Bad Shed Averted / Thanks to this site.
I just wanted to thank all of the knowledgeable folks on this site that are so willing to share their experience.
I am a new snake keeper, we got our snow a few days before Christmas. I noticed she was in blue (as they say) and was expecting her to shed. This is her first shed since we got her. She started her shed on Saturday evening. She rubbed her head on her hide (coconut shell) to get it started. Her head skin split, but stayed in one piece. She got is about an inch behind her head and things went downhill very quickly. The shed tore off, and left behind a ragged end. I immediatley got on this site and searched (search first, ask later right?) for past posts about bad sheds. I found a post that suggested a damp wash cloth being placed in the viv. So, I followed the advice. Snowball was pretty tired by this time though, as she had been cruising all over the place trying to slough her skin off. I just waited.
Sunday morning, we re-wet the wash cloth and put it back in. Around 8 PM Sunday night, her shed didn't seem to be progressing and she couldn't get it any further. Back to this forum, and another search. Found one that suggested a bath, so we filled a small container with an inch of water making sure is wasn't too warm for her. She moved around in the water for about 3 minutes, and then she decided she had had enough. Put her back in the viv for about 20 minutes, then tried the bath again. Another 3 minutes and she wanted out.
The post that I found suggested a wet wash cloth and to hold her and let her crawl through it. Decided to try that. Lo and behold, it was working. She even seemed to enjoy it. After about 30 minutes of crawling through this wet wash cloth, and me applying gentle pressure, we had a complete shed. What a relief for me and her.
Thanks again to all of you wonderful people.
Kyocera
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