help with my childrens python improper shedding & flaky

[matty2003]

I have a couple of questions i was hoping you may be able to answer regarding my childrens python...

In relation to the pic i sent, you can see the dry skin that i am concerned about. ( only on her back) It has been a problem for the past 5 months. She has irregular shedding (she doesnt shed completely, it comes off in two pieces) She is left with these dry spots (in pictures) .

Have you seen anything like this before? If so how did you treat it.

Is it something i should be overly concerned about?

Am i doing something wrong for example.. is the temp. too high? is the humidity too high/low?
At the moment the humidity sits between 75-84, the temp. sits between 26(night) 30-34(day). (degrees celsius)

I dont use lights or artificial heating because i live in the tropics/Darwin, and have been relying on the natural weather.

At the moment i use normal sand (not sea sand), am i using the wrong substrate, should i be using an artificial substrate so there is more air circulation under the snake? becauce i live in the tropics should i use a substrate that dosent hold moisture given our humidity?

I hope you can help me, because i am starting to worry and have so far been unable to find out what is causing the problem.
I would appreciate any suggestions or opinions you might have because i love my snakes and will do anything to help them and keep them healthy.
I am only a beginner. this is the first pair of snakes i have owned and am hoping to breed this season.
i have read so many books but none have been able to help.

Hope you get back to me, any help would be greatly appreciated!

thanks
matt

mattybucks2003@yahoo.com.au

mattlygar@hotmail.com

[natas]

Generally bad sheds are from low humidity. Sand maybe sucking up all the moisture in the cage. I personally would use newspaper for the next month to see if thats a issue. You might also want to spray the cage a few times a day to keep it humid.

I'm not a python expert so I can't really tell you if those temps are to low. I am sure some python people will come in here and reply with better help then me Also try the caresheets on the site for some tips

[bensnacks]

Possibly retained shed build up??
Hard to tell, can you get us a close up of major prob spots and the head??

You obviously don't have air-con and like me rely on ambient temps, the temp.
isn't optimum but its a lot harder to cool a cage than heat it. I don't think thats the issue though.
Darwin is no doubt a lot stickier than here atm, so I doubt humidity is the issue either.
Does she have a water dish large enough to soak in.??

I would get her off the sand and use newspaper or butcher's paper, I know it doesn't
look the best but trust me it's much easier to keep the cage properly clean.

How long have you had the snake ??Do you know it's history??

Welcome to the site aswell Matty! You gone troppo in the buildup yet ???

[Wrasse]

Good to see you here matty. Sorry I couldn't help you, but I think you landed in the right spot.
Good luck with your pythons.

[Shadrach]

Hey welcome to the site could you give us a little more info on what type setup you have? Glass tank, wood enclosure, or sterilite container, etc?

[eddie]

the temp. sits between 26(night) 30-34(day). (degrees celsius)

That translates to 78.8(night) 86-93.2(day) in farenheight.
The temps seem to be a tad too high in the upper end, about 3 degrees F and the humidity, if you have an accurate reading, is a tad high also, at least according to the caresheet on here by Ben

The spots look to me, like a bacterial or a fungal infection.
Both can be treated with antibacterial salves like bacetracin or neosporin, (not the pain free type or any that contain lydocaine) applied twice a day to the affected areas.
If it is merely dry skin condition, the salve will help with that as well.

The biggest issue I see right away is the sand substrate.
It is hard to spot clean and get all the urates and poops completely out of, unless all the sand is removed, tank cleaned and new sand used, generally a pita and not cheap, depending on the costs of sand.
Dirty sand, although it can appear clean, can lead to issues like fungal infections, scalerot (from urates especially) and get under scales and cause all kinds of problems.
Best to nip it in the bud quickly, and it sounds like you are doing just that by looking for help in a great place.

Last but deffinately not least, welcome aboard!

[louise]

my boa had 2 bad sheds and she has that on her spine. plus she is all wrinkled looking. i have been misting like 7 times a day to keep humidity up.

[matty2003]

i would like to thank every one for replying to my message i will try every thing suggested i will also post photos of my enclosure so u can have a look
again thank u every one and i am honoured to be apart of a great sight