Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first King and his first shed with me. I notice the skin looked loose like it was ready to come off over the weekend, But he hasn't shed yet. So I was wondering how long do I wait till i help him. I have corns and a rat snake and never had any problem with shedding, so i 'm worried that i'm waiting to long to help. Thanks

Sometimes the forced air used to heat homes in the winter takes humidity out of the air to the extent that it's difficult for a snake to shed. To remedy this, put the snake in an escape proof container (like maybe a plastic Cool Whip container) with a 1/2 inch of water and either a handtowel or paper towels.

The snake will crawl through the towel and through friction, be able to rid itself of the old skin. This combination of water and something damp to crawl through has worked well for me over the years.

You can leave the snake in the container for an hour or two and in most cases, you'll find it will shed out completely (if not, you can peel the old skin or simply give the snake more time in the container).

Good luck!

Tim

Third Eye

Thanks. I'll go ahead and try that when I get home from work. Because he should have sheded by now. Thanks again.

Just make sure it has a water dish big enough to saok in.
If your air is not so dry that your corns need help, then your cal king most likely doesn't need help either.

You said this was its first shed with you. Sheds rarely go bad, wait until it has had a few cycles before diagnosing a cycle as a bad cycle.
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3.3.3 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata