Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...a corn to get grumpy when it is coming up to shed? his skin is becoming dull and when i go to pic him up he jolts and head butts me. he was extremly placid about three days ago and then his skin went dull and now hes grouchy. should i leave him alone untill he has shed?

also 1 other thing but he has always (since i got him about 2 months ago) rubbed his nose against the side of the vivarium. is he unhappy?
.the temps are about 90f
.he has 2 hides
.a branch for climbing on
.a plastic tree thing
.is fed 2 pinkies every week
.he is extremly placid
.he is 7 months old
. he is a 10gal plastic faunarum

thats about it but i was worried that maybe sumthin was bothering him. i have put paper around the sides of the viv so he knows his bounderies but is there sumthing else i could do?

thansk for any help with the questions

Yes. Snakes can be irritable at this time. Their eyes are clouded, which reduces their vision. Since snakes naturally crave security, having poor eyesight makes them even more uncomfortable, so they become more reclusive when going through a shed cycle. They are also more nervous, causing them more prone to bite.

As a general rule-of-thumb snakes going through a shed cycle should not be handled, as their old skin can rip, which potentially could cause damage.

Tim

Third Eye

Your snake most likely can not see well when he goes into shed, so he may appear to be grumpy. I have had snakes appear the same way when they were in shed. I would just leave him alone until after he sheds.

Also, I would cool his temps down to 80 at the very most, as him rubbing his nose against the side is probably due to the temps being 90, which is way too hot, and he may be uncomfortable.
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Genesis 1:1

I also agree with what Tim has already posted, but would also like to mention one other important thing. You mentioned that temp was around 90 degrees,.......if you meant that the temp was 90 inside the enclosure then that is TOO WARM!

The snake needs a gradient of temp for optimum thermoregulation,
and should NOT be substained on a temp that warm, that is why the snake is always cruising the cage, it is looking for a cooler place to hide out.

A good rule of thumb is to keep half of the cage in the mid 70's(waterbowl end), and the other end in the upper eighties. When hide boxes are placed at both ends, it will allow the snake to choose the best temp at any given time.

Please note that underneath heat sources tend to work much better(e.g. heat tape, heating pad) but DO NOT guess at temps! you really do need a good thermometer placed directly on the shallow substrate that the snake will be on for accuracy.

This should help things out alot!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Yo Doug!!!!
That is an awesome picture!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Pat

apologies to you all... the thermometer was stuck at 90 the temp is actually 81f and at the cool end it is in the 70s but i will save up so i can buy a better thermometer like a one of thoose temp gun thingys. thanks for all the other stuff on modd and all.

I'm glad you like the pic!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"