My Sinaloan milksnake just shed tonight and came out for the first time since about ten days ago.Although I had the humidity at about 60%,sometimes a little bit lower,sometimes up to 70%,she didn't shed in one piece. the pieces were quite big,though,but now she's got a tiny little piece left above her right eye-looks like she's got white eyelashes. I can't get it off by hand,'cause it's too tiny and I don't want to hurt her.I just took her out to see if she's got no more old skin left,but she is OK. She must be quite hungry,'cause she was intrested in my fingers (maybe she thought they were pinkies,lol).She was also very nervous,'cause while she was in shed I couldn't handle her anymore.usually I take her out of the terrarium once a week,just to hold her and to get her used to it,and another time just to get her in the feeding box.After feeding I don't touch her anymore-I then put the feeding box inside the terri and let her come out by herself.Then I wait 2-3 days to handle her again.Do you think I do it right?
What about her eye?And why the funny shed???

Hiya jacky, did you check to make sure the eye caps came off with the shed skin, I always check to see if the eye caps are with the shed, they look like little contact lenses, maybe you could try the pillow case trick just to make sure all the skin comes off.

You are doing everything right by not handling for 3 days after feeding they usually are hungry after a shed...

Jacky, it sounds like you're doing everything fine. A lot of snakes don't shed in one perfect piece; but it's really only "bad" if it sheds in tiny bity pieces and a lot of it doesn't come off.
You could try putting the snake in a wet towel in a wet pillowcase, tie it off and leave it overnight in the cage. The snake moving in the wet towel will remove the skin.

In the future, try putting a moist moss-box in the cage. Here is one that I use for Monty. http://www.herpcenter.com/showthread...9036#post19036
I got it in the kitchen supplies dept at Migros. Just cut a hole in one side. Put some wet sphagnum moss in there and keep it moist and on the warm side of the tank. He'll go in there at shedding time. Monty has had perfect sheds since I started using this.
Good luck!

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Andrea

Thanks Donna and BlackJack.
She was eating 3 pinkies tonight and before feeding her I had her out for a while and she wasn't so nervous anymore.Maybe it's because I've tried the T-shirt trick.I think she will be a great snake and eventually likes to being handled.It's a step forward and I'm very happy about that.

do I buy sphagnum moss from a petstore??

Check out your local garden supply. You want longfibered moss like is used for air layering or lining wire hanging baskets, not the milled or ground type that is used as a soil amendment.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

thanks Merlin! Now I only have to figure out how they are called in Swissgerman,lol!
Maybe BlackJack knows.

It is also used by orchid growers. It was the actual living plant that is harvested from the top of a shagnum peat bog. It looks like dried plant material as opposed to looking like dirt.
I know that over here it is very common.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Jacky, Zoo Bahnof sells it (I think it's called ZooMed Terrarien Moos)
-- Profiterr has it cheaper in larger sizes, though. I have not checked garden centers although Wyss might have something. It would probably be cheapest to get from there, if they have something similar.

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Andrea

Thanks BlackJack and Merlin;

I hoped that Bahnhoz Zoo will have it!I don't think they are a lot more expencive than the gardencenter,but I wouldn't know.But maybe at a petstore they are specially prepared?!?! Only the best for my baby!lol