Just won't shed..

Dom · 03-20-04, 07:34 PM

Hey ..

I almost feel stupid asking this cause I have owned and worked with snakes for too long but my green tree just won't shed.. He skin feels really dry.

He lost the head piece over 8 days ago now and the rest won't come off .. I have tried every trick in the book mist em' as much and frequently as possible .. I am just stump ..

This is probably his first shed.. any suggestions/

Dom

marisa · 03-20-04, 08:34 PM

Our little fella had a bad shed last time. It was mostly very large patches but still most of it was stuck good on him...we ended up getting some "rough-ish" leather gloves, soaking them in warm water and holding him with those on. Simply holding him and running him through a towel wasn't doing the trick but the wet gloves worked like a charm and we were able to get 95% off this way within 15 minutes.

You have probably tried something similar already and I am very new to Chondros, so I am sure some "experts" can give you some even better ideas.

Marisa

Dom · 03-20-04, 08:40 PM

Tx Marisa.. The thing Is i have dealt with so many bad sheds but this one is weird.. I mean his head came off but nothing else.. Really weird.. s for the past week I have been giving him bathh tried the oils.. tried the pillow case.. tried rubbing.. I mean its just not comming off.. and its not just a patch .. its everything except the head..

Really weird thing is he keeps eating.. - I thouh it would break his shed but it does not..

Tx for ure sugg Marisa

Dom

Syst3m · 03-21-04, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dom
Tx Marisa.. The thing Is i have dealt with so many bad sheds but this one is weird.. I mean his head came off but nothing else.. Really weird.. s for the past week I have been giving him bathh tried the oils.. tried the pillow case.. tried rubbing.. I mean its just not comming off.. and its not just a patch .. its everything except the head..

Really weird thing is he keeps eating.. - I thouh it would break his shed but it does not..

Tx for ure sugg Marisa

Dom

Mine had a bad shed or two from feeding him to close to this shed date. You might just have to let him go till his next shed and see what happens. His head peice did come off which at least better then nothing. Unless you feel like soaking him down and trying to peel it off by hand you might have no other option then just waiting for the next shed.

zappaguy · 03-21-04, 05:47 PM

a bad shed is a husbandry problem..not humid enough.what sort of a setup are you keeping it in? with a description of that i could help you sort it out.you do have to act quickly tho as bad sheds on babies are not a good thing.

Grant vg · 03-21-04, 11:54 PM

Hey Dom,

I remember seeing that little guy when you first got it.
the first thing i noticed was it looking fairly dehydrated...
so i wouldn't neccessarily think bad husbandry is to blame...
But like zappaguy mentioned, whole body stuck sheds are NOT a good thing on little gtps, atbs, and etb's...or for any snake of that size...
at 10 days now... i would be somewhat worried...as a whole body shed stuck on cant be good at all.
I really doubt you will be able to get it off at this point.
but its worth a shot...

i would stick the little guy in a small vented rubbbermaid overnight with a ruff textured wet towel as the substrate....
this will sometimes work. but i am unsure of whether it could work in a situation with a time frame like this.
Worth a shot and beats trying to soak it.
goodluck!

gvg

JD@reptiles · 03-22-04, 12:16 AM

would some kind of mineral oil work? i have thought about it a few times, and never tried it. any idea why it wouldn't work?

Grant vg · 03-22-04, 12:52 AM

mineral oil is garbage... and i would NEVER use it on an animal again...especially a baby GTP.
If you dont get it all off of the snake, the outer layer of scales will start dropping like flies as it wont let the scales breath...

gvg

sydcire · 03-22-04, 07:47 AM

Hey dom just watch yoyur humidity and give it time my little chondro sometimes takes a couple weeks to shed.just keep it humid and it will happen

sydcire · 03-22-04, 07:49 AM

dom call me,we will work this out together

Dom · 03-22-04, 08:21 AM

Thanks everyone.. he was in a rubbermaid with 3 water bowls - one over heat source.. and moss every where else .. 4 dowels fr different perching ara .. I am switching him in a diferent set up that I think is a bit better.. I think it may be just a humidity problem .. the whle claoco part is off though .. and he is going to the washroom..

I got a few things to try .. ill get back to you with results
Dom

Dom · 03-23-04, 01:17 AM

Well - i ended up putting himin a tiny well aired tupperware with a samle very damp tpwel in the bottom .. left him in there for almost 12 hours .. and started rubbing again .. I managed to get the whole top half of his body .. half the bottom .. the tail is still on..

The rest will come off but after 10 minutes of working with the snake .. i decided that was enough for today .. and will finish his shed tomorow..

Thanks everyone for there advice.. Especially Eric man - u were right..

Dom