HELP: Stuck shed

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

My only snake that gives me any trouble shedding is my KSB. With him I'll wet a snake bag or pillow case and put him in for a while. He usually gets most of it himself while in the bag, but I've had to help with a few spots, including tail tip. Gently rubbing with a damp towel got it off.

Am I right in assuming this started due to an unregulated heat mat???? Is it regulated by a thermostat now?

Thanks for the tips everyone, although I've read that a wet pillow case has killed some snakes in the past, so I don't think I'll use it.

No, it was not the result of an unregulated heat mat. About two years ago when she was a baby she slid under the newspaper and got trapped against the newspaper and the glass bottom of her tank where the heater was attached (on the outside of the tank).

The heater was regulated with a thermometer and set to appropriate temperatures, but she was trapped for a day because she was fairly new and I was trying to give her space and thought she was merely hiding in her hide. She was always a reclusive baby.

When I found her a day later her skin was crinkled and she went into an emergency shed. For a few sheds after that the end of her tail would get stuck.

But she has been shedding normally ever since then until this weekend.

[craigafrechette]

Originally Posted by MnGuy

Thanks for the tips everyone, although I've read that a wet pillow case has killed some snakes in the past, so I don't think I'll use it.

No, it was not the result of an unregulated heat mat. About two years ago when she was a baby she slid under the newspaper and got trapped against the newspaper and the glass bottom of her tank where the heater was attached (on the outside of the tank).

A) I'd never heard of a snake dying in a wet pillowcase. How did they die?? Seems unlikely to me.

B) I'm still hella confused how the tail was injured. Being "trapped" under newspaper? I don't get it, what caused the injury? The paper didn't cause the injury, the glass didn't cause the injury, so what did? All that's left is the heat mat

[poison123]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

A) I'd never heard of a snake dying in a wet pillowcase. How did they die?? Seems unlikely to me.

This is something I have also heard over the years. Never experienced it myself but I believe its said that the wet pillowcase stops airflow which it def does but idk if it would be enough to actually kill a snake or if it was just an over exaggerated theory.

[craigafrechette]

Originally Posted by poison123

This is something I have also heard over the years. Never experienced it myself but I believe its said that the wet pillowcase stops airflow which it def does but idk if it would be enough to actually kill a snake or if it was just an over exaggerated theory.

Hmmmm...that makes sense i suppose, but I can't imagine air flow is completely restricted. And you'd have to leave the snake in there a LONG time

[poison123]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Hmmmm...that makes sense i suppose, but I can't imagine air flow is completely restricted. And you'd have to leave the snake in there a LONG time

yeah idk. If you do leave it in there for longer period of time i would think the water would settle lower and airflow would open up unless you just kept moistening it idk.

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

A) I'd never heard of a snake dying in a wet pillowcase. How did they die?? Seems unlikely to me.

B) I'm still hella confused how the tail was injured. Being "trapped" under newspaper? I don't get it, what caused the injury? The paper didn't cause the injury, the glass didn't cause the injury, so what did? All that's left is the heat mat

I read about snakes dying in wet pillowcases while researching how to remove this stuck shed. I'm not saying I have personal experience or scientific studies to back it up.

Please re-read my post. I never said the heat mat didn't cause the injury when she was young. You asked if it was an unregulated heat mat. I said it was not unregulated.

The heat mat was properly regulated with a thermometer, but because she was trapped under the paper for a full day she was unable to get away and her skin was damaged. She went into an emergency shed and for a few sheds after that the tip of her tail would not shed correctly without additional soaking.

All of that happened about two years ago when I first got her. She has been shedding fine until this past weekend. The tip of the tail became an issue again. This is linked to the injury from two years ago. The heat mat incident is not a recent incident.

I'm not sure how much clearer I can make this for you.

[craigafrechette]

Originally Posted by MnGuy

I read about snakes dying in wet pillowcases while researching how to remove this stuck shed. I'm not saying I have personal experience or scientific studies to back it up.

Please re-read my post. I never said the heat mat didn't cause the injury when she was young. You asked if it was an unregulated heat mat. I said it was not unregulated.

