Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought an albino boa a month ago or so. This snake just hates to be handled. I fugured the two first weeks it was just getting used to its new habitat. Still after holding if every day for the past month he just wriggles uncontrolably. Also i seen the skin going through the "blue" period 2 weeks ago. He has still not shed tho and his skin is full of wrinkles and tears.

Should I be concerned. I have tried soaking and misting to no avail.

How long should I wait before becoming worried? and can a boa completly skip a shed?
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2.2 Columbian common boas (Zeus, Athena, Aphodite, Hades)
1.1 Corn snakes (Appolo, Boreas)
0.1 King snake tri striped cal morph (Helios)

alright, the first thing I have to say is that I'm no authority on this subject, but I have had some experience with it.

In Oct. I got my first BCI. She looked to be blue from the moment I pulled her out of the box. It cleared up, but no shed came. Then she started shedding, but not intentionally. Her skin was simply tearing from moving about her cage. I soaked her consistently at intervals for days, and the best i got was for her to shed her rear 2/3. She never shed her head or her anterior 1/3. Then about a month later, she shed her lower jaw. I soaked her for about an hour then took her out to try 'helping' some of the skin off. While she was in my hands, she shed her entire body, head to tail. It was sloppy, and I had to help her along, but it was a clean shed. So effectively, she only shed 2/3 her body on the first go, and shed everything on the second. All this is to say that it shouldn't be a huge deal for it to miss a shed. I think it would be better for it to miss a shed than for you to try to force it and damage its new skin.

I would say keep soaking it and running your hands over its body after you soak it to remove any skin that's ready to be removed. You should not have to 'pull' to get it off.

That's all I got. I hope this at least helped to relieve some of your concern (I was flipping out when Pheobe didn't shed). And like I said, LISTEN TO THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THESE BOARDS BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO ME. I have limited experience, but I offer what I've got.
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0.1 BCI- Pheobe

I find Pheobe to be the most agreeable female I have ever come across. Dinner is cheap, she never wants to eat out, she can't talk, she's deaf and she doesn't care if I see other women.

One thing I do with smaller snakes when they are having a difficult shed is as follows:

Find a plastic container (tupperware, empty butter container, etc .. what ever is appropriately sized). Cut a hole in the side or lid of the container large enough for the snake to fit through. Put moist paper towels inside the container in a loose ball. Place the container inside the cage on the warm side of the cage. Check the dampness of the paper towels each day and replace with fresh ones. The snake will usually venture inside and the humid environment along with the slightly abrasive surfaces will usually help along a shed.

Another method I have heard is to place the snake in a damp snake bag for a while inside the cage on the warm side. Movement inside the bag should facilitate a tough shed.
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- Jason F.