Stimson Shedding Half Done!

[HotelLima95]

Hi all,

This is a distress call as I have read just about every post on this forum regarding the shedding help for snakes but this is my first python and first shed. My Alice Springs Stimson Python is trying her best to shed, rubbing up against the bark in her click clack but to no avail. She has shed her head and the skin on the top of her body from her head down about 40mm has separated and is coming off, but she can't seem to peel it off apart from this. It has been like this for at least a day and is not changing. What should I do?! She is almost too small to massage the skin off of her body.


Thanks,
Harley

 

[Shay-Nik]

Have you tried misting the enclosure, moister is a big thing that helps when a snake is shedding?

 

[andynic07]

Try soaking her in warm water about 28 degrees for about 30 min then put her in a wet pillow case for a bit. Is ther enough rough solid surfaces for the skin to grip on so your snake can wriggle out of it.

 

[HotelLima95]

Have been misting the enclosure for the last two days and have tried soaking her in warm water but she couldn't hate it more! There are 3 pieces of bark in her click clack that she continually rubs up against but it doesn't seem to be working. We just tries soaking her again and I notice that she has split the skin down her back to about 70mm now. Is it a serious hazard to let her try for herself? Anything we try seems to be stressing her a lot!

 

[Shay-Nik]

It will stress her out alot, try getting a damp face washer (clean of course) and gently rub it on her scales near the beginning of the shed is stuck

 

[HotelLima95]

Thanks guys, I forgot to say that. It means a lot for you to give me replies so late. I am just really worried... I have self diagnosed OCD and anything that doesn't go right stresses me out. So what I really need to ask is will it have a negative effect to leave her overnight and try to help her in the morning?

 

[Shay-Nik]

That's ok, for all you know she could try get it off when you are sleeping, just hope she doesn't hurt herself doing so. I'm always up late anyway so it's not a bother. I guess im not the only one with OCD issues
Just make sure it comes off soon as possible, if it doesn't then it could turn into something serious like the effected area of she will stop growth and possible that part could fall off, I really don't know how to word it better, but you should be fine to leave it till morning, it's probably better to do it when your more calm, my snake seems to pick up on things when I stress he seems to be a little moody

 

[HotelLima95]

Okay, thanks again for the advice. Right at this moment she is running up against the bark trying to get some more skin off.

 

[Shay-Nik]

Soaking her would of loosened the skin so she should have the rest off by morning (hopefully)
Your welcome.

 

[Tobe404]

Have you tried the wet pillow case as andynic07 suggested? Wet towel would do a similar job i'd imagine.
Do her pieces of bark move as she slithers over them? It helps a hell of a lot if the surface she is trying to shed against does not move.
I'd see if you can put some more things in there with rough surfaces (that wont move. For example: Branch to perch on) to help the shed process next time.
Also for next time. Mist around 3/4 of her enclosure (sides and back) as soon as you realise she is going into shed. Once or twice a day.

 

[HotelLima95]

Thanks for all of the helpful advice against guys! Such a relief this morning to wake up and find that she had shed completely! Turns out that it was the right decision to leave her overnight.

Here it is:

 

[jacevy]

Awesome mate.

 

[ronhalling]

Isn't it great to get a good outcome to a situation, and what is better is to get notification of an outcome we have advised on, too often i read "help me" threads that lots of people have given experienced advice on but never find out the outcome, Thank you Harley for taking the time to not only notify us but for also including a pic, looking at that shed it looks extremely dry and as was mentioned earlier could have benifited from misting as soon as you seen the cloudy eye first stage of shedding, now that you know you may have a problem shedder you might like to think about misting every day from the cloudy eye first stage till final shed along with a warm bath in either water or a weak solution of camimile tea, or i have heard of others using moist peat moss as a substrate during the shed period. ........................................Ron

 

[Zipidee]

Nice thread. And especially nice of you to let everyone know the result!!!

 

[Shay-Nik]

I love seeing the shed of snakes, it's so cool, although not cool when your cat tries to eat the shed through plastic sealer bags

 

[marleehorne]

stimmies generally have a nine day shedding cycle. You will know that they are about to start the cycle because most will not leave their hide. During this period they seek humidity (moisture) it is a good thing as already mentioned to mist during this cycle.
Dolittle farms website has a great indepth fact sheet for this species and if this is your first, I highly recommend keeping a copy to read when you have a question.
Cheers.

 

[HotelLima95]

I will always post the outcome because I know exactly what you are talking about Ron. Will also definitely do the misting a lot earlier next time and I should get my Habistat PPT either tomorrow or early next week which will help out a lot! No more placing and removing tea towels to achieve the temperature that Alice (not sure if I have mentioned her name before) requires. Have also set her up in a Sistema 7L clip lock container. This seems to hold the humidity better than the last one. I will be sure to put a build up soon just to show it off. Keep an eye out!

 

[andynic07]

I will always post the outcome because I know exactly what you are talking about Ron. Will also definitely do the misting a lot earlier next time and I should get my Habistat PPT either tomorrow or early next week which will help out a lot! No more placing and removing tea towels to achieve the temperature that Alice (not sure if I have mentioned her name before) requires. Have also set her up in a Sistema 7L clip lock container. This seems to hold the humidity better than the last one. I will be sure to put a build up soon just to show it off. Keep an eye out!

I find sometimes if you have only had a hatchling a short time the stress from the move can cause a bad shed. I also find that if you provide fresh water that is changed every second day the snake will stray hydrated and usually will shed nicely. Saying that it seems a little unusual that your snake seemed to have a good shed (one piece) but took so long , a possible reason for this may be that the stuff he was trying to catch the old skin on may not have been firm enough to do the job well.

 

[HotelLima95]

She has two pieces of bark in her click clack that she can't move and one that she can. The one that she can move is more of a hide and is soft. I often found her trying to shed on all three pieces of bark. I also change her water every second day at least. I will definitely make some changes for next time. I guess you can't learn everything from reading. Hands on experience is a the best form of learning.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Isn't it great to get a good outcome to a situation, and what is better is to get notification of an outcome we have advised on, too often i read "help me" threads that lots of people have given experienced advice on but never find out the outcome, Thank you Harley for taking the time to not only notify us but for also including a pic, looking at that shed it looks extremely dry and as was mentioned earlier could have benifited from misting as soon as you seen the cloudy eye first stage of shedding, now that you know you may have a problem shedder you might like to think about misting every day from the cloudy eye first stage till final shed along with a warm bath in either water or a weak solution of camimile tea, or i have heard of others using moist peat moss as a substrate during the shed period. ........................................Ron

I agree, except I don't get the part about the shed being extremely dry, they all go like that when left to dry out.