Signs of snake shedding

The Ball Pythons belly begins to turn pink and the eyes begin to fog over. Providing the proper humidity required by your Ball python is important to prevent non-problematic sheds. Maintain a humidity of 60%-70% during a shed cycle.

Baby/Juvenile Ball Pythons shed their skin every few weeks because they are continuously growing. While an adult Ball Pythons may only shed their skin every few months. Some Ball Pythons may also shed their skin because their skin is irritated due to mites, If you notice mites or your snake is bathing more frequently or small black specs are appearing in the bottom of the water dish. I would recommend giving the snakes enclosure a treatment or two with Provent-a-Mite.

Dysecdysis is a word used to describe a variety of shedding difficulties. It occurs when a snake attempts to shed but some old skin is retained on some part of the body.

Whenever your Ball Python sheds, you should inspect it closely to make sure all old skin has come off, particularly in the eye area.

I would not suggest to trying the tape and dabbing method too much damage could be caused to the snake. Try putting the Ball Python in a pillow case with a damp cloth. That can help tremendously for the removal of retained eye caps.

My personal trick for ensuring a clean shed is to spray the snake with warm water as soon as you notice the fogging of the eyes disappearing. The Ball Python will shed within the next couple of days.

Soaking the Ball Python as soon as its belly begins to turn pink and its eyes begin to fog over is the method most people use. I find that even though it helps some of the back of the snake can still retain skin causing improper shedding.

The process of shedding generally involves several steps. The Shedding Video which outlines the processes of shedding is provided by Ricky's Reptile Enclosures.

Treating your snake for mites.

Remove the snake from its enclosure. Snakes should be soaked in a dilute Betadine water bath the color of a light tea. Place it in a plastic, lidded container into which air holes have been punched, filling it 3/4 full of the Betadine/water solution. Place the snake in the solution for 15 minutes. Remove and re-peat every two days until your snakes mite free. This treatment also works well for snake scale rot.

Treating the enclosure.

Remove and dispose of all the substrate in the snakes enclosure. Treat the enclosure using NIX (an over-the-counter preparation for human lice infestations). After treatment clean the enclosure with a 50/50 water to bleach mix. Allow it to air dry. Place clean paper towels down for bedding. Place the snake back in. Re-peat every six weeks as needed to kill all mites.

Question: Is it normal for my snake to defecate while shedding?
Answer: Yes this is normal! The snake will defecate while shedding to use the weight to help assist in removing the old skin.

Question: What do I do if my snake doesn't shed in one piece?
Answer: Soak your snake in Luik warm water for 10-15 minutes to help loosen the remaining skin.

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