shed help

[archie]

hi my female ATB having problems shedding is there anything i can do to help i mist her every 2-4 hours a day i also tried putting her in warm water to help
so any more info would be gr8

[Starbuck]

give her a day or to to see if it resolves on its own, keep misting etc. If it still persists, you can put her in a moist pillowcase for an hour or so and sometimes the friction from them moving around in the pillowcase is enough to get the rest off. Is it bits and pieces here and there, or the whole shed all together? Make sure she has a big, heavy rough rock or the like to rub against as well.

[archie]

give her a day or to to see if it resolves on its own, keep misting etc. If it still persists, you can put her in a moist pillowcase for an hour or so and sometimes the friction from them moving around in the pillowcase is enough to get the rest off. Is it bits and pieces here and there, or the whole shed all together? Make sure she has a big, heavy rough rock or the like to rub against as well.


hi shes shedding in bits i bought her 4 weeks ago she started shedding about 2 weeks ago im more worried about her eyes as they look all crinkeld will it damage her eyes this is the 1st time ive ever had problems with my snakes shedding usally i put them in warm water with a rock and there fine

[SSSSnakes]

Never put a snake in a wet pillow case. The water blocks the air and the snake can suffocate. Put the snake in tepid water in a smaller container and leave it in there for hours. the shed will either be floating in the water or it will peal off very easily. I don't put any thing in the water for the snake to shed against, because it is not necessary and the snake may use it to keep itself out of the water.

[archie]

Never put a snake in a wet pillow case. The water blocks the air and the snake can suffocate. Put the snake in tepid water in a smaller container and leave it in there for hours. the shed will either be floating in the water or it will peal off very easily. I don't put any thing in the water for the snake to shed against, because it is not necessary and the snake may use it to keep itself out of the water.

hi thanks i will give it a try

[lady_bug87]

Never put a snake in a wet pillow case. The water blocks the air and the snake can suffocate. Put the snake in tepid water in a smaller container and leave it in there for hours. the shed will either be floating in the water or it will peal off very easily. I don't put any thing in the water for the snake to shed against, because it is not necessary and the snake may use it to keep itself out of the water.

This is also the method I used when my GTP had a bad shed.

[shaunyboy]

i stick my carpets in a bath then after 5 minutes soaking,i peel the stuck shed off while the snakes still in the bath

i check the water temperature with a lazer temp gun

i will pm you a treatment for retained eye caps mate

cheers shaun

[nicolerae]

My bp used to be a bad shedder. I would soak him in a tub of warm water with shed-ease solution (basically has aloe in it) and i would help rub it off. For eye caps, I removed mine myself. but i DO NOT recommend it for someone who has no experience or doesnt feel comfortable doing so as you can damage the eyes. There are some eye drops you can use that is basically a gel. Im sure someone will suggest it later as I cannot recall the name of it.

[Chu'Wuti]

Most of the time, I can prevent bad sheds by putting damp long-fiber sphagnum peat moss in the snake's hide; every few hours I redampen it and the snake usually completes its shed in 24-48 hours.

For the worst cases--such as during a remodeling project on our house when I had to move snakes out of their normal habitats--I save burlap bags when I buy rice (10-25 pounds at a time). The weave of the burlap is very coarse, so there's no chance of the wet burlap threads sealing to the point of inadequate air exchange (unlike the pillowcase), and the burlap is nice and rough, so the snake's movement inside the bag helps rub the shed off. I soak the burlap, wring it out some, and put the snake in.

I also check on the snake frequently, and I only do this during the day, NEVER overnight.

It's way easier to prevent a bad shed in the first place by increasing humidity when the snake shows the initial signs of a shed than it is to try to take care of a bad shed. Prevention is also less stressful for both you and the snake.

Good luck!

[KORBIN5895]

I recommend fixing your enclosure. I seldom mist my enclosures but I never have a shed issue, like maybe two bad sheds in two years and I keep around 13 snakes. I also don't check my humidity ever.

