>When does a corn shed i.e certain time of year, age, how often and signs to look out for both good and bad and what to do about it.



A well fed corn will shed roughly once every 4-6 weeks. Most obvious sign that shedding is around the corner is the eyes turn blue (opaque), like heavily fogged glasses. During this period, don't feed, and cut down handling if you handle at all. He can't see well so is likely to be defensive. After a few days, the eyes clear, and a few days after that he sheds. A bit of extra humidity helps him loosen the shedding skin.



Sometimes only a part of the skin comes off. Worst is when the eyecaps don't come off. Then you have to soak him in 80-85 F water for an hour or so and peel the old skin off. Letting him crawl through an old, wet washcloth in your hand at this time will usually do a good job. If the eyecaps don't come off fairly easily, just let them go til the next shed.



After he sheds, check the old skin to be sure he got both eyecaps off and the tip of the tail. If several sheds build up on the tip of the tail, it's likely to kill the end of the tail. Losing the tailtip isn't life threatening, but the snake doesn't look as good as one with an intact tail.



Bill and Kathy Love's booklet, The Corn Snake Manual, is quite inexpensive and has more details about shedding and other aspects of corn snake husbandry. You ought to pick up a copy.



Paul Hollander

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