Due to a death in the family i failed to notice iron man going into shed and raising his humidity accordingly it resulted in a bad shed and he has bits stuck along his body his head is clear though i just sprayed his tank and him lightly as i noticed while i was feeding him i feel horrible about it since it was my fault but am i right that since its only along his body that it wont be to bad for him and that the rest will come off along his hides and substrate should i just keep humidity higher for a couple days while he digests and give him a soak if it hasnt come off by then
*edit in light of day taking pictures and lifting his hide to add stuff its worse then i thought adding stuff to his warm side hide and humidity is at 86 now
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Can you post pictures of his at this point, please?
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Also, it sounds like it is not that bad from your description
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I’m sorry about the death in your family. A loss does cause difficulties in seeing to one’s usual details.
One thing you might try if it’s possible while waiting for Iron Man to digest, is to add a hide in a warm area with damp sphagnum moss. Make it fairly full. He may choose to use it to soften and rub off the stuck bits. If not, at least it will help with humidity.
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A damp towel in a box or even a damp pillow case will loosen it in short order.
Don’t feel bad about it too much. These things happen to even the most experienced keepers.
My condolences on your loss.
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I can try to catch him if he moves over to the other hide i dont wanna bug him to much
Thanks ill try adding something into his warm side hide i wont be able to put a new hide in hes due for a tank upgrade soon so i cant put another hide in without taking away space to move
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Thank u ill dothat and add something in on his warm side in the hide
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Its worse then i thought it was in the daylight i thought it was the opposite way because the way it looked so uniform last night but it looks like pretty much only his head is clean around the eyes and his underbelly hes already started to wear some of it off with the boosted humidity i have it up to 86 right now i got him a little wet again to try to get him a bit more before i can soak him and had to move his warm hide so i could put something in it
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So i crated a towel “trap” i put 1 side of the towel in his hide and looped part of it at the mouth of his hide so he has to go over it to get in if he wont go in it anymore because scary new thing i wet the bedding under that hide down as well if i take the towel out
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The damp towel can be handy in multiple ways. Besides boosting humidity, which will soften the stuck-on bits, he’ll likely use it to rub against and get some of that stuff off himself. He may do less rubbing since he’s recently eaten but the humidity will still be helpful.
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I just hope it works well enough that everything comes off before having to soak him it cant be comfortable having that much stuck wish i would have noticed sooner
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Don’t be too hard on yourself. You had things going on and you were doing the best you could in the moment. That’s all any of us can do. He’s obviously well loved and cared for. One stuck shed, though surely not comfortable, isn’t going to cause him terrible long term problems.
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Samantha, thoroughly wet a pillow case, preferably with a zipper with very warm water water until it’s dripping. Put the BP in it and secure it so he can’t get out of it. Put the pillow case in a plastic tub with the lid on it and then if possible put it on a heat mat with low heat for at least 30 minutes. If all of the shed does not come off repeat the same process the next day until all the shed is off.
This process always works great for me
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Ill do that tomorrow he should be ok from his meal then ill have to tie shut the pillow case or clip it i have a spare heat mat in case the 1s i have ever go out all of mine r preset temps though i havent gotten the other kind yet (small children and dials bad idea) would that still be ok i feel like without substrate as a buffer that could get to warm its a zoomed reptitherm 8 w or should i just put the case inside his tank on the warm side
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Do you have a small sterilite tub? No substrate should be involved. Do not put him in his tank. If you don’t have an extra heat mat don’t worry about it. Just him in the pillow case inside the sterilite tub should be fine
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I would say bumping up that humidity and also doing that pillowcase trick will definitely be for a benefit. Also giving a soak… and after they sit for a while, letting the snake swim/slither through your hands gently can actually lift off the remaining shed as well.
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All of these actions will work. After using the pillow case method you can also gently massage the snake while it’s still in the pillow case
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Yes i use a small container for when i clean tanks (3 seperate ones) i wont use the extra heat mat then to im just not sure id trust it wouldnt get to warm without substrate since its a set temp
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Im keeping it at 86 right now should i keep it there
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