Shesha shed! For the most part anyway...

[kiiarah]

So as I was leaving for work today I peeked into Shesha's hide and noticed him rubbing his nose on his belly, his hide, his substrate. I had a feeling he was going to shed either today or tomorrow. Well I came home from work tonight to find empty snake skin next to him in his hide. When I took him out I did notice that the shed had broken off about 2/3 of the way down his body and was complete (and surprisingly stiff) from there down. The portion he did get off came off completely, not in pieces, and no retained eye caps so that is good. It sort of looks like he may have caught and torn the skin on something in his tank since everything else was so intact.

I put him in a warm shallow bath for about 10 minutes to loosen it and tried the wet towel but he just wasn't having it. After reading that rolling the skin gently is possible as long as it isn't peeled off I decided to try it and an hour later he is completely shed and seems to be a happy snake. We had to take it very slowly of course to make sure nothing was peeling that wasn't loose and had to dunk his tail back in the water a few times to soften the skin when it seemed to be drying, but overall I think it was a success. I did inspect him very carefully as I was helping him and after everything came off and there is no apparent damage or torn scales.

Just a couple of questions though, would scale damage be something I would notice and would he react if he were hurt? He was extremely calm the entire time, he did want to slither a bit but he never flinched or acted startled. I just basically rubbed him with my finger until it came off. I know the washcloth is recommended but I wanted to see how easily the skin was moving so as not to risk tearing.

Also does anyone have any thoughts on why the skin may have broken off in the first place? The humidity has been between 70 and 75% ever since he showed signs of a pink belly and at 60 prior to that. Is it just something that happens sometimes or might there be additional steps I can take in the future to help ensure it doesn't happen next time?

[Jim Smith]

From the sounds of it, you did it exactly right. As far as why it might not have been a complete shed the first time, it's difficult to say. I believe that it is usually related to the snake being dehydrated or dry. Even with adequate humidity in the enclosure, there are some substrates that can dry out a snakes skin. I've found that placing loosely wadded paper towels in a dish with about 1/2 inch of water inside the enclosure helps if snake's skin looks too dry. The paper towels wick up the water and it evaporates into the air in the cage, making it just a bit more humid. I think you did a great job!

[kiiarah]

That's a relief. I was afraid maybe it was recommended to wait a certain amount of time to see if they do it on their own, but he was curled in his hide when I saw him and showed really no interest in working the rest off. It worried me how dry the old skin seemed, that nice fluid layer had completely dried up and the skin was very stiff. I am so glad he has such a nice temperament. I was expecting him to be irritated or try to get away but he just sat patiently with me while I worked at it. He seemed so excited to have the last bit off, so much more active now.