I had the same problem last week so give this a go.. " Austen ReptilesDehydration in Carpets- a common problem particularly in the cooler months. I spoke to Joe Plant today re this issue, an issue that seems all to common, but is easily sorted with a little 'tweaking' in husbandry. Thought I'd share if it will help others.
Being ectotherms, reptiles will always seek out heat to maintain a PBT (preferred body temperature). In the cooler months, there is a distinct drop in ambient temps and herein lies the problem. This causes the reptile (in this case, pythons) to remain under or on top of, the heat for extended periods due to the cooler air away from the heat. This is an issue I have encountered over the years and I have coined it 'thermal over-stay'. The first signs are more often than not, a dry shed but can lead to further complications like kidney infection if not remedied sooner rather than later.
Over coming this is simple and just a matter of reviewing your husbandry. The idea is to keep as much warm air within the enclosure as possible to allow the thermostat to trip out at the desired temp (as it is designed to do) and not stay on for extended periods. Things to watch out for are....
-do you have too much ventilation in your enclosure, particularly in the roof?
-have you observed your carpet basking for extended periods directly under or on the heat?
-are you measuring temperature in an incorrect area resulting in to much heat at the basking site?
-does your python appear and feel dry to the touch?
Frequent spraying and the odd precautionary soak is good practice and allows your python to drink- funnily enough, pythons will often fail to adequately hydrate themselves if at all, particularly in high, arboreal type enclosures when water is placed on the floor and a distance away.
A constant 24hr application of heat is, IMO, incorrect husbandry and will serve only to compound this problem particularly in the cooler months. Incorporating a nocturnal drop in temp, as in nature is good practice and will help alleviate this problem. The practice of spraying and soaking alone when thermal over-stay is evident is merely a bandaid solution and will seldom solve the issue.
All the best "
