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Bath/soaking ok for GTP with problem shed?

liquidleaf

liquidleaf

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;) Hi, new to this part of the forum.

My husband bought an 18 month old female GTP at Tinley Park in October (actually, won it at the auction). She's beautiful and eats great, we've got her in a high humidity cage.

However, she's having a bad shed this month. I'm a boa/ball python gal and I know GTPs can be easily stressed. If she were a boa I'd give her a 10 or 20 minute long soak in some lukewarm water. Can I do this with a GTP to help alleviate a bad shed or would this be too stressful? My husband does not handle her much (he's content to watch her and is afraid to stress her) but she doesn't seem nippy (I can touch her during daylight, she just looks to see what is touching her and balls up to "escape the hand").

Alternatively, would putting her in a container with warm, wet towels at the bottom for a bit help? Since she went into shed we've been keeping her cage at about 80% humidity, allowing periods to dry out a little (spraying morning and evening, usually there is humidity fog on the glass).

The stuck shed does not seem to have any effect on her appetite.

Thanks! I'm so used to my robust boas & python, don't want to stress the "china doll" :)
 
Well, since none of the GTP people have stepped up to the plate on this one, here's my $.02. (note: I have very limited past experience with GTPs, but have kept ETBs for years.) At this point, I will address only the question posed...leaving any specific husbandry issues to those more experienced with this particular species.
Yes, you can soak the "china doll". Take care to ensure that the water is not too deep - you can get away with alot while soaking terrestrial snakes, but I only use enough to go halfway up the body for arboreals. Also, what most people consider lukewarm is actually too warm for soaking the snake in (imagine my surprise when I checked the temp on a soaking basin one day!!)...80-90 degrees is fine - that should still feel slightly cool to the touch. Good luck with her
 
Thanks Harald! I have a temp gun so will definitely check to make sure the water is the right temp. Going to try it out on Saturday when I can spend some time with her during the daylight hours, I'll let you know how it goes.
 
I soak my GTP to help with a bad shed. I feel that soaking is far less stressful than misting the snake and working it off with your fingers. Not to mention the fact that the snake will get aggravated at that level of intrusion fairly quickly and chances are you'll take a few bites in the process. Speaking from experience there haha.
I do favor using wet crumpled paper towels over soaking in standing water though. It works very well to use this method and sit the container on a heat pad for a little while. The towels help rub off the skin and the heat keeps it warm and very humid until the job is done. Without the heat the towels will cool quickly and can cool the snake too much.
 
Excellent tip. I will definitely try it tomorrow. She looks so uncomfortable! Hopefully I won't have my first GTP bite, but if so, at least I'll know what it feels like. (Small) Boa bites aren't too bad.... heh. Hmm... got my first one of those trying to spray down a shedding boa baby! Shedding and bites seem to go hand in hand. Heh
 
:) Soaking the GTP in a small amount of water with wet paper towels, on a heating pad worked very well. I didn't try rubbing her skin off myself, but my husband completely broke down her cage setup and put some real wood perches in (he had used flexi-branches and vines). She didn't like being put into the critter keeper, but when we returned her to her cage, she quickly rubbed off a lot of skin on the wood (I believe she had problems getting her original shed off because she didn't have something to rub on - the rubbery fake branches & vines weren't abrasive enough).

Thanks for your tips! No bites to report, either ;)
 
Heh heh. A little update. I tried to give the GTP another "bath" this weekend (she had a couple of stubborn pieces still stuck on).. well, she had a really good grip on her perch and didn't want to go into the bath container... so I tried gently prodding her off with my fingers... WHAP! Got my first GTP bite from her. Not as bad as I thought it would be (felt like a very strong pinch) but boy did it bleeeeeeeed.... But she's much happier after the second bath, plus she has a new cage with a lot more room (used her "bathtime" to move stuff from the old cage to the new). My husband's jealous that he didn't get "first blood" from his own snake! Hee hee hee...
 
Well at least she shed off her stuck skin and it seems you took a small shed yourself! :)
 
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