I'm about to go home for about two weeks for the holidays, and I would leave my baby boa here and have a friend check up on him, but he's about to shed :c I don't think he'll be able to do it on his own because of moisture issues. Should I take him on my trip so that I can keep an eye on him?
To answer a question you didn’t ask: Go to a WalMart or a Home Depot or some such, and spend $7.99 on a 40 quart latching tub. On the way home, stop by a pet store and get a heat mat big enough to cover half the bottom of the tub, and a thermostat ($15 and $25 respectively). I recommend Zoo Med products. They cost a touch more, but they last, and also I haven’t seen any of them develop hot spots. Which is important!
When you get home, melt 10 or so holes in the lid or the sides of the new tub (soldering iron works best, but if you don’t have one, you can probably use an awl or a long nail that you hold with pliers -- you can heat that on your stove, and be careful please!).
Now flip that tub upside down. Stick your brand new heat mat on the bottom, to one side, so that you have two temperature zones in the tub. Then tape your thermostat probe to approximately the center of that mat, on the bottom. Aluminum tape is great for that, but any tape will do.
Now flip that tub right side up. I set mine on a folded up blanket to keep the heat in. Manufacturers advise against that, but they assume you won’t be using a thermostat with their product. Even if you set your thermostat to 95F (your body temperature), the heat mat should not be able to get much above say 97, which is still waaay too cool to melt the plastic. But you know, you’re leaving home for a few weeks, so maybe don’t. Maybe just sit the whole thing in your (dry) bath tub or shower if you’re worried about things catching fire.
Now measure the hot spot temperature and set the thermostat so you have the right temperature (90F) on the bottom, inside the tub, right over where you stuck the heat mat. Use one of those heat guns, you may have one already. If not, add that to your shopping list. Walmart and Home Depot both should carry those.
Now put some paper towels, empty tissue boxes, toilet paper and paper towel rolls etc. in there. If you have something to offer your boa to perch on, give them that thing too. Their hides, fake leaves, the whole nine.
And give them a large water bowl. Large, diameter-wise. To increase evaporation. Like, 6-8 inch wide. Fill it with no more than an inch of water. Put it NOT on the hot spot. Done.
Now put your boa in there, latch the bin, secure the lid with bungee cords, binder clips, or some straps, and you’re set. No more humidity issues.
Now you can take off on vacation, and your friend can change your baby’s water when they check on him. They can also lightly mist the enclosure, although that should not be necessary if you follow the steps above. The humidity should stay at or above 65-70 percent easy. Probably more like 80.
To answer your actual question -- please leave him home. A snake in shed is so much more easily stressed, and there’s no way that he’ll have better husbandry on the road than he already receives at home. Snakes die from stress. Like literally, after a few hours in a car, they up and die. So no, don’t take him.
Even if you don’t follow the steps above and don’t set him up in a plastic tub. Still, leave him home. I have no idea what your setup is like, so can’t make suggestions how to optimize it, but I’m sure something can be done. Humidity needs to be fixed, not just for when he’s shedding. I have this general snake optimization guide you can try, or you can send me some pictures of your setup (like, via chat or submission), and I’ll do my best to help.
I am positive whatever needs to be done, can be solved for under 100 bucks, long-term. Probably less.
Good luck and best of wishes to you and your precious boa beb.