Is that stuck shed?


Strax has this spot on the tip of his nose the looks dry to me. As a new snake mom I can’t tell if that is stuck shed or if that is how it should look. If it is shed how do I get it off?

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Having a snake with something similar looks more like nose rub to me.

Is that common? Is there a way to fix it?

Usually it’s because a snake is stressed for some reason. Could be they are hungry. Could be humidity or Temps aren’t correct. Could be the space you have them in is to big or to small. Could be the lack of appropriate cover or hides.

Start with humidity and temperature. Make sure they are on point. Then consider offering more food (either by a second food item, a bigger meal item, or more frequent feeding). After that you’ll have to work on the enclosure itself.

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Pretty hard to tell by the picture, looks like it could be stuck shed or possible nose rubbing. I would try a humid box first to see if that fixes it. If not then we may need to look at how you have your set up. Here is a link to help if you need it. How to Treat Stuck Shed

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Thank you so much for your help. I was told not to feed him for the first week that he is with me so I had his first meal planned for tomorrow. I have been working on his habitat for about 2 weeks now and I think the 20 gallon tank I have him in works for his size now.


His hot spot is at between 90 and 95 in the day and 80 at night. I also have a humidifier going at times during the day that keeps the humidity in his tank between 50% and 65%. I have 2-3 possible hides for him. I hope he’s happy.

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There are a few things you may want to change that would more than likely correct any rubbing behavior or excessive roaming. First i would black out the sides and the back with black construction paper. Change the bedding to something that will hold better humidity like cocco bark or cypress mulch. The dial gauges that you have don’t give you a good accurate reading and can sometimes come loose and actually stick to you snake. I would look into getting a Accurite digital gauge with humidity reading and an infar read temp gun to accurately measure your hot spot. If your hot spot is truly 90-95 that is a touch high shot for around 88-90. You also may want to get some smaller hides, with balls you want small and tight :slightly_smiling_face: https://www.reptilebasics.com/small-hide-box
Also i would suggest changing out the light bulb to a ceramic heat emitter to keep the stress level down for your new baby, and add some more clutter.

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All great advice! I bought large hides for my new BPs as well because they are going to grow so fast. I put about 4-5 inches of loose coconut coir & sphagnum moss mixed about 10/1. They both burrow under the loose mix as their primary hides. Also, I line the bottom of the tank with coconut fiber lining. They both use their large hides to shed in. The coconut fiber mat seems to do a great job of helping them molt.
They also have small hollow logs as hides and their climbing driftwood has vines and hides under them in both tanks. They use them all at any given time but spend most of their time buried in the large hides.

This is my BPs set up

I use a 60 watt ceramic bulb for heat. 75 watt was too hot for the tank. 60 watt keeps top of hide 92°-94°. It only got to 87° on substrate so I added the large polished rocks. They get to 91°-92°. Inside large hide temps ~ 86°. Mid tank around water temps ~82-84° the top of my climbs temp ~ 81° under the climbs and vines temps ~79°. When the A/C is running most of those temps drop 2°. Its still not quite where I want it. Small adjustments, moving decor, partial capping screen top. The UV light is on a 12hr on/off cycle mostly to let my BP know she needs to be sleeping. Def invest in an infared thermometer.

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For my Albino the set up is similar.

3 hides, 3 climbs, one each in hot and cold areas, one each to divide them. Hot to cold is right to left in this tank. Temps are very similar as other BP but no light at all for my albino. Indirect filtered light is all I expose her eyes to. These first few weeks I find myself interacting with my tanks far more than my BPs. Every day the first thing I do when I take the lids off to change the water is check my temps

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Thanks for all of the suggestions. I will do some renovations and see if that fixes the issue.

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Use large obstructions and plants in the middle area of the tank to create a barrier between hot and cold sides. If hot side isnt hot enough add more vines as filler and/or move them closer to the hot side or add a partial cover. If hot side is to hot move the objects in center tank further to cold side or use lower wattage ceramic bulb. Def follow a lot of the advice the breeders and moderators gave you. Its all great advice. Im about as inexperienced as anyone on here when it comes to BPs but, I bred other reptiles for years. Tank set ups are probably the only thing Im good at regarding BPs. If you want any tips as you go I would be happy to lend more advice.

One last tip on monitering humidity to assist with molting. Amazon sells a 5 pack of digital hygrometers for $15. You can briefly place them in a variety of places around the tank, including just inside the hides and get spot on reading of humidity. I use coconut fiber mats under my layer of substrate so when my BPs start molting they have a mild abrasive surface to rub their heads on to begin the molting process. Proper humidity and mild but rough surfaces to rub against will help your BPs molt.

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Love your setup @nolagregg! :heart_eyes:

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