i just got a baby albino and i believe his first shed is approaching. just yesterday i noticed his skin had lightened a little. the next day it was more obvious and today even more. if he is about to shed what can i do to help him shed properly. how long should it taken? and i hear people talking about making sure the eyelids are shedded; if the arent how do i help get those off?
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first shed
- Thread starter Danny232
- Start date
lightningfast
New member
shed
Well you should have a hide spot. Inside that i usually put wet paper towels and change those every day. Also you should mist him with a sprayer. Also if he hasn't shed his head just soak him inside your bath tub and make sure its head gets really wet.
creamsicle 0.0.1
Amel 0.1.0
Well you should have a hide spot. Inside that i usually put wet paper towels and change those every day. Also you should mist him with a sprayer. Also if he hasn't shed his head just soak him inside your bath tub and make sure its head gets really wet.
creamsicle 0.0.1
Amel 0.1.0
bmm
New member
The water dish alone should provide some humidity, but you need a bit more than normal during shedding time.
Like I said, if you want to give him a bath, great it wont hurt. But you always don't have too. I don't bath any of my corns for shedding and I haven't had a problem yet, but some people like too. The paper towels themsevels should be enough. (and yes water dish as well, at all times)
If you do decide to bath him make sure the water is NOT warm feeling to your skin but not cold. Room temp would be fine, maybe slightly warmer. But whats warm to our 98 degree skin is very hot for a snake. So keep it cooler than what you think is warm.....anyways but like I said not unless you want too.
bmm
Like I said, if you want to give him a bath, great it wont hurt. But you always don't have too. I don't bath any of my corns for shedding and I haven't had a problem yet, but some people like too. The paper towels themsevels should be enough. (and yes water dish as well, at all times)
If you do decide to bath him make sure the water is NOT warm feeling to your skin but not cold. Room temp would be fine, maybe slightly warmer. But whats warm to our 98 degree skin is very hot for a snake. So keep it cooler than what you think is warm.....anyways but like I said not unless you want too.
bmm
QuickSilver
New member
In my limited experience the eyelids haven't been the problem, but the tip of the tail has been.
There aren't very many posts in the archives with similar questions. This one mentions it, though:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4774&highlight=eyelids
This care sheet for retained eyecaps is from another site. I understand that use of tape is pretty much a last resort. http://www.anapsid.org/eyeshed.html
There aren't very many posts in the archives with similar questions. This one mentions it, though:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4774&highlight=eyelids
This care sheet for retained eyecaps is from another site. I understand that use of tape is pretty much a last resort. http://www.anapsid.org/eyeshed.html
Last edited:
bmm
New member
CAV that's my situation too. I never give baths, don't have humid hides for the corns and I hardly raise humidity, and I can't remember the last time I had a "bad shed"
I guess some people either have really dry houses, use stupid tanks (that have crap humidity and even worse ventilation) or are just unlucky
bmm
I guess some people either have really dry houses, use stupid tanks (that have crap humidity and even worse ventilation) or are just unlucky
bmm
Chip
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒ&
Problem; never but
I have had snakes shed in a thousand pieces on a few occasions, but eye caps, tail tips, etc came off fine. This is after ? years of keeping multiple specimens. I don't consider a broken shed a problem. Once, I had an eye cap stay on, but it came off with the next shed. I wouldn't go through much grief to get an eye cap off unless the following shed didn't get it.
I have had snakes shed in a thousand pieces on a few occasions, but eye caps, tail tips, etc came off fine. This is after ? years of keeping multiple specimens. I don't consider a broken shed a problem. Once, I had an eye cap stay on, but it came off with the next shed. I wouldn't go through much grief to get an eye cap off unless the following shed didn't get it.
QuickSilver
New member
If shedding is not a problem, that's great! I'm guessing that the natural humidity level where you live is adequate and/or your vivs keep humidity in very well. Where we live the air is incredibly dry, as evidenced by human dry skin problems here, and in the winter, the dry air is compounded by our forced air heat. Shedding has been a problem for both of our corns. Even with the water dish obviously evaporating an inch or so a day. We put in fresh every night. The moist hide is really helpful for us and our corns have liked it, that is when they're getting ready to shed or have just shed they'll choose the moist hide over the dry hide even though the temperature is the same.
bmm
New member
My area is incrediablly dry.
