Blood python shedding issue. Thoughts?

Novek · 04-03-13, 09:26 AM

Hey all,

I've had my blood python since mid-January and a couple weeks ago she began the process of preparing to shed. Over the next few days her colour darkened, she turned milky white, and several days later the white cleared and naturally I expected a shed within a few days. A couple days later I found yellow stained newspaper and the shed skin of her tail in the cage but that's all. It has been over a week and she still has not shed completely. I've soaked her in shallow water for several hours, put her in a tub for several hours with damp peat moss and nothing ever comes of it.
She is a 2012 hatchling and less than 2 feet long and is kept in a well ventilated plastic tub with daily fresh water (the dish is large enough to squeeze into), clean newspaper substrate, 83 F ambient temperature (85-87 variation on the warm end), humidity is kept at about 70% and during the shedding period is up at 80-85. I have other snakes (and have other snakes previously) that have never had an issue shedding.
I do follow the advice on the following web pages:
Red Blood Python care sheet
Blood Pythons, Information and Care | Vida Preciosa International, Inc.

Anyone have any thoughts, advice, similar stories? Am I jumping the gun? (Please let me be jumping the gun lol)

DeadlyDesires · 04-03-13, 04:06 PM

try putting her in a damp pillow case and tie it and let her move around.. should come off after a bit.

Novek · 04-04-13, 06:48 AM

Thank you for replying. I am considering doing that, but am somewhat fearful of trying it because I've read some stories of suffocation (Not that I would leave her unattended). A big part of my predicament is that she doesn't look like she has a stuck shed. When I've seen pictures of stuck sheds I see pieces of unshed skin sticking to the snake. In her case (Her name is Anya) the stuck shed would literally be from nose to vent and all away around. I can't even see a point in which the skin on the tail broke away from the skin on the rest of the body.
I know Blood pythons are a little different when it comes to growth and defecating, but has anyone noticed any differences with their shedding?
I've provided a couple pictures.

RyanReptile · 04-04-13, 07:25 AM

It really doesn't look like she is shedding, are you sure that what you found in her cage was actually a piece of shed skin?

LadyWraith · 04-04-13, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanReptile

It really doesn't look like she is shedding, are you sure that what you found in her cage was actually a piece of shed skin?

That's what I was thinking. My Sumatran Short Tail just finished her shed a couple days ago and it was beyond obvious she was in shed mode, even between the blue stage and the actual shed. Your girl is not dull at all and in fact looks all shiny and pretty like a fresh shed. I noticed on mines last shed, the leftover skin looked too small for her big ol' body. Is it possible the shed you found was actually her whole body shed in one piece?

Novek · 04-04-13, 09:32 AM

I am 100% certain that it was her tail skin. She went white for a few days, then cleared up, then a couple days later all I had was the tail skin.
I've had my fair share of snakes and am more than familiar with the shedding process. You can see my confusion lol

Novek · 04-04-13, 09:37 AM

Actually I still have the skin. Here's a pic. I'm not familiar with a Blood python shed but she is more than the length of my forearm and I'm not certain that this is her entire skin (though I would love to be wrong on this)

LadyWraith · 04-04-13, 10:14 AM

I'm stumped. That is definitely a piece of shed and way too small for her whole body. But she LOOKS like a fresh shed.

Novek · 04-04-13, 10:35 AM

This is my dilemma. I turned that tub upside down and inside out looking for a shed skin. Went through all the newspapers and even had my friends drop by to look to confirm my still remaining sanity lol
I don't want to not help her out of a stuck shed but at the same time don't want to stress her out by constantly soaking, putting in peat moss tubs, or in pillow cases if it's not necessary. I've never seen anything like it.

TheSuppishOne · 04-04-13, 02:02 PM

Do bloods sometimes eat their shed? I've heard of that happening with certain snakes...

RyanReptile · 04-04-13, 04:17 PM

I've know many lizards eat their shed but yet to hear a snake eat shed but I could be wrong.

Novek · 04-04-13, 07:32 PM

I had never heard of a snake eating it's shed before and never gave it a thought until last week. That is one of my theories lol
In the mean time I've decided to treat her as if she did shed. I offered a rat tonight and she was more than eager to eat.

KORBIN5895 · 04-05-13, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadlyDesires

try putting her in a damp pillow case and tie it and let her move around.. should come off after a bit.

Actually I just read on here that suffocation is a real issue with the wet pillow case method.
I may try it on my wife tonight and find out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSuppishOne

Do bloods sometimes eat their shed? I've heard of that happening with certain snakes...

Snakes don't eat their shed so I guarantee that's not it.

My guess is that the yellow you saw on the paper was her urine and it cause the bottom of her tail to get wet and shed from the vent down.

Novek · 04-05-13, 06:33 AM

Good call, Korbin. I had not considered the yellow stain to be urine (In typical blood python fashion she has not pooped since I have had her. Go figure.)
I thought that maybe she had crawled through her water dish and detached the tail skin on the edge (It's a sandwich container).
Her appetite was never affected either. I fed her the night before she turned white (she readily took the rat) and then again last night. She's quite docile as well. Most of the other snakes I've had are usually pretty cranky around shed time (My Brazilian in particular).
*face palm* lol

cossiecraig · 04-05-13, 09:29 PM

Thats very strange and i can see your frustration with the lack of shed to be found ,my Blood shed last night and this is her second shed for me ( for her i guess lol ) but i had a complete skin ,as for going white mine went really white and then proceeded to clear for a few days then i found the skin this morning ,from your pics she looks super clean and no stuck shed ,sorry i got no clue as to what may've happened to her skin ,don't let it drive you up the wall ,if she ate and continues to do so wait untill she goes into the cycle of shed again and observe her closely as possible !
good luck okay ,she's gorgeous by the way