Shedding but in quarentine? Also feeding?

CHRISANDBOIDS14 · 02-12-04, 10:03 PM

Hello everyone,

As quite of few of you probably know from my post in the general discussion forum, i found mites on my blood about 5-7 days ago. She is in a 2ft rubbermaid(clear). Paper towel substrate, water dish, and heating pad is all shes got. Anyways, shes about to shed and i know she needs some sort of "help" to shed her skin. Should i just put a flat piece of slate in there? It would have been steril and Nixed ofcourse.

Also, can i still feed her in there or should i wait till the three weeks are over? Thanks.

Chris

Big_V · 02-12-04, 11:17 PM

Im not sure about the feeding thing....id probably wait a bit to lessen the stress level. In regards to the piece of slate id use something a little less abrasive, because once they get the shed started they can usually get it off pretty well. Id use something like a potato stone or something that is a little smoother.
Cheers,
Ryan

Grant vg · 02-13-04, 12:47 AM

best thing to do is just soak her every day for a couple hours until she sheds... if you can catch her, during a shed, even better. As most mites will come off with the shed, but if not caught during the shed, they will crawl back on the snake or go around laying more eggs in the enclosure...
By soaking it daily, atleast you are killing mites at the same time too.
they usually dont have THAT hard of time shedding with mites, and can easily be taken off with a little soak.
As for feeding, just leave it be till the shed finishes.

Linds · 02-13-04, 11:25 AM

Snakes don't really need something rough to help them shed. Most of my snakes only have a water dish in their rubbermaids or custome enclosures, and have no troubles shedding.

axwielding1 · 02-14-04, 03:50 PM

I have an old half log hide that I keep around for them to shed with. They really don't need it though. I get the humidity at about 80-90% at shed time, and find they shed in their moist box, which is a tupperware container with lid on, small holes poked in top and i spray the tank down and puddle water on top of the moist box to let it drip through the small holes. In the moist box, I wet a washcloth and lay it wrinkled up on the bottom, and keep it wet.
The hole for the entrance is cut in the side about an inch up from the bottom. When it starts to smell like fish, i clean the container and wash the cloth. No fuss no muss. I used to use sphagnum moss, which my blood loved, but she would get it all over, and in her water dish. Now i have a large rubbermade with moss and wood chips, I use it as a playpen for the blood, who loves to burrow in it occasionally..
As soon as she sheds, she eats the next night...