Shedding of Ball Pythons

Ball Pythons need a humid environment to have a good shed. The tank should be 60-70% humidity, but 70% is the best.

Shedding last 7-10 days. First, the belly of the Ball Python will turn pink. What I have seen in my snake is that his color will deepen, turning from a light brown to a very dark brown. Then, a couple days later  the eyes will cloud over and look blue. The eyes will clear up and a few days after that the Ball Python will rub itself against a rough surface to remove the old skin.

If there is any skin still on the ball python, give it a warm bath. Gently peel the skin off. Make sure to get all of the skin off. Left over skin may build up and create a problem. The worst scenario is when the eye caps (the skins on the eyes) of the old skin do not come off. A build up of eye craps will seal of the eye creating blindness.

To increase the humidity try placing a bigger water bowl in the tank. Also try to restrict the air flow in the tank. Misting the tank will also increase the humidity. Mist the tank only during the shedding period.

If the tank is hard at keeping the humidity in try building a humidity box. Take a large Tupperware bowl (big enough for the entire snake) with a lid and cut a big enough hole in the top. Place some moss in the bottom and wet it down with water. Use just enough water so the moss soaks up all of it. Use a spray bottle to keep the water moist during the shed cycle.