics for you guys.
Thanks again.

[millertime89]

you've got two problems, the mesh top, and the heat lamp. The mesh lets air out, and the light dries out the air. If you can replace the entire top with a RHP attached to a thermsostat that might be your best solution. (I say the entire top since the enclosure is so small.)

[millertime89]

the other alternative is to block off the entire top with a moist towel, line the bottom with sphagnum moss as a substrate, and use a combination of UTH with a lamp on the outside.

[rastamac]

My bottom is lined with coconut husk. works quite well, as you can guage level of moisture by colour of substrate. For the time being, a wet rag seems to provide enough for now. on my list will be the heat panel and a misting system. Much appreciated fellow chondrians.

[Teckdragon]

When mine had a bad shed I soaked her in warm water with a bit of mineral oil, then gently handled her to work off the stuck shed. (And yes, she did bite me - frequently.)

As per your problem, you need to look at your husbandry. Use a substrate such as cypress mulch, and reduce the airflow to your tank. If at all possible, replace the mesh top with a glass or acrylic one. As someone else already mentioned, invest in a misting system if you can afford it. Hand's free and can be set to a timer. I recommend MistKing.

[DavethePython]

I was having an issue with humidity dropping too. I had just a screen top and the moisture would just evaporate out the top. SO I cut a piece of peg board the dimensions of the top and layed the screen under it. I cut out holes big enough for the lamps to sit on top and still radiate heat. My temps are much more stable and when I do put my hand in the tank I can feel the humidity inside. I mist 2 to 3 times per day. Will post pics . I will also me adding a hydrometer to eliminate the guessing game.

[AaronRiot]

I would suggest the bit of bad shed is do to dehydration rather than humidity, or possibly your temps play a role. A snake eases it's shed off with natural oils it produces, if it hasn't had enough to drink it can't produce the oils as well and that tends to be where you run into problems.

As far as the lamps go, I too suggest a switch. I know a few people who use 12x12x18 exos quite efficiently with acrylic or pvc tops and flexwatt. The peg board is a good idea but the humidity will likely saturate it and cause problems in time.

When you move to a larger adult enclosure there are many prefab arboreal enclosure options, or you can always DIY keeping the needs of an arboreal animal in mind while designing the structure. Also, the radiant heat panel + thermostat are definitely the way to go.

As for getting off a small piece of shed on a neo with a delicate spine and little experience with the species... I might try a gentle rub down the back if presented with the opportunity, mid-day. But, as long as it's not a huge piece, the caps, or cutting off circulation I'd leave it be. Risk of a spinal injury outweighs the shed issues. Just my opinion. I'd get a nice long eyedropper that will keep your hand out of strike range and dribble some water on his head/ mouth and make sure he's hydrated.