just got him yesterday already shedding

[sa_grubb]

whats the best thing i can do at this point. I just got him yesterday and hes shedding today, but in pieces at a time. I enclosed a pic of the first piece. temps and everything is right in his home just was surprised hes shedding after the first night home.

 

[jlindp]

A big reason for incomplete sheds is too little humidity. Check the humidity in your tank with a digital hygrometer if possible. You can try putting him in a shallow tub with warm (please use a thermometer and not your hand to measure the temp) water and a washcloth. Just let him slither around for about 15 minutes and that should get the rest of his shed off. For his next shed, you can offer a humid hide, which can be some kind of container or cave or something else with some moist (not wet) moss or cypress mulch.

 

[kloe2008]

Follow jlindp's advice. Make sure you raise humidity & the very tip of the tail is definatly shed off in a day or two.

 

[mdrews]

Just keep an eye on him. Both my corn and garter have had crappy sheds but got it all off themselves! Good luck

 

[bitsy]

just was surprised hes shedding after the first night home.

They can't control when they shed - it just happens when it happens. Trust a Corn to shed at the perfect time to make you extra nervous!

 

[DarkSmoke]

They can't control when they shed - it just happens when it happens. Trust a Corn to shed at the perfect time to make you extra nervous!

actually, the control their shed. they shed whenever they want after the blue.
Also this is not your fault dude since you just got the snake, its the fault of were it was before they didn't have enough humidity. just if you have the money buy a hygrometre and check your humidity if its not good enough next shedding spray some water on your viv walls and put in a humid hide (try to put it on the heatmat since it will evaporate some of the water and really raise humidity) i tried this in my old home where it was really really dry and they all helped in the shedding. Now my snakes shed way better in my new home since its a very humid house

 

[haydnrobinson]

actually, the control their shed. they shed whenever they want after the blue.

Really? Where did you read that? Surely they can't just keep it on if they can't be bothered to shed? :S Not disputing you though as I don't know any opposing evidence.

(try to put it on the heatmat since it will evaporate some of the water and really raise humidity)...
I think you have to be careful not to put it entirely on the heatmat, it can just get REALLY hot inside. I've read a horrid story on here where that very thing happened. I think the point of a humidity box is to put damp paper towels or moss or similar inside and it stays wet and warm so the snake pulls of their own shed and it's moist enough to do so.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

If this snake shed the day after the op brought it into their home, the reason for a poor shed is bad humidity in its old home. Not his. The snake wasn't in his care long enough for it to be his fault. Especially since he said the temps and humidity were good. My 08 Amel came from a home that treated her like a leopard gecko. Next to NO humidity. It took two sheds to adjust her humidity to where she needed it (50% as much as poss). My other snakes only need it at about 35% to have good sheds.

To the OP, You could give a moist hide, or let the snake slide through a damp wash cloth or give the snake a little swim. These help alot with shedding.

 

[DarkSmoke]

Really? Where did you read that? Surely they can't just keep it on if they can't be bothered to shed? :S Not disputing you though as I don't know any opposing evidence.

(try to put it on the heatmat since it will evaporate some of the water and really raise humidity)...
I think you have to be careful not to put it entirely on the heatmat, it can just get REALLY hot inside. I've read a horrid story on here where that very thing happened. I think the point of a humidity box is to put damp paper towels or moss or similar inside and it stays wet and warm so the snake pulls of their own shed and it's moist enough to do so.

Once the digestion of the old scale layer is done and the old one is thin enough the new one grew up enough, the liquid is absorbed back by the skin body and then its in the snakes hands(so to speak since they don't have hands) to remove the old scale layer. in fact not every snake sheds at the same number of days after they're out of the blue. Of corse its in their instinct to remove the old skin once its ready like it is to eat and poop. i don't know if it bothers them or not but i guess if i had another layer of skin on me while moving that its loose from the other layer of skin it would bother me.

 

[bitsy]

They have to shed in the short space of time between the old skin separating from the new skin, and the layer of lubricating fluid between them still being there. Once the fluid dries up (only a matter of days), then the old skin sticks to the new skin underneath and you end up with a partial or incomplete shed.

I don't believe that they "choose" when they poop either. They poop when they poop and they shed when they shed. They don't wait to do either thing until they feel like it. They can't decide to delay shedding any more than they can decide to delay having a poop.

You can't judge why a snake does something, by putting yourself in their position. That's anthropomorphising. They aren't "bothered" by shedding any more than we're "bothered" by our fingernails growing. It's a natural process to them.

 

[DarkSmoke]

i don't agree with this, since even ball pythons are known to hold back from pooping and sometimes do a month without pooping and then poop a mountain lol. well its a mather of personal opinion

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I don't know, a lot of mine like to poop in the feeding box, I always thought of it as not wanting to foul up their viv. But it's probably more because of the moving around...

 

[bitsy]

I occasionally get a poop in the feeding tank, but the fact that this sometimes happens before eating rather does away with the element of choice. I can't think of an animal that chooses to poop on or near its food.

since even ball pythons are known to hold back from pooping

But is this a conscious choice on their part, or just "the way it is"?