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My first shed

flak_monkey Mar 31, 2006 01:09 AM

My baby california kingsnake (about a foot and a half long) has been dull colored and milky eyed for about three to four days. I know that he's about to shed, but I don't really know what to do. His cage is about 75-80 degrees f on one side and has a UTH on the other, so it's about 85 to 88 degress on the other side. Humidity is in-room. So what should I do? Do I need to mist or spray him with water? He has not eaten since the 20th and I am a little worried. I have offered him food twice since then and he doesn't want to eat.

What should I do?

Chris

Replies (11)

TobyEKing Mar 31, 2006 02:05 AM

Give him time and make sure he has a water bowl. Should be enough.
Toby

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www.Wood-N-Snakes.com

phiber_optikx Mar 31, 2006 03:17 AM

Like Toby said, relax Your snake knows what he is doing. But I recomend that you fold up some toilet paper in one of his hides and keep it wet until after the shed. It will help him keep moist. Many snakes will not soak and that is why a humid hide is a good idea.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

flak_monkey Mar 31, 2006 04:59 AM

I don't think he'll have any problems then. Just in case, are there any trouble signs that I should watch for?
Chris

sneezy Mar 31, 2006 09:23 AM

You need to put something in his cage to help w/the shedding process. A rock will do---he'll just need something to rub up against to help peel out of his old skin, otherwise he may just lose patches of skin instead of the whole skin.Also, everytime a snake sheds, make sure his lens caps come off both eyes. Lens caps are the round scales that cover the snakes eyes, and if not shed off can cause problems.

snakesunlimited1 Mar 31, 2006 01:06 PM

Don't take this the wrong way but if you don't know what to do with a snake in shed then I am scared to learn what else you don't know. You brought a snake into your home and now you have a responsibility to care for it the best you can. You can come on here and ask questions but you are going to get the short answers. A good book will fill in more info for you and give you ideas on what to do.

A book is not all encompassing, and it may even be wrong in some places, but it is a start. I think the Love's "Corn Snake Manual" is a great book with info for beginners and I am sure many on here can offer other titles. You should pick up a couple $10 books and read them and compare what they have to say. The line of "Manual" books Barron's puts out is really good.

Most of us got into snakes because they are cool and most of us did the same thing you did. We got a snake then tried to figure out how to care for it. They can and will live through a whole lot of abuse but most of us are trying to give them a better home with less abuse as we learn what is best for them.

So understand that I am not scolding you at all for having a snake and not knowing what to do in a stage of its life events. Instead I am saying welcome to the club, you have a lot to learn about your little guy and a book is a good beginning. That way you can learn about the events that will come up before they occur and you can be prepared. Last thing is to keep in mind that this a public forum and anybody can post here with any point of view, right or wrong. So don't believe all you read and try to take all comments on a subject and think about them and decide what you believe is right for your animals.

Good Luck
Jason

flak_monkey Mar 31, 2006 02:51 PM

Actually, everything that everybody has said, I have done already. He has a humid hide, a little bit of wet tissue under his coconut house (he loves the coconut house better for some reason), and I know that he needs to shed the whole thing, especially his eye caps or he might die.
I appreciate your concern and understand your worry. Think of it like when you have your first kid, all the books and internet resources and info in the world really can't prepare you. You would need to be worried if I thought that I knew everything already and didn't, and wasn't on here asking for help. I sort of got pushed into adopting him sooner than I would have liked, they were going to kill the little guy if nobody picked him up that day because he got into the gecko house at the pet store and ate the tail off of a $150 lizard. I really appreciate all the wonderful feedback I've gotten from you guys. Thanks a whole bunch. I realize that I wasn't wholly prepared when I got him, but I had a good general idea of what I was getting into. But I am also strongly devoted to raising him in the best possible way, sucking up every bit of info I can. I already bought a few books but damn UPS lost them. GRRRR! Again, thanks for all the help!

Chris

wftright Mar 31, 2006 05:00 PM

I'm sorry to hear about UPS losing your books. Are they going to replace them?

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

snakesunlimited1 Mar 31, 2006 07:45 PM

Glad to hear that you are already on the way in the right direction. I don't think many of us got our first snake at the right time, so you are right on schedule. Keep bringing any questions you have to the forum and we will help the best we can. Also i am glad you didn't take my post the wrong way. I tried to write it nicely but sometimes the written word gets taken in the wrong way. Next thing you gotta do is post some pics of your cali.

later Jason

phiber_optikx Apr 01, 2006 01:19 AM

Just thought I'd add, retained eye caps won't kill your snake (it's possible if they NEVER came off) but it is much more likely that they will come off with the next shed as long as you take the proper precautions.
-----
0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

cindygurl60 Apr 01, 2006 04:21 PM

What have you named him Chris, being a rebel and an eater of lizard eaters?! I think it's cool that you chose to give him a home rather than have him be put under for being a snake and doing snakey things...I'm sure he'll shed and be fine. Some sheds go better than others, I have so many stories of my own to tell of sheds over the years.
These guys are mostly breeders and keepers of large volumes of herps and I got eaten alive the first time I posted an 'i dont believe in wild capture' comment when I needed help with a cali iing I recently rescued. But this forum has come to provide me with a wide variety of knowledge, I mean you cannot beat the wisdom of experience these gentlemen have. They will all say "its just my opinion so keep it in perspective" but I find their collective 'opinions' to be of far more value than any book can give you ( no offense to Jason's advice).
When you gonna post some pics of your adopted rebel?
LOL
cindy (mother of an Iraq War Vet and 2 fabulous herps)

cindygurl60 Apr 01, 2006 04:23 PM

oops, eater of lizard tails even...doh! anyhoo, what you gonna name the little guy/gal?

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