Really stupid question? (long thread sorry)

[RainbowMary]

Well firstly if any of you have followed my recent thread my baby Leila "went" eventually after 4 weeks when I soaked her today whilst cleaning out her tank (my suspicion is she probably has been before I just really can't find it), anyway I was wondering I sprayed everything with the reptile disinfectant....what do I do with the toilet roll I've got in there? she rarely ever uses her proper rock hide, yet I can't spray cardboard so what should I do replace it?
Oh secondly I was just reading the wet hide thread and do you have to have a wet hide? or "mist" (I'm going to guess that spraying the snake or tank?) because Leila's only shed once with me and it was perfect all one go, yet I didn't know about misting or the hide....should I do it next time? Oh and another thing lol sorry to bombard with questions but is it REALLY noticeable when your snake is blue because the first and only time, I thought something was wrong because she was hiding, but when I got her out (both 2 days before and the night before) I didn't notice the blue eyes or any discoloration how will I know for definite so that I can be ready to mist or wet hide, I'm hoping since I've had her longer that the second time round I'll notice....It's been just over 4 weeks since her last shed. Thanks and sorry for making it so long I was originally only going to ask about the toilet roll tube lol. Mary

 

[Maize411]

Don't worry about all the questions..that's what we're here for..lol alright here are the few answers I can provide..The cardboard toilet roll I would just replace when you get another empty roll..Having a wet hide is only really if you notice your snake is having trouble during sheds..You can either put moist paper towl or moss in her favorite hide or you could spray the tank with a water spray bottle..when their not shedding humidity can be in the 20's..when u notice their in blue or their colors look dull you can spray the tank and bring the humidity up to the 50's...As for knowing when your snake is going to shed..it's all a matter of catching it at the right time...Since I have had my 2 snakes they have snuck a few sheds by me without me ever noticing..and I would find their skin the next day..mostly though you come to start to notice their color duling or their readiness to eat may change..it all depends on the snake really...well good luck to you and I hope I've helped you :0)

 

[Mr.AJ]

Yep as maize said...

Replace the loo roll as and when you can... Might be worth saving one or two so you always have a spare.

Moist hide is only really needed if the snakes struggling with the shed.. But it cant hurt to put one in but only worth doing once the snake comes out of blue and is in the phase before shedding.. If its in too long the snake can spend too long in the moist area and get scale rot.

Misting is good practice especially if your humidity is quite low normally... If your humidity stays at a good level you can mist during the blue and pre-shedding periods to boost it up a bit. I keep mine around 45-55% normally and 60-65% during shedding.

 

[mdrews]

Excellent answers, the only thing I can add is that with Simon and with my garter you can REALLY notice when they have gone blue!their skin color gets very dull to start, then their eyes go a very cloudy blue grey!