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Shedding Problems...

OnyxWerewolf

OnyxWerewolf

New member
My 6 month amel Amber has half of her body shed removed. So far, it's her 2nd day. Her first day, she only had a 1/3 shedded off. I'm assuming that shedding takes a few days process. But I'm concerned about her shed. How long does it take for a snake to shed? And isn't the skin supposed to come off in one piece? Her old skin is coming off in bits and pieces. I've tried lookin' up sources but they don't really help.

I've tried keeping her in a container with warm water for a few minutes but she seems so stressed out like the time I picked her out from the store so I prevented myself from doing that because I don't want to overstress her. She almost hurt herself today because she saw the container the second time. So that idea is dead...

Spill some info for me about shedding
 
the actual shedding should only take 3 minutes or so. and come off all in one piece.

there is probably something wrong with your setup. You should have a humidity level of around 50. You should get a hygrometer to measure your levels if you dont have one already.

as for fixing this shed... you could try soaking a towel in warm water, and then twist it, to get most of the water out, and then put the snake in the bucket with the towel inside.

or, you could try giving it a bath. but baths are very stressful for a snake
 
You should be concerned. Shedding only takes a few minutes. What has likely happened is that the shed has dried to the point that it won't come off.

Put her in the container with water anyway. No, she will not like it. Yes, she may freak out, but it is imperative that you get that shed off.

Get a covered container such as her feeding tub. Put a folded hand towel or washcloth in the bottom and fill it with room temp water until it is just deeper than the level of the towel. Put her in and put the lid on. Leave her there for 30-45 minutes, then take her out and let her crawl through the still damp towel. If this doesn't get the shed off, put her back into the container for another 30-45 minutes then let her crawl through the towel once again. Keep repeating the process until the shed has come off.
 
Completely agree with what Becky said and thought I'd post some of the dangers of shed not coming off as well. If the shed doesn't come off and is completely around her body it can cut off circulation. This often happens with a snake's tail as that's one of the harder places for them to shed sometimes. You also should be careful helping them to shed because if you pull too hard on the dry skin the new scales underneath could possibly be pulled off. Try the bucket/water/towel trick and see if that works. It should but whatever happens, that shed needs to come off.

~Katie
 
...and prevention is worth 1000 cures!

I agree with the Becky's posting on the technique you should use to get that shed off. Thats a great way to do it that I have used myself. I will also kick a dead horse by again stating the importance that you get that shed off ASAP.

Now to keep this problem from recurring on the next shed! I live in northern Minnesota where snake keepers are forced to deal with very long and very "dry" winters. Due to that factor, I too have had to deal with bad sheds from time to time. Here are a few suggestions of what I have found worked well for me in the past. First, keep a humidifier in the room you keep your snake in. If you don't need it in the summer, thats fine, but keep her going when it gets real dry. I have found that (for me anyway) this usually does the trick. On the occasion that the humidifier doesn't seem to be enough and I still get a snake with a bad shed I have started to mist the viv/tubs of the other snakes with a spray bottle once a day as they go blue. I continue doing this after they go clear again all the way up to when they actually shed. I don't soak the cage, I just use a spray bottle too moisten it up a little and boost the humidity within the cage. If you are unsure as to what is "too wet" just get a hygrometer so that you can monitor the humidity levels. Hope that helps you out and good luck with your snake.

Scott
 
yes! she got out of her skin!

thank you so much for all your help guys ^^...

now if only i can find out how you can preserve the old skin...XP
 
Or you can just make a shedding box or moist hide for next time- it's a plastic tupperware- just the snakes size, with a little door cut in, filled with damp sphagnum moss. My snakes _love_ them and use them for every shed. I put it in the viv when I suspect the snake has gone blue. If I have a snake that has had a difficult shed, I'll also just set a piece of plastic wrap on top of the screen cover- not seal it to the edges, But I've never had a problem with a snake that's had a moist hide available.

Nanci
 
I agree with everything thats been said. I actually just woke up this morning to a shed wrapped around my snakes hide. Unfortunately, some skin around the tail was left, so I did the soaking and let her crawl through a damp towel. It worked like a charm, and I have a bright new snakey. :)
 
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