QuestionMy corn snake has never shed his skin in one solid piece before as long as I've had him, this time when he showed signs of shedding, I bathed him everyday and put a hot wet towel over his tank so he'd have more humidity, but now -he's shedding as I type this- he seems to be shedding in even smaller pieces than before. What did I do wrong? Is it dangerous for him to shed in pieces like this?
Answerits certainly not dangerous for him to shed in bits, my royal always has.
generally it is the humidity that causes a bad shed because low humidity dries the skin out and makes it tear, so what you tried was a good idea. try not to handle him too much though when shedding, as this can stress the snake out and make the shedding process worse.
bad sheds can indicate health problems, but not always. check general things like, temps - 82-84F in the centre with a hotspot of 95F.
Check the tank isnt too large, or small. this will stress the snake and can cause a bad shed. the tank should have a length + width of a foot or two longer than the snake itself or roughly that size.
check for other things that might cause the snake stress - overhandling, loud noises, lots of constant activity infront of the tank etc.
make sure there is at least one hide box in the tank roughly in the centre, although two would be better, one at the hot end and one at the cool.
unless other symptoms are present, shedding in pieces doesn't usually mean there is anything wrong with your snake and it isn't bad for them, so long as there is no old skin left over from the shed. if there is, soak him and gently rub it off yourself.
that about covers it i think. as i said, bad sheds aren't necessarily a bad thing.
I hope this helps,
Andy
