I read everywhere that they do need humidity, some say 50%, some 20-80%, and another 60-70%. Then I read on FB that no one in Australia worries about humidity for their childrens pythons and no one they know worries about it
so whatās the truth?
Hi Vixen
Maybe you could help. My childrens has just had his first shed.
Still has bits stuck along his upper body, along his back (so to speak).
Ive been giving him warm baths. He loves it. Its nice & deep. Covers him completely. Is there any little tricks, apart from spraying or bathing, that might help. I would hate to fail on the first shed as i dont want to set him up for bad future sheds.
Any tips would be much appreciated. Thankyou
Hi VickiG & JustTC
To answer Vicki's question - Yes humidity does play an important role in the shedding process but there are other important factors to also consider including malnutrition and dehydration.
Poor sheds are more often than not related to poor husbandry technique which unfortunately is common with those new to keeping reptiles and snakes in particular. Please don't think I am having a go at either of you or directing this at you personally, it's just a common factor that raises it's head on this forum on a regular basis.
The first thing to be aware of is why snakes shed their skin (referred to as ecdysis) and there are several reasons for it. As well as shedding the old skin to allow further growth, snakes also shed due a parasite infection and/or to recover and replace skin as a result of an injury.
Basically a snake's skin consists mainly of two layers, the dermis (inner layer) and epidermis (outer layer). As the outer layer ages it becomes covered in keratin and is designed to shield the living cells underneath which continuously divide to produce new skin for the purpose of replacing the dead keratinous layer of the outer skin.
So, in relation to the growing process and without going into too much detail, what happens is that, as a snake grows it produces cells to create new skin which eventually become scales and once complete is referred to as the new epidermal layer. As the epidermal layer gets older it gradually keratinizes causing it to become tough and hard whereby it looses its flexibility and restricts the snakes growth.
When the new epidermal layer is ready to be exposed the snakes produces a lubricant between the new and old skin to separate the two layers and make ready for the shedding process. It is the presence of the lubricant that causes the blue or dull appearance if the snake's eyes.
A poor or incomplete shed is called "dysecdysis" and as mentioned above often correlates with poor husbandry, including malnutrition, dehydration and low humidity. It should be noted that a lot of people relate low humidity with dysecdysis without considering the role that hydration contributes to the process. Hydration plays a very important role in producing the correct amount of lubricant required and conducive with a clean shed,
Naturally malnutrition can be avoided by providing an appropriate and regular diet of the correct sized prey relevant to the age and size of the snake. As snakes obtain a great deal of their fluid intake from their prey items, dehydration can be avoided by providing whole food items as well as a regular supply of fresh water. Humidity is easily maintained by providing an oversized water dish (relative to the size of the enclosure) combined with a heat gradient appropriate for the species being kept. I'll just add that if the water bowl is large enough it provides the snake the opportunity, if needed, to soak of it's own accord and soften the outer layer of skin pre-shed. If all these requirements are met correctly there should be no need for a keeper to intervene and soak a snake or spray the enclosure prior to shedding.
Hope this helps in understanding why and the way snakes shed and the need for a keeper to be vigilant with maintaining proper care for their welfare of their animals.
Cheers,
George.
