Hi, my ball python has been in a continuous shed since we had some difficulties surrounding some plumbing pipe. Here is our story.... I decided that getting my bp something to do while he was in his cage would stop him from scraping his nose along the top screen lid all night long trying to get out. So I went to the local hardware store and purchased some 3 inch black plumbing pipe for him to crawl through and sleep in to keep him occupied. It served its purpose very well, but being that we love "Monty" very much, we take him out of his cage daily. Well, I thought that I was taking him out carefully from the pipe, but what I didn't know was that I was creating large "scrapes" along his back bone and belly over the course of about a week. He ended up with some pretty nasty sores that he very nicely cleaned up himself by shedding 4 times in about 6 weeks. Each molt would bring the skin on his back and belly to a better stage of healing. Now that the sores are all completely healed (about 3 weeks ago), he is now going into his 6th consecutive shed. I cannot see why he would still be wanting to shed as there are not any of the original sores left on his body except for the one on his nose from rubbing on the screen. This one is a pretty big sore (about the size of the colored plastic ball on the top of a stick pin) It sits right in between his nostrils and is quite deep. It is healing with each molt. I wonder if he is molting still because of this sore????? Now here is the REALLY WEIRD PART TO THIS STORY.....about every third molt, he does something REALLY weird.......he molts each individual scale by itself. What a mess!!!!He's done it twice now. Well, he finished doing his second individual scale molt in which I had to help him with, about a week ago, and about two days after that was over, I had to help him with a FULL molt which came off in pieces as it was glued onto him and very dry. I know that I have a humidity problem because of the heat lamp. It is very difficult to keep the levels up in the entire cage. I have a screen lid which I cover up with a multi layer sheet except for where the light bulb sits over on the hot end.
Do you think maybe I need to get him a "humid box"? I also use a fogger/mister that I run every day to help with the levels. He has molted every week since the middle of July. I have had to help him shed each time by soaking him for about an hour in tepid water, then rolling him through my hands to get the skin off once he split it at the tip of his nose and it started coming off of his chin. Otherwise he'll just sit there for a week or two without it coming off. It does come off very nicely once I soak him, but in pieces. Well, since all of these molts his poor skin is so sore. He jumps at every touch.
Has anyone ever seen a snake molt each individual scale like he has (twice now)? Has anyone seen a snake continuously molt in order to repair their skin? Is this stress related? We love Monty so much and I just want to help him get rid of this ailment. He is still eating his live mouse every Monday, he is drinking a big gulp after each feeding (he has always done this), and he is very docile and timid in nature. I have his cage at about 85-86 degrees on the cool end and about 90 degrees on the warm end under the infrared heat bulb (please refer to the pictures I have included here). he has two caves (one at each end) to hide in. I have a water fountain that constantly runs in the cage as well. I wrote to his previous owners and asked them if Monty had ever had a complete one piece shed, and they said "no". So I asked my local snake expert at the petstore, and she said that I do not have my humidity right, and I should start feeding him fresh meat. He has only ever had frozen mice, and before I got him a few months ago, for 6 years he was only fed every two weeks. I feed him a live mouse every week, and believe me, he's hungry. He's grown 3.5 inches since we purchased him in April/06.
Should I just keep the humidity and temps where they are and let him be? Stop handling him so much? Any changes I should make to his heat sources? . I do have an under the tank heater, but only on the cool end of the tank. He loves this and it keeps the temp about 85 degrees. The lamp however, can heat things up to about 95 degrees when I don't leave the sheets off enough. I would appreciate all the help I can get so that I can get Monty's sheds healthy as he has never experienced a full shed in one piece in his whole life. And I am sorry if I have repeated myself in a few areas, I tend to forget what I have written and end up saying things over again. Thanks so much everyone. Monty and I await your input.
