How I deal with improper shed's

[caliherp]

I would like to start out by saying there are many ways to skin a cat, this is just how I do it. Removing stuck sheds does little good in the grand scheme of things if you don't fix the UNDERLYING PROBLEM(S). In my case, well most cases for that matter improper sheds are due to improper hydration. Now I would like to blame this on me being out of town for a week, but this just doesn't happen in that amount of time. Believe me I already feel like the biggest p.o.s.

I feel I put my neo in to large of an enclosure to soon. So I went out last night to get a smaller tub. I also bought more greenery for the snake to feel more secure. the reason I bought a smaller tub and more greenery is because if a green does not feel secure and (n a few cases) if they cant reach there water bowl from all areas of the enclosure they sometimes wont drink.



Usually a nice soak in warm water is in order. This can be anywhere from a half hour to overnight depending on severity. In my case I let this little guy soak over night. Disclaimer this is dangerous. You should not levee your reptile soaking unattended. I felt the benefits outweighed the risks in this instance. so I set my alarm to go off every hour so I can check up on this little guy. I filled up the tupper wear with worm water to its dorsal. I set a ruffish stone in there for both a place for it to rest its head out of the water, and for something ruff for it to rub up against. Then I set the tupper wear in its enclosure.

Anyways to the fun part.
Fast forward to this morning.

The tools I use.
. Warm damp towels
. Small tweesers
. soft bristled toothbrush(great for getting shed off there delicate tales)
. cup of warm water


An extra pair of hands come in handy. Unfortunately I was alone so forgive me for the crappy pictures.


Here it is this morning after the soak.



This is how I set it all up.

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I sandwich the snake between two damp/warm towels. I keep the head covered as much as I can to reduce stress. I save the head for last as I have found this is the most stressful part for them. Starting at the neck region I gently(cant stress this enough) rub with a wet towel. I work my way down towards the tail. I uncover only part of the snake again to reduce stress.



Moving along to the head I use the tweezers to grab any lose shed. I gently use a wet towel to remove the eyecaps. (sorry no pictures)
At this point it took me over a hour. I got most of it. Ill save the last little bit for another day. I stressed this poor little guy out enough for one day.

I don't think this next part helps but I whisper some words of encouragement to the snake and show it what a proper shed looks like.


(excuse the filthy glass)


I hope this helps some of you out. Again this is just my way of doing it.

Kindest rehards, Patrick

 

[Kitah]

Have found a damp cotton bud at the edge of a peiece of stuck shed, and 'roll' the cotton bud- it will gently tease the shed off the snake without irritating rubbing or the likes, and it comes off in larger sized pieces. Obviously only after the animal has been soaked for a while to completely soften the shed first.

 

[caliherp]

Have found a damp cotton bud at the edge of a peiece of stuck shed, and 'roll' the cotton bud- it will gently tease the shed off the snake without irritating rubbing or the likes, and it comes off in larger sized pieces. Obviously only after the animal has been soaked for a while to completely soften the shed first.

Thats another valuable tool to use. If my damn girlfriend hadn't of used them all for her makeup today I would have used a q-tip. I've found they work great for eye caps.

Its eating me up inside knowing my snake was that dehydrated. I'm not an inept keeper and I don't know how I did not notice this sooner. It's one of the most sweetest snakes I have ever owned. It gave me a slight hiss today and that was about it. It seems like it knew I was trying to help it. It doesn't have a mean bone in its body. Shy as all hell. I have to tickle it for him to show his head while I'm taking pictures.

If anyone else has any more tips or tricks, or see any flaws in my method please feel free to speak up.

Regards, Patrick

 

[Thyla]

I just thought about putting it in an incubator and set it to their optimal warm temperature (31 celcius is what I would do for my smooth knob tailed geckos for example) and make sure you fill all water bays with water to have high humidity. Place the container like in the photo above (except with more holes to be letting the humidity in) and have it sitting on a damp cloth/rag. Something like that would be good and ensure no possibility of drowning in water yet the skin should be as moist as if it were soaking in water.

 

[caliherp]

I just thought about putting it in an incubator and set it to their optimal warm temperature (31 celcius is what I would do for my smooth knob tailed geckos for example) and make sure you fill all water bays with water to have high humidity. Place the container like in the photo above (except with more holes to be letting the humidity in) and have it sitting on a damp cloth/rag. Something like that would be good and ensure no possibility of drowning in water yet the skin should be as moist as if it were soaking in water.

Thats is a great idea. One that I have never considered. The pictures doesn't dhow it but I do have two holes in both sides of the container. Again great idea and thank you for sharing.

Regards, Patrick

 

[Bluetongue1]

Dysecdysis is not a self-contained problem. It is always indicative of other, underlying issues. Assuming your snake is otherwise healthy, then the problem relates to lack of adequate hydration prior to shedding. There are a number of possible causes.

Recommended ambient humidity for the species involved is the first thing you would look at. A hygrometer is absolutely critical here and should be part and parcel of any serious reptile or amphibian keepers tool kit. Is the ambient humidity what it should be for the species?

Water intake would be the next thing to consider. Snakes will not drink stagnant water in nature and this translates to them not drinking water that has stood for more than about a day. So water bowls should be lightly cleaned and filled with fresh water at least every second day.

The size and shape of hide also has a significant influence but I don’t think your snake uses one. So ventilation and the hygrometer become all the more important.

Hopefully you will find something in the above,
Blue

 

[caliherp]

Thank you blue for taking the time to explain that. As I said I feel it was a number of things that lead up to this. I had to much ventilation in the previous tub. I had to spray it twice a day and it would still completely dry out. People tend to exaggerate gtp's humidity needs. Granted neos need a more humidity then adults. I usually change water every two to three days.


Come on now blue you really don't think I have proper monitoring tools lol? I have both digital and analog thermometers and hydrometers. I have 4 thermometer/hydrometer gauges in every enclosure I have. Two for each side, one near the bottom and another near the top.

Again thank you for taking the time out of your day to explain this.

Much respect, Patrick