I believe sometimes when people have snakes that have problems other issues are being overlooked. Sometimes.
I.E. Use of a heat light instead of heat mat.
Use of tank in conjunction with heat lamp (tanks SUCK for humidity and ventilation like I mentioned)
Central Air/Heat
Dehydration - dry air, freezer burned prey, etc.
All these things can hamper anyones efforts regardless if you have a wet hide. Some snakes might be fine in tanks with lights, others will never shed properly because the tank and the lights are just too drying on things, add that with the tanks open lid and wala. Shedding issues.
But then again some snakes are just brats.
bmm
I believe sometimes when people have snakes that have problems other issues are being overlooked. Sometimes.
I.E. Use of a heat light instead of heat mat.
Use of tank in conjunction with heat lamp (tanks SUCK for humidity and ventilation like I mentioned)
Central Air/Heat
Dehydration - dry air, freezer burned prey, etc.
All these things can hamper anyones efforts regardless if you have a wet hide. Some snakes might be fine in tanks with lights, others will never shed properly because the tank and the lights are just too drying on things, add that with the tanks open lid and wala. Shedding issues.
But then again some snakes are just brats.
bmm
CAV
Dazed and Cornfused
All,
I realize that every case is dirrerent and I have thought about the eviro considerations. I have seen many threads on this topic recently and it raises a two-fold question: 1) Have those experiencing shed difficulties looked into changing their husbandry proctices vs. adding water for a quick fix, kind of like treating the symptom and not the illness; and 2) Are we getting new owners uptight about something that my not actually be a problem?
I personally have noticed a difference in the same room between a glass tank and my plastic racks. Every shed problem I have had was with the snake in the glass. (I rotated 2 snakes to verify the results) The ambiant room humidity is normally 60% and a distance of less than 20 feet seperates all of my snakes. However, the rack system has moisture levels that are significantly higher than the glass viv. I can easily replicate the higher moisture change by simply covering part or all the screen top.
I am not flamming anyone, just trying to start the gray matter turning.
I realize that every case is dirrerent and I have thought about the eviro considerations. I have seen many threads on this topic recently and it raises a two-fold question: 1) Have those experiencing shed difficulties looked into changing their husbandry proctices vs. adding water for a quick fix, kind of like treating the symptom and not the illness; and 2) Are we getting new owners uptight about something that my not actually be a problem?
I personally have noticed a difference in the same room between a glass tank and my plastic racks. Every shed problem I have had was with the snake in the glass. (I rotated 2 snakes to verify the results) The ambiant room humidity is normally 60% and a distance of less than 20 feet seperates all of my snakes. However, the rack system has moisture levels that are significantly higher than the glass viv. I can easily replicate the higher moisture change by simply covering part or all the screen top.
I am not flamming anyone, just trying to start the gray matter turning.
bmm
New member
I agree.
There are always lots of messages about things like bad sheds and just adding a humid hide and spraying. But all the humid hides and spray bottles in the world won't cure the fact that tanks SUCK.
Like I mentioned, some corns do 100% in a tank. But for those with shedding issues, the tank may be the problem. You absolutly CANNOT have good ventilation, AND high humidity in a tank. Period. Because you don't have side holes like you do in rubbermaid.
Keeping a problematic shedder in a tank may be the first mistake, and the humid hide a quick fix.
bmm
There are always lots of messages about things like bad sheds and just adding a humid hide and spraying. But all the humid hides and spray bottles in the world won't cure the fact that tanks SUCK.
Like I mentioned, some corns do 100% in a tank. But for those with shedding issues, the tank may be the problem. You absolutly CANNOT have good ventilation, AND high humidity in a tank. Period. Because you don't have side holes like you do in rubbermaid.
Keeping a problematic shedder in a tank may be the first mistake, and the humid hide a quick fix.
bmm