[Lankyrob]

I recommend fixing your enclosure. I seldom mist my enclosures but I never have a shed issue, like maybe two bad sheds in two years and I keep around 13 snakes. I also don't check my humidity ever.

This, if the snake is shedding badly then it is dueto an issue with the environment.

You said you usually put the snake in water with a rock to shed? Every time??

If the enclosure is correct then there should be no need to do anything except take the complete one piece shedout of the enclosure.

[Terranaut]

i stick my carpets in a bath then after 5 minutes soaking,i peel the stuck shed off while the snakes still in the bath

i check the water temperature with a lazer temp gun

i will pm you a treatment for retained eye caps mate

cheers shaun

I have only ever had 2 snakes have bad sheds and both were the first shed after I aquired the snake. I used this method both times. Aftermath of my male boas first shed.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/terranaut0/photo-33.jpg

[bcr229]

We got a rescue ball python last January that had retained eyecaps and stuck shed from bad husbandry. He came out of a house kept just under 70 degrees and very dry, with no heat or humidity controls in his cage and a water dish just barely big enough for a drink, never mind a soak.

Long story short, long warm soaks in a rubbermaid tub helped a bunch. Put the lid on the tub so it gets nice and steamy in there, and leave him for 30 minutes or more at a time.

Also, one of our friends with more snake experience suggested getting some hand lotion from the grocery store. Get unscented, hypo-allergenic generic stuff, it's under $5 for a big bottle. Put some on the snake from neck to tail after his last soak of the night, as it helps keep the moisture in. Just be warned it turns your snake into a greased pig.

[Terranaut]

Putting hand lotion or mineral oil on your snake is a bad idea. Never do this.

[rmfsnakes32]

How is mineral oil bad for them? I have used it in the past for stuck sheds and to get rid of mites. Work liked a charm for both cases. It was recommended by my herp vet who has 25 years experience treating reptiles and its non toxic.

[Terranaut]

Application of this stuff only masks a problem. Fix the husbandry and it will fix the snake. Substrate sticks to it. They can not grip prey properly ect. I am amazed a vet would recomend this. Water and proper husbandry is the best way to fix a shed issue , not with lotions.

[Chu'Wuti]

Mineral oil is bad for snakes. Like humans, their skin needs to breathe. If you coat them with mineral oil, that can't happen. It can have several unpleasant (for the snake) side effects.

One person who posted about this several years ago tried it as a mite cure. Here's his post from 10/16/2002:

Heres a reply from dave barker i got when i asked him about mineral oil.


"Mineral oil can make snakes shed the “stratum corneum” the outermost layer of the skin, probably because it coats the scale so completely that the underlying “stratum germinitivum” can no longer respire. It’s not good to lose too much."

Go with Nix, Provent a mite, or Soak the snakes in soapy water.

i've used mineral oil before and the outcome wasn't pretty.
Your snake will lose most of its outerlayer scales, and will look like crap.
And it takes at least 2 sheds till it looks like normal again.

if your friends have already used the mineral oil, tell them to thouroughly rinse it a few times, and get as much as it off as possible.

And if i understand correctly, they also added some in there water bowl????
if this is the case, tell them to change the water immediately.
Drinking oil wont do anything to the mites.
__________________
Grant van Gameren

Original post by Grant VG in this thread: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/5426-using-mineral-oil-treat-mite-good-idea.html

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When I was young, doctors used to recommend mineral for human topical usage, too, but later found that it really isn't good for humans either.

There have been several excellent ideas for promoting a clean shed posted that are much safer and healthier for the snake than mineral oil.

[KORBIN5895]

How is mineral oil bad for them? I have used it in the past for stuck sheds and to get rid of mites. Work liked a charm for both cases. It was recommended by my herp vet who has 25 years experience treating reptiles and its non toxic.

You're vet also recommended throeing baby snakes in a freezer.