Skin issues

[ToastInaJar]

Well her name is Near and with her last shed she had problems.
After that she now has wrinkles where she bends and the scales in the area stick up. This is the first time I've noticed this so I'm wondering if anyone knows if this is just her growing or some other type of problem.
Thank you.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Sounds like it's just a bad shed, not a big deal. Try letting her slither through a damp paper or cloth towel.

[ToastInaJar]

Sounds like it's just a bad shed, not a big deal. Try letting her slither through a damp paper or cloth towel.

Thank you, I appreciate the advice.
She's getting ready to shed probably in the next few days so I think I'll go and try that. :)

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Not a problem. For her next shed, as soon as she goes in blue, if it's not already, be sure the tank has a humidity of between 60-77. Corns generally thrive in 55 - 77 humidity but need to be on the higher end of that when they shed.

[ToastInaJar]

Not a problem. For her next shed, as soon as she goes in blue, if it's not already, be sure the tank has a humidity of between 60-77. Corns generally thrive in 55 - 77 humidity but need to be on the higher end of that when they shed.

Well she's in it so I'll tend to that. Any tips on how to increase the humidity?

[bitsy]

Put a humid hide in with her. Plastic lidded tub with a hole cut in it as an entrance. Put some damp kitchen towel or sphagnum moss in it. Put it in the tank half way between warm and cool ends. The snake will usually decide that it's a good place to be when preparing to shed.

I find it easier than misting the tank, as it's very easy to accidentally over-wet the substrate and a beggar to sort it out (for me, that would involve completely emptying tank and replacing substrate). The snake shouldn't be sitting in a damp environment all the time.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Put a humid hide in with her. Plastic lidded tub with a hole cut in it as an entrance. Put some damp kitchen towel or sphagnum moss in it. Put it in the tank half way between warm and cool ends. The snake will usually decide that it's a good place to be when preparing to shed.

I find it easier than misting the tank, as it's very easy to accidentally over-wet the substrate and a beggar to sort it out (for me, that would involve completely emptying tank and replacing substrate). The snake shouldn't be sitting in a damp environment all the time.
Some snakes won't use them, though. Boo completely ignored the humi-hide I made for him, so I just spray the "leaves" of the fake tree in his tank. The seal the humidity in a little better, I put a loose piece of plastic wrap over part of the screen.

[bitsy]

Mine seem fine with their humid hides - never had one refuse to use it if they need it but generally I've "tweaked" it if the snake decides not to use it. Over the years I've found the oddest things (to the human mind) can make a difference:

- Different substrate inside - I have some that prefer moss if given a choice.
- Different position in the tank - a couple of mine prefer it at the cool end.
- Hole in the side not the lid - bit of an odd one, but I figure predators tend to come from above in the wild and when I swapped over, the snake in question headed straight in and stayed there.
- Opaque rather than semi-transparent - some seem to be more comfortable if they can't see any movement outside the humid hide.

[NFS07]

Mine seem fine with their humid hides - never had one refuse to use it if they need it but generally I've "tweaked" it if the snake decides not to use it. Over the years I've found the oddest things (to the human mind) can make a difference:

- Different substrate inside - I have some that prefer moss if given a choice.
- Different position in the tank - a couple of mine prefer it at the cool end.
- Hole in the side not the lid - bit of an odd one, but I figure predators tend to come from above in the wild and when I swapped over, the snake in question headed straight in and stayed there.
- Opaque rather than semi-transparent - some seem to be more comfortable if they can't see any movement outside the humid hide.

Never would have thought of those. Thanks for pointing it out!

[jlindp]

Yeah, this is true! I have one that only wants mulch and another that only wants sphagnum moss. Snakes can be peculiar, just like people!

[AshleyShadows]

My all-time favorite thing to aid in shedding is Zilla Tropical Mist. I got it for my basilisk because he sheds all the time (as he's a lizard) and he needs things humid constantly. But it also says it can be used on corn snakes, so every time one of my snakes goes into blue I use it (of course I make sure humdity and whatnot are fine). I'll just spray some in my hands and let them slither around me.

I'm also a vet tech at the Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (zoo med ward), and we've started using that on all our bad shed cases.

[James673]

The Thread Bad/Incomplete Shed: What To Do (http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56170) gives detailed instructions on how to fix a bad shed (with pictures!)

Even if your snake does not use the humid hide, it may still benefit from it. when my snake shed for the first time, the humid hide inside raised the humidity of the cage slightly.