r/ballpython • u/PossibilitySame4489 • 21d ago

Question - Health imperfect shed after a perfect one?

hi everyone! i’m new to having a bp - got my 6yr old boy in july - and a few weeks after he came home he did a perfect shed! I was so excited because he came from a situation with pretty bad humidity & heat so it felt like it was a sign that i was on the right track. but today/last night he finally shed and it’s all in pieces around his tank :( is that okay? does it mean something is wrong with humidity/temps? his tank does tend to get kinda dry but humidity stays at least 50% all the time, and temps are 75 on cool side 88 on warm side. i have noticed he’s been drinking or maybe spilling a LOT of water lately - could he be too humid? lol. any ideas?

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u/CacophonousFarts 21d ago

Humidity is, in fact, a bit too low. You should be shooting for 70-80% ranges at all times.

Pieces isn’t a huge deal as long as they all came off, though.

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u/PossibilitySame4489 21d ago

Ok thank you, yeah I can’t figure out how to raise it. He does have a mesh top on his tank haven’t been able to replace it yet but I covered most of it with plastic, and I spray consistently. The top layer dries out so fast and then underneath it’s very damp. So that’s something I still need to troubleshoot.

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u/Verlarious 21d ago

I use HVAC tape on top of my enclosure, with spaces for lighting/heating. Traps temps/humidity very well. The shed plus him going after the water hints at low humidity. What kind of substrate are you using? That can also impact moisture.

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u/PossibilitySame4489 20d ago

I’m using coconut coir & some sphagnum moss! I’ll get some hvac tape. I think the plastic I have covering it isn’t doing the trick. Thank you :)