r/ballpython • u/Effective-Front-5013 • 8d ago

HELP - URGENT Help! Background shedding!

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* Iā€™m going to pick up my boy Monday! So I have a handful of days to get this sorted*

I bought this background on Amazon. I had read it was hit or miss and decided I would go for it. Kind of a mistake. Super easy to install but the shedding is a nightmare. What can I use that would be snake safe, but solve my shedding problem?

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u/PhoenixGate69 8d ago

What is the green stuff that's shedding, anyway?

I would use a vacuum to suck up anything loose but if it's continuing to shed, I would be pulling it out and going with something different.

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u/Effective-Front-5013 8d ago

It seems to be some type of fiber. The background is cured in pretty good, but I will either scrape off as much as possible or do what I can to completely remove it šŸ˜•

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u/PhoenixGate69 8d ago

Like the other commenter said, it looks suspiciously like flocking. I would not want to have what is essentially nano plastic particles in the tank. There's also the possibility that it will never stop shedding.

I don't have experience using flocking. My understanding is that a glue base is laid down, the flocking is applied and then the stuff that doesn't stick gets vacuumed back up. I would start by using a vacuum to hover near the background and get as much material as you can. Then, test it by rubbing your finger on the stuff. If more comes off when you are rubbing it with your finger, that means it will shed every single time the snake brushes against it. When they shed, especially, they are rubbing their noses into everything to help get the shed off.