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My snake has something wrong with her skin

Skyespirit86

Skyespirit86

New member
I bought her last year and is my first corn. I've read everything there is to read, and strived to do my best for her. When I got her she was in a very basic tank with a household light bulb with no shield, only one hide, a broken heatmat and no thermometer/hygrometer but she seemed perfectly healthy. I bought all the missing things and she went blue in February so I prepared for her first shed. I raised the humidity by spraying several times daily. But when she shed it came off all raggedy, and I assumed I'd done something wrong. She went blue again a couple of weeks ago, perhaps in response to her mate who was going blue ( I don't know if that's possible) and I raised the humidity again. The other snakes skin came off great- all in one piece. I used a wet towel under the light this time to keep the tank extra humid. I had bought a hygrometer but it was broken when I received it so I couldn't gauge the humdity (I'm getting a replacement), but the glass was steamy. This time her shed was even worse!! I found her bottom jaw-skin but couldn't find that of the top of her head and the eyes. The lower two thirds of her body came off in one piece but the top third seems strange. It wasn't coming away and bits were left stuck to her. The loose bits gradually came away but I couldn't tell if her eyes and head skin had come off, and now parts of her upper body are going dry and wrinkly. I gently picked a bit to see if it was actually unshed skin and not just damaged scales, and the scale came off, but I don't want to do it again incase I create a wound.
I've put a tub with wet vermiculite in there now which she seems to like- do you think this will help? Have you ever seen a corn who seems to have funny skin, or a part of their body that won't shed right?
It seems the more I try, the worse I do!!
 
Here's a link to another member's post on what to do for trouble sheds, I've never had to use this for one of mine, touch wood, but have heard nothing but good things from other members who have tried it, hope it helps :)

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56170&highlight=bad/incomplete+shed

I would refrain from raising the humidity too high, in the whole of the tank, for prolonged periods, as you could end up with scale rot or a respiratory infection. A humid hide is the best way to go IMO and if the next shed is bad then the "snake-o-bath" in the link above should help out.

I've also found that lights suck the humidity out of the air in the tank, so you might be better off using a heat mat for heat, instead of the light, if you can :shrugs:

Best wishes,
 
Instead of vermiculite you might want to try damp (not wet) sphagnum moss. It is a bit more conducive to burrowing. I have had a few animals over the years that did have chronic shedding problems but it is very unusual. As one of the other posters mentioned, don't get it too wet in the cage. Scale rot is a path you don't want to go down
 
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