The heat mat was properly regulated with a thermometer, but because she was trapped under the paper for a full day she was unable to get away and her skin was damaged. She went into an emergency shed and for a few sheds after that the tip of her tail would not shed correctly without additional soaking.

All of that happened about two years ago when I first got her. She has been shedding fine until this past weekend. The tip of the tail became an issue again. This is linked to the injury from two years ago. The heat mat incident is not a recent incident.

I'm not sure how much clearer I can make this for you.

I'm still not getting it. How does a snake get stuck under newspaper???
And was it just a typo or brain fart or are you mistaking a thermometer with a thermostat. (You said "thermometer"). They're very different things and I don't know how a properly regulated heat mat could cause damage. That's the whole purpose of the thermostat.

P.S. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I'm genuinely trying to understand

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I'm still not getting it. How does a snake get stuck under newspaper???
And was it just a typo or brain fart or are you mistaking a thermometer with a thermostat. (You said "thermometer"). They're very different things and I don't know how a properly regulated heat mat could cause damage. That's the whole purpose of the thermostat.

P.S. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I'm genuinely trying to understand

She was a tiny baby. She slithered under the newspaper, got flipped upside down and was stuck underneath it. There was a hot hide, a cool hide, a water bowl and a plastic plant in there. Somehow the collection of everything on the paper made it too tight for her to get out.

How hard is that to understand? I'm not the snake. I wasn't there. I don't know why she was unable to get back out if she was able to get under there to begin with.

After worrying about her I broke down her cage and found her flipped upside down underneath the newspaper on top of where the heat mat was applied. She was stuck there for at least a full day.

The heat mat was properly regulated with a thermostat. That didn't matter because she was TRAPPED 24/7 on top of the heat mat. Snakes don't stay on their heat mat or under their basking light 24/7.

She was a baby. She was the size of a large worm.

PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME EXPLAIN THIS AGAIN.

[craigafrechette]

Originally Posted by MnGuy

How hard is that to understand?

Snakes don't stay on their heat mat or under their basking light 24/7.


PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME EXPLAIN THIS AGAIN.

Actually, snakes DO stay on their hot spot 24/7... ALL THE TIME... Whenever digesting and often while in shed, both of which take days or sometimes over a week. All of my snakes through 15+ years have spent consecutive days hidden on their hot spot, most every feeding that's where they digest 24/7.

And guess what? Never a single burn or injury. Why? Because my heat mats are properly regulated.

What so hard to understand is how a properly regulated heat mat can injure or burn a snake. If properly set, your hot spot should be no higher than 90°, probably lower for garters.... 90° CAN NOT physically burn a snake. It's not possible. Your hands are warmer than 90°, but your hands aren't capable of producing a burn. See where I'm going with this???


But don't worry, you don't need to explain again.

[MnGuy]

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Actually, snakes DO stay on their hot spot 24/7... ALL THE TIME... Whenever digesting and often while in shed, both of which take days or sometimes over a week. All of my snakes through 15+ years have spent consecutive days hidden on their hot spot, most every feeding that's where they digest 24/7.

And guess what? Never a single burn or injury. Why? Because my heat mats are properly regulated.

What so hard to understand is how a properly regulated heat mat can injure or burn a snake. If properly set, your hot spot should be no higher than 90°, probably lower for garters.... 90° CAN NOT physically burn a snake. It's not possible. Your hands are warmer than 90°, but your hands aren't capable of producing a burn. See where I'm going with this???


But don't worry, you don't need to explain again.

OK, you just believe whatever you want. I don't know why you want to be argumentative for the sake of it.

I don't know what you keep, but my snakes have never stayed motionless in ONE spot 24/7 underneath their basking light, or before that, on top of their heat mat. Garters are highly active snakes that are out and about several hours of the day. They don't hide like ball pythons or other snakes.

She was stuck on the glass on top of the heat mat. She was not sitting on top of the newspaper. The heat mat was regulated with a thermometer and never went above 85 degrees.

Body temperature is not the same thing as a heat source like a heat mat. That is not even an accurate analogy.