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Concerned about molting

S

shawnaleighs

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I have to admit that I'm in complete virgin territory. I've had my bp, Bella for about 6 weeks now. She is the first bp, or first snake, for that matter, that I've ever had. She's a good eater, and I'm really pleased about that. My concern about her is molting. It appeared about 3 weeks ago that she was getting ready to molt - eyes clouding over, skin getting dull, etc. We left for vacation last week, and I was hoping to come back to a complete molt. However, when we got back, she has only molted around her head, and the rest of her is still very dull. I checked on her today, and she is looking incredibly lethargic and somewhat "sunken in" (if that makes any sense). I added some whet moss into her hide to try to give her something moist to lay against, but that hasn't seemed to help. The temperature in her enclosure remains about 80 degrees and, the humitity ususally ranges between 40-60%. I have handled her a couple of times, until I learned that it is not good to do so, so I've been trying to be hands off now.

Should I be worried, or is this normal? How long does it usually take to molt? Is there anything that I should do/need to do for her to help her along?

Any advise would be appreciated!
 
at this point, the old skin is fairly well adhered - you will need to soak her to loosen it. There are a variety of ways to do that, I prefer to put the snake in a closed (not airtight, lol) container with water. The amount of water will depend on the size of the snake - you want it to be able to keep its head up without expending energy to do so. You will want the water temperature to be around the snakes temp range - in this case, low 80s...If it feels warm to you, it is too warm. (it is difficult to tell somebody how to guesstimate 80-84 degrees, lol). In all likelihood, you will end up having to manually remove what the snake was unable to; that will not always be the case, but since it has been awhile... Also, 80 degrees is not really the ideal temperature for BPs...but it is acceptable for the "cool side", as long as there is a warmer area, too.
 
shedding

generally molting is a term reserved for spiders and birds. Most herpers use shedding, i don't think it makes a differences really. Your snake can die if you don't get that skin off soon. I recommend a healthy dose of mineral oil for an emergency fix. (see the * at the bottom for how to apply) Also, a friend who likes snakes who is willing to check on your snake when you are gone-snakes are often written off as low maintenence pets, but it's good to have someone checking up on them every other day just in case they start showing signs of illness, or like here, don't shed correctly.

If your snake has not shed, gently put her in a soaking dish that you can keep her in for at least an hour or two. I use a plastic lizard cage that has ventilation, or you could use a tupperware that is appropriately sized to your snake and poke enough holes in the lid so that she can breathe safely. Fill it with lukewarm (not Hot! or too cold) water so that the snake can keep it's head above the water and put the snake in there and leave it for an hour or an hour and a half. I usually change the water so that it doesn't get too cold. Another method is get a snake soaking only pillowcase and soak it and squeeze it out until it is damp but not dripping too much and put the snake in it inside a secure and empty cage. again, i like to use warm water so the snake doesn't just lie there and get chilly. this has worked best for me because the soaking tends to work best on the belly, but doesn't help as much with the top of the snake.
*****Mineral Oil is also a good thing to have around, make sure it's unscented and you can just rub it thickly onto your hands and let the snake glide through your hands on its own. I like to make a tunnel for them to crawl through so that all their skin gets the oil soaked in. This will make the individual scales come off EVERYWHERE! and you will have tons of them in the cage, on your hands and clothes.*****

Good luck and don't let your snake go so long in her grubby old skin, it will make her much happier if you soak her when you notice she's in shed, even if she acts grumpy, in the long run it will keep her less stressed and much healthier.
 
btw - lethargic and sunken are not normal, and should be cause for concern. Dehydration is the first thing that comes to mind, but it is hard to be sure without seeing the snake. Soaking may help this but, given the condition of the snake, you will want to be very careful about the depth of the water.
 
mineral oil - yuck
I'm sure that some people would support that recommendation...I just happen to not be a fan.
 
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