dry skin ball python

Question
QUESTION: We have a small ball python about 6-7 months old.  She completed a successful shed about one month ago.  We keep her in a 20l tank using Jungle Earth substrate with a large water bowl for soaking.  Both sides of her tank are monitored for temperature to give her a 10 degree spread and we monitor the humidity in the center.  The humidity is maintained at approximately 60 at all times.  She has lived in this manner for about 5 months with no problems at all.  Suddenly, within the last 1 1/2 weeks, her is skin is very dry all the time.  She does get in the water bath, but as soon as she gets out she is dry and crusty looking within a few seconds.  Her temperature is generally around 80 degrees where she likes to stay.  Because there has not been any change to her habitat I am lost.  Do you have any suggestions?  Is this a normal stage that she will overcome or do I need special care for her?

ANSWER: I have seen this before but do not know the cause. I suggest that you mist her several times per day and monitor her condition. It could be that she is simply about to shed and the condition will clear up after that. Try that, misting to raise the humidity. Keep it around 70% for a month and see if it clears up. If it does, lower it to 65 and monitor it.

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QUESTION: What do you think about a mineral oil bath and/or adding a touch of calcium to the water bowl.  I can see the thinking behind the mineral oil additive to a bath, but I am not sure as to the reasoning behind the calcium additive to the water bowl.  I prefer to try the more conservative approach of increased humidity first, however, how long should I wait for a result?

Answer
Mineral oil will make it "look" better, but I am not sure it would actually do anything. I do know that mineral oil will not hurt the snake in any way, so it might be worth a shot. I would try it on a small spot or two before putting it all over her. I have not heard of the calcium as a remedy. I wonder though, if she did happen to have a calcium deficiency, if injecting the calcium into the prey might not be a better option. I used to inject f/t mice with calcium for a red tail boa that I had (along with a little multi-vitamin). It seemed to work quite well. You can get the needed equipment from any vet and the calcium from any pet store that sells reptile products. Like you said, try the increased humidity first; the conservative approach is usually the best, then move on to other treatments if that doesn't work after a month or two. Note that normally, snakes do not require a calcium supplement due to the bones of the prey providing it.