Healthy shed or not?

[Alicia_kay_47]

Wait wait wait......His shed came off in pieces....Does this mean he is unhealthy, or does this just mean he does not have enough stuff to rub up against to get the skin off? Plus, During his shed, will he be mean, sluggish, not hungry? Just curious. Thanks. I need to post a pic of Eden on here...I'm so confused as to if he's a Checkered Garter or a Ribbon snake. Ugh...so confusing because he has traits of both.

[Stefan-A]

Maybe the humidity is too low or the snake may be suffering from some deficiency. Check the shed to make sure at least the eye caps and the tip of the tail came off. If the snake didn't manage to shed completely, wet the snake and see if you can gently rub the remaining pieces off.

Yes, all of those are possible during shed.

[EasternGirl]

Yes, it would help if we knew some more things..like what are you keeping him in for an enclosure? What substrate are you using? What are you using for heat? What are your warm side and cool side temps? What is your humidity level? Like Stefan said it could have to do with humidity level, or it could be something else. It is important though to try to get the remaining shed off.

[Mommy2many]

Stefan and Marnie are right on. Try misting the enclosure. Sometimes that will increase humidity enough for your snake to properly finish the job. If not, you can always give him a snake bath to help get the excess skin off (carefully)

[Light of Dae]

With misting though careful not to get your substrate too wet. it could mold or cause scale rot if there is no dry area

[Selkielass]

Put in a bowl full of damp to wet spagnum moss- one large enough for Eden to climb in and bury itself underneath if it likes.
This will raise humidity in the cage and works as a shed box. Be sure to rinse the moss often and change it when it becomes soiled.
Sheds come off in pieces sometimes- low humidity can make this problem worse but it is not necessarily dangerous if most or all the shed does come off eventually.

[aquamentus_11]

mine just started her shed too. i use sphagnum moss hides like selkie said and mist 1-2 times/day. covering half the lid will help keep moisture in there. did you say that you did have a hygrometer?

[EasternGirl]

Yes...I increase my humidity around shed time by misting the plants in the enclosure several times a day (be careful not to mist the substrate and make it damp...it is not healthy for a snake to lie in damp substrate), and I cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank lid with a towel to keep moisture in and decrease air circulation like Nate said. Sometimes before a shed, I take my snakes out and let them swim in a bowl of warm water...just be careful the snake doesn't escape! If the snake has trouble with a shed, I make a shed box. I take a washcloth and wet it with warm water and put it and a little bit of warm water...maybe a half an inch in a small plastic storage container...then I put the snake in and put the lid on. I leave the snake in for about 10-20 minutes and then I gently rub what is left of the shed off the snake with my fingers or the washcloth. Then I check the snake...looking over every inch of her/him for any retained shed...I closely check the face, around the eyes, mouth, neck area, and the tail.