Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby corn that refused to eat for 8 days. After reading Kathy Loves book I tried tease feeding and I was surprised to see how "easy" it was. Last night the snake shed its skin. I have worked with snakes for most of my life but never had a baby snake. How could I have missed a snake in shed? What should I be looking for?

I know you guys and gals will give me some great answers.

Dave

As the snake nears time to shed, the belly scales will take on a
milky appearance (a bluish tint). A few days or so later, the eyes will become cloudy. Your snake may be a little skittish during this time just because he can't see. It's nothing personal against you. Snakes in blue may not eat, and it's not a big deal. Mine refuses food when she's opaque, but eats like it's the last rat she'll ever see after she sheds. Anyway, two to three days after the snake's eyes turn blue, they should clear up. In many cases, the snake will shed anywhere from two to four days afterwards. All of this depends on temperature and how active your snake is.

Also, not eating for a week is nothing to worry about, assuming the snake is healthy. They don't get spoiled in the wild like they do in captivity.

One other thing that is important: humidity. You want humidity humidity to be high enough that the snake's skin comes off (mostly) in one piece, but not so high that the snake gets a respiratory infection. Check the shed skin to make sure nothing has been retained. Retained sheds can be a problem, but are relatively easy to remove.

Good luck!

I have a baby pueblan that shed her skin exactly two weeks after her previous shed. I had no clue she was about to shed because, quite frankly, I wasn't looking for it so soon. And she was still eating!