Is it possible? Retained shed under more retained shed?

[MDK]

I was told today that it was possible for a snake to have a stuck shed.... then shed over that skin.... yet still have the past stuck shed attached to the snake..... and to resolve that problem, one should soak the snake in a tub of heated water (about a half inch deep) for almost a day to facilitate removing the old skin.....

The problem we have with our six month BCC is that his skin appears a bit crisp..... not completly soft and smooth........ he had a poor shed last month, but by soaking him we were able to remove what we thought was the old skin...... before that shed he did go almost three months without shedding.. which seemed odd for a snake his age

I was told that this could limit his growth and in fact, we were beginning to wonder if he was a bit undersized..........

About two months ago he went to a good herp vet and he didnt note anything odd about his skin but we wanted to check him out for parasites since he had regurged a few times in a row awhile back.......

That has since stopped......

The snake is six months old, approx 27 inces and 137 grams.

THoughts?

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

[LdyDrgn]

Stuck shed can indeed present many problems. If too many layers get stuck at the tail, circulation can be cut off and the tail must be amputated. Stuck shed can also refuse with the next layer of skin making it even more difficult to remove. I had to deal with this before from a confiscated animal.... very sad. She's all better now, shedding in all one piece again

What you want to do about heated water... not too warm. It must feel tepid to you. Put the water in a rubbermade tub, place the tub over a human heat pad set to warm or low, and let the snake soak for several hours with the lid on it. Be sure to have a few air holes in the tub, too. You can add vitamin e oil or some other natural oil (olive, grapeseed) to the water to help moisturize and soften the skin. Or you can put the oil on your hands and rub it all over the snake giving it a light coating. You never want to use mineral oil as it is a manufactured oil and can dry the skin out.

How do you have the enclosure set up? Maybe he needs a humid hide box to help facilitate proper shedding?

About the snake being undersized: Many are going to be differing sizes due to genetics. Can't really say without knowing the bloodline.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Ldydrgn gave ya the hookup...I just wanted to make a note about the topic....see how I changed it so the content is somewhat recognizable before opening...answering questions now is important but so is being able to find topics later when they get old...vague topics get lost and become impossible to find...please help us keep them usable for future reference by making them somewhat explain the content. thanks.

[peruvianfanatic]

I have a snake(suri)that regurged on my twice in a rowand all of a sudden her skin started to peel in sections and it was REAL pal(weird)and dry.Then a week later her skin started to rip a bit.She shed a week after that,not all shed came off.No kidding,a week later she shed again(2 sheds with in 2 weeks time).She is now doing Very good but a bit scared up.I do know what you are talkin about when you say the skin seems drier than normal.I am no vet so I am not sure what could be the problem.I dont know if the regurge problem is part of it.Lady Dragon has the right way of soaking the Boa it is the same way I do,with a heating pad under to keep warm.Very much luck with your Boa!

[toker]

Yep LD nailed it, just want to wish you the best of luck, and keep us posted!

[suzi]

And watch for eyecaps. I've had problems with my Ball not shedding hers, well, basically since before I got her. Everything was tried, to no avail. Finally had the Vet remove them, for an outrageous price. Next shed, same deal. We took a bunch of ideas from here, used them all at once, and have had no problems since. Basically, keep an eye out, and try everything these guys say.

[MDK]

First of all thanks for the comments and JS I will watch my ambiguous titles ..... in any case... on with the saga....... well..... since his last shed was in pieces, I started to put a plastic cover over half of the screen top to keep the humidity in... we had the humidity almost always over 60 % since his last shed ... in any case....... because of your feedback, the conversation I had had with my friend and the "Crisp" skin.... I preparred the tub with water over a towel and a heat pad...... when things seemed just right, I went and got the patient and noticed a ball of something with him in his favorite hide spot under a tight piece of cork bark.... as I lifted the bark to bring him to the tub..... I realized that he was 90% complete through a perfect shed..... only an inch or so of tail remained....... oh well...... at least the bath setup didnt get wasted.... my tortoise and dragon both got nice long warm baths out of the deal..... guess Im just an overly worried parent *

BTW..... regarding size..... at six months for a Guyana BCC.... 27 inches...... seem with normal range? I understand variances because of bloodline, but just curious if that strikes anyone as a bit small?

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

[TrowaIkari]

I don't think it sounds too small..I've got a yearling Peruvian that's about that size. Individuals have their own growth rate...As long as he's healthy I wouldn't worry too much about size...In a few years he'll be huge anyway

Alicia

[peruvianfanatic]

You dont want to over feed B.C.C.or power feed anyways.That seems alright size!