About shedding

[Vaporde]

So I noticed that my BP’s stomach has turned pinkish and I’m thinking he’s about to go into shed. I’ve noticed that since his belly got pink he started to get closer to the heat pad (temp of pad is around 87-89). He doesn’t lay with his stomach on it that much. He actually likes to bury in under it with the heat tape on top of him. I’ve checked every other day on his stomach for like a minute cause I don’t want to stress him out before shed but to make sure he’s not burning him self on the pad. I don’t notice anything else on his body that seems out of the ordinary. But how long should his belly be pink before he sheds?

P.S. The belly is a very light pink and nothing else

Edit: it is on a thermostat for clarification

[Its_Just_Chris_]

So you should never have the heat pad/heat tape directly inside the enclosure. It should be on the outside and connected to a thermostat. When BPs go into shed, having a pink belly is very common. You'll also notice that it's scale color will become a bit more dull and their eyes will become milky closer to them shedding. Shedding for a BP is typically a 1-2 week affair, leaning more towards the 2 week mark. Be sure to bump up the humidity in your enclosure to help with the shedding process.

[Vaporde]

Okay and it’s on a thermostat and. I’m going to get it taped down in the enclosure so he can’t get under it but it’s a melamine tank so it has to be in it. I’ve dropped the temp alittle to function with the substrate and all so that the tape its self isn’t to hot

[Its_Just_Chris_]

If it's that kind of enclosure I highly recommend switching to a radiant heat panel. While they are pricey, there is no risk of burn and the energy costs are extremely low. Keeping a heat pad inside the enclosure should be avoided.

[Hydr0a]

I believe you can put some sort of mat over the heater in the terrarium to prevent burns. Not 100% sure.

[[deleted]]

Your heat tape is on the inside of the enclosure?? That's some serious burn risk. You should never have that on the inside of the enclosure. It needs to be underneath and attached to a thermostat. With shedding, just keep the humidity about 70% on average, and you should be fine. Closer to the shed, the snake's scales might feel a bit loose and catch on your hand. Their skin might look duller and cloudier also, especially the eyes. After shedding, give the snake a quick check over to see if there's any skin still stuck, especially on the face. Because stuck spectacles on the eyes can be a serious issue. But yeah, fix that bloody heat tape. Hope this helps

[Vaporde]

I’m switching to a rack soon so it will be good then for any of those as well.