shedding advice

shedding advice

Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:55 am

Hey there!!!

I need some advice, my baby girl had her first shed last night sice we got her about two weeks ago.

It was a terrible shed, small pieces everywhere. Small corns are not supposed to shed so badly? :-?

I've got her on brown paper, looks better than news paper. and there are enough things for her to catch her old skin on. The problem that I'm worried about is the humidity, I spray her and the enclosure twice a day and the humidity is just not catching on!

What should I do? Do I put in an alternative substrate or do I bay some easy shed and put it on when she is blue again or what?
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Postby Marbro » Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:45 am

as long as the shed is complete it shouldnt be a problem,

what do you have in there for her to catch on? does she even use them?


whats the humidity like?
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Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:01 am

there is a hide box, water bowl and a "jungle gym" in the middle, hehehe, the jungle gym is like a toy.

It did not look like she used them at all!!

The humididty sucks!! BIG TIME! I don't know how to get the humidity higher, I mist it twice a day.

Do you think I should change the substrate?
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Postby Marbro » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:11 am

the substrate i use is newspaper or astroturf

i also have two bricks in her cage.


To me humidity would make it harder to shed as the skin will be soft, harder(dryer) skin peels easier,


like i said as long as the shed is all off it should be ok
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Postby Deon » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:26 am

Harder dryer skin peels easier. Don't think I can agree with that theory.
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Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:29 am

cool, makes sense.

All the skin is off, as far as I could see. But I'llhave a look tonight again.

Thanks!!
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Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:50 am

Deon, why is that?
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Postby Marbro » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:15 am

Deon wrote:Harder dryer skin peels easier. Don't think I can agree with that theory.

i understand that softer skin pulls more off, but surely flakey skin would almost just fall off

i figure that soft skin is still sticky(ish)


i am probably wrong, but that is just the train of thought for me at the mo
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Postby Irock » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:17 am

Hi there,

In general corns do not require too much humidity, I have never sprayed any of my snakes or their cages and never had any problems.

What you could do is get some spaghum moss, dampen it and put it in another hide for her (corns should have two hides at least, one on the warm and one on the cool side of the cage). Do this when she is close to shedding again.

I also put an extra dish of water on the heated side of the cage when they are close to shedding, this does help with humidity. :)
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Postby Irock » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:22 am

Marboro, it is always better for the skin to be a bit more moist and therefore supple, dry flakey skin is not fun and can cause endless problems if not removed properly.

Another thing you could try is soaking the snake, you do this a few days before shedding or if the shed is incomplete. Basically just run some WARM water (not hot, it should be slightly cool to your touch) into a container or basin and let the snake soak for a bit, preferrably whilst holding it, don't let the snake swim.

If the snake has a bad shed, rather soak it a bit to soften the skin and then assist the snake by gently peeling the skin off yourself. Rather don't pull the skin off dry.
~Meg~

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Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:31 pm

What you could do is get some spaghum moss, dampen it and put it in another hide for her (corns should have two hides at least, one on the warm and one on the cool side of the cage). Do this when she is close to shedding again.


Where would I get this?
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Postby Kristo » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:04 pm

Most pet stores sell it.....Otherwise try nursery....
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Postby Gary » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:10 pm

If the skin is very dry (and this is not good because this is what causes bad flaky sheds) you leave the snake in a damp pillowcase on the heat pad for about 2 hours.
When a snake sheds there is normally a damp layer between the old and the new skin and this is why when you feel the sking just after the shed it feels very damp and is very flexible.
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Postby NEWB » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:18 pm

Thanks peeps,

I will try it next time and let you know how it went!
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Postby Kristo » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:22 pm

leave the snake in a damp pillowcase on the heat pad for about 2 hours.


That one scares me a bit!..... Be sure to "buffer" the heat a bit with a piece of astroturf or carpet!

Handy though....... jus be careful!!
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