Can A Help My Ball Python Shed?

this is her first shed with me and shes still in a temp tank while I'm getting the other ready. the skin on her nose has come off and its been a few days since her eyes have become clouded so I'm getting a bit worried. its also gonna be time to feed her soon so I wanna get this shed off soon. she is very friendly and unlikely to bite if I try so is it ok to kinda help the shed along just with my hands or will this hurt her? google said to put a warm thing of water in there so she can soak but the temp tank isn't big enough to fit one. ive been misting once or twice a day but I'm still a bit worried about my baby. she has been poking her head out and looking at me today and I just wanna help her so bad.

 

BReefer97

 

Do you know the humidity level?

 

Just fill a plastic shoebox or small Rubbermaid bin with 3 or 4 inches of warmish water, put her in and secure the lid. Leave her in there for at least a few hours, or even overnight, making sure that the water doesn't get too cold during that time.

At the end of that time, put her back into her cage and make sure there is something she can use to help remove the old skin, i.e. a rough rock or piece of wood. She will probably be able to take care of things herself. Helping her out manually can definitely be done, but you must make sure that she is ready before you do this; maybe not the best choice of action if you don't have a fair bit of experience.

Be aware that if the eyes are still cloudy, the snake is NOT ready to shed. The cloudy appearance of the eyes that precedes shedding tends to disappear just before the skin actually comes off. Peeling it off too soon is not a good thing!

 

Do you know the humidity level?

no not really I can't afford a thing that tells me yet but ill have one soon

 

Let it go for a few days and just LIGHLTY mist the enclosure (you don’t want a respiratory infection) to increase the humidity a bit. Hold off feeding until the shed is off because it’s unlikely to eat anyways. You never want to force the shed off yourself.

I have a few questions before I carry on with my advice - are her eyes currently still in blue (cloudy)??

 

A moist hide is ideal for almost all reptiles to assist with shedding. Just take a small plastic container a little bigger than the snake or lizard, fill with moist moss, and cut a hole so they can go inside. They will use it as needed to soften stuck on shed. My ball pythons like to hang out in theirs randomly.

A large enough water bowl to fit them is also important, as snakes will soak as needed.

I let a stuck shed go for a few days before intervening. Soaking for 30-60 minutes with a rag in the bin usually does the trick and they finish on their own. My king has a bad habit of defecating while in the middle of shedding and then he gets stuck halfway done with pieces everywhere. I've also had two snakes with genetic disorders that need assistance sometimes.

 

Moist hide is your best bet. Never try to "peel" it off unless you know what your doing. Bigger enclosure so you can have a bigger water bowl that she can get into if needed.
Just wait a bit to see if she can get through the shed herself.

What is the wait on the larger tank?
What kind of bedding do you have her on? I'm sure you have done your research but maybe join a forum for ball pythons. There are a few good ones out there. Good luck

Another thought, do you have a heat lamp on her? If so get rid of that and use a heat pad. Heat lamps can dry the tank out to much.

 

I breed pythons take a 5 gallon bucket and put a few inches of warm water in the bottom and put the snake in and let it soak for 30 minutes to a hour it will shed perfect.

And if you are having issues with humidity for example in a glass aquarium you can buy a spray bottle and spray the tank 2-3 times a day this will prevent stuck sheds.

 

I agree with Jimmie, though I wouldn’t spray the enclosure that often because that makes them more prone to respiratory infections.

I also want to add if the snake’s eyes are still blue, she’s just starting. The eyes will go cloudy/blue and then they return to normal - which is when the shed is ready to come off. If the eyes are currently blue just wait to take any further action. If her eyes are no longer blued over and she hasn’t successfully started to shed, I would do as suggested above and soak her in warm water. We only ever do it for 10-15 minutes and then let the snake slither through your hands and the shed should just pull right off. DONT FORCEFULLY PULL THE SHED OFF! Put your hand around the snake’s body and let it slither through - this should get the shed off. Just have the snake slither through your hands until it’s all worked off, usually comes off in one big piece for us.

 

Let it go for a few days and just LIGHLTY mist the enclosure (you don’t want a respiratory infection) to increase the humidity a bit. Hold off feeding until the shed is off because it’s unlikely to eat anyways. You never want to force the shed off yourself.

I have a few questions before I carry on with my advice - are her eyes currently still in blue (cloudy)??

with the one eye the skin is detached and you can see her eye under it but the other is still cloudy and all the skin on her nose has shed, idk if that's a problem but she seems to like it when I spray the tank and pokes her nose out of the cave a bit.

 

with the one eye the skin is detached and you can see her eye under it but the other is still cloudy and all the skin on her nose has shed, idk if that's a problem but she seems to like it when I spray the tank and pokes her nose out of the cave a bit.

They’ll be blued over like that for a while then, she’s just begun the process. Let her do her own thing for a while it takes longer for snakes to shed than other reptiles like geckos and such.