Gravel Shed Issues

Im posting this in regarss to my friends gravel ball python. She had this littke baby shipped to her before its first shed...and i believe after its first meal. Since after its first shed the baby has had progressively worsened dry shed problems. She says shes tried different sized bowls, tryed spraying his bin more, along with soaks, and a wet bag. Nothing has helped this baby shed. They even tried a bottle of shed ease and had to use the whole just just to get shed off.

I took liberty making this because she really has no idea what else to do, she plans on takong him to the vet. Yet i was wondering if anyone else has had issues like this, where an animal has optimal care as far as heat and humidity goes, but still the shed remains to be difficult.

Attached is a picture of the poor little one after a soak.


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Originally Posted by beballs

Im posting this in regards to my friends gravel ball python. She had this little baby shipped to her before its first shed...and i believe after its first meal. Since after its first shed the baby has had progressively worsened dry shed problems. She says shes tried different sized bowls, tried spraying his bin more, along with soaks, and a wet bag. Nothing has helped this baby shed. They even tried a bottle of shed ease and had to use the whole thing just to get shed off.

I took liberty making this because she really has no idea what else to do, she plans on takong him to the vet. Yet i was wondering if anyone else has had issues like this, where an animal has optimal care as far as heat and humidity goes, but still the shed remains to be difficult.

Attached is a picture of the poor little one after a soak.
Attachment 765937

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Is it possible she's keeping it too humid? Soaking strips the oils they have that facilitates shedding. Might be that one bad shed was a fluke and her intervention is exacerbating the problem.

How many sheds has it had, and is it eating well, no mites, etc.? What substrate is it on? Has she tried leaving the hatchling alone with pieces of stuck shed until the next cycle? If the baby is otherwise healthy, and if the stuck shed isn't harming it, I'd try just stepping back and seeing if it's body chemistry doesn't even out on its own.

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The snake is dehydrated. Misting and soaking won't really help. It needs fluids in it's body.

Every stuck shed problem I've ever had has been solved after a 30 minute FULL BODY soak in warm- not hot- not cold, but WARM water. The snake should be completed submerged in water for at least 30 minutes, regardless of what everyone says it has always worked for me.

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Completely, not completed. Sorry for the typo

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After the soak, gently rub the skin off. If it's not coming off very easily, soak it more

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I agree with SPJ the snake looks dehydrated.

Originally Posted by beballs

Im posting this in regarss to my friends gravel ball python. She had this littke baby shipped to her before its first shed...and i believe after its first meal.

The timeline here seems off, normally babies hatch out, shed 7-10 days later, and take a meal after that.

Also, why accept a gravel so young? Most sellers want their babies to be solidly eating before they get shipped.

I agree that this poor baby is dehydrated and it likely was kept in too dry conditions before shipping. It needs to be rehydrated from the inside; soaking can only do so much.

If it's eating then try switching to f/t feeders and offer those wet, to get as much water into this snake as possible. I'd also run it like I do my baby BRB's, at 90% or higher humidity on an inch of cypress mulch in the hatchling tub, to keep it from drying out more.