Has anyone used Herpa Shed by Vetafarm?

[Mortevicar]

Hi all

My BHP went through a really bad shed last time, she only shed a band below her head. After 2 days I soaked her and managed to massge the rest off. This was the only bad shed she went through.

There is a great reptile shop here in Melbourne and they recommended a product by Vetafarm called Herpa Shed. According to the Vetafarm website, it states it is a "liquid spray mist for direct application to reptiles to aid in the shedding process. Key features: Hydrates reptile skin. Softens and lifts sloughing skin from reptiles. Conditions and leaves new skin with a healthy sheen. Helps to prevent shedding issues such as constricted toes in lizards and retained spectacles in snakes. Directions: Lightly spray your reptile with Herpa Shed once daily while shedding. Active Constituents: A blend of cosmeceuticals to aid the hydration and shedding of reptile skin".

Has anyone ever used this and had any success? My BHP is about to go through another shed (eyes are turning blue) and wondered if it's worth using.

Thanks
Morris

 

[saximus]

Haven't used it personally but I've always considered it to be one of those products aimed at newer, more impressionable owners. Apart from a few exceptional individual animals, poor sheds are generally husbandry related. I just posted this exact same comment somewhere else but it seems relevant here too:
I read on here once (I believe it was Blue who said it) that dehydration is a big one. Most people focus on misting or soaking etc but forget about ensuring internal hydration is kept up. Without trying to insinuate anything about your own practices, if an animal doesn't get fresh water on a regular basis (this regularity may vary with respect to the individual), you can mist it all you like but the shed is still going to be bad because it is dehydrated. I have a couple of individuals who almost always had poor sheds. They always came off completely but were always in pieces. Once I started increasing the frequency of water bowl changes, I noticed a marked improvement. So maybe this is something to look at.

 

[Snowman]

One of my BHPs had a few bad sheds. I got a hygrometer and discovered the viv was less than 30% humidity. So I covered some of the vents and moved the water to the warm side. Put the heat on a timer so it was 12 hours on and 12 hours off and the humidity went up to 45%. Never had a bad shed since.

 

[Snowman]

And as said above dont waste money on a gimick like herpa shed

 

[Mortevicar]

Haven't used it personally but I've always considered it to be one of those products aimed at newer, more impressionable owners. Apart from a few exceptional individual animals, poor sheds are generally husbandry related. I just posted this exact same comment somewhere else but it seems relevant here too:
I read on here once (I believe it was Blue who said it) that dehydration is a big one. Most people focus on misting or soaking etc but forget about ensuring internal hydration is kept up. Without trying to insinuate anything about your own practices, if an animal doesn't get fresh water on a regular basis (this regularity may vary with respect to the individual), you can mist it all you like but the shed is still going to be bad because it is dehydrated. I have a couple of individuals who almost always had poor sheds. They always came off completely but were always in pieces. Once I started increasing the frequency of water bowl changes, I noticed a marked improvement. So maybe this is something to look at.

Thanks for posting. I always replace her water every day regardless if she is shedding or not, but I find when she is shedding she doesn't come out from under her hide. So maybe she is dehydrated? I have done the "pinch" test and her skin bounces right back, but possibly whe she sheds she doesn't consume any water and becomes dehydrated. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Mortevicar]

And as said above dont waste money on a gimick like herpa shed

Definitely - thanks for saving me a few bucks!

 

[pythonmum]

The main ingredient in the commercial product will be water. That is why it may have some effect. Snakes are very sensitive to chemicals, so I would be leery of 'a blend of cosmeceuticals' which have undoubtedly been considered as safe in humans, but not tested on reptiles. Keep up your hydration and maybe move the water bowl closer to her hide. Also continue misting. You could try to dampen a layer of newspaper and put this in her hide. That would help to soak her skin a bit more. Usually a bad shed is a unique occurrence, but you can't go wrong with some extra humidity and plain water.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Do you feed your BHP it's food dripping wet or dried off? Just curious.

 

[Mortevicar]

Do you feed your BHP it's food dripping wet or dried off? Just curious.

Once the rat is thawed I do run it under some warm water so it is dripping wet, so she gets water from that as well as hopefully making it easier to swallow.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Ah ok then. Yeah that always helps. Maybe just try to raise ambient humidity like has been said.

 

[Serpent_Gazeux]

.

 

[Snowman]

Get a hygrometer and go from there....

 

[thomasssss]

just noticed your in victoria , do you happen to use some form of house air heating , like those reverse cycle air con systems , from my understanding these remove a hell of alot of moisture from the air maybe something to look into as i remember a few cases like this ( where snakes are having bad sheds frequently ) and them using air con in the house , maybe something to look into

 

[jbest]

Recently the local reptile vet told me he uses vitamin e cream and it works wonders apparently. Haven't had to try it yet myself. Any else ever heard of this?

 

[Serpent_Gazeux]

Recently the local reptile vet told me he uses vitamin e cream and it works wonders apparently. Haven't had to try it yet myself. Any else ever heard of this?

A vet told me the same thing yesterday.

 

[Mortevicar]

just noticed your in victoria , do you happen to use some form of house air heating , like those reverse cycle air con systems , from my understanding these remove a hell of alot of moisture from the air maybe something to look into as i remember a few cases like this ( where snakes are having bad sheds frequently ) and them using air con in the house , maybe something to look into

Yes I do actually, as the weather is getting colder I have the heater on, and it's in the same room as the enclosure. I will definitley get a hygrometer and test her environment. The idea of Vitamin E sounds really logical - I know of a leather upholsterer who uses it for softens customer' leather couches and it softens and moisturises much better than the expensive stuff.

 

[jacevy]

Can I ask what level of humidity we should be aiming for.

I have a meter in my enclosure and some days it gets up to high 70s.