Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a small Surinam litter that was born 7/3, and I'm still waiting for them to shed.

I was just wondering - is the first shed normal (as in, usually comes off in one whole piece, after opaquing eyes etc)? Or can the skin come off in bits?

The babies all look much less wrinkly than they did on their 2-days-old photos, and I've found little bits of matter in their water dishes, though I had thought it was bits of umbilical or just scraps of paper towel.

Good news - the little twins both ate. The stronger of the two twins ate a week after birth (a live mouse pink), and both twins ate f/t rat pinks this weekend. I tried feeding them because neither absorbed much yolk before their umbilicals got tangled on the shared yolk sack and they were detached.

I'm so jazzed that the smaller weak twin ate - and without any teasing or anything (just left the pink in its container). It had seemed afraid of the live pink I offered it the first week. The runt has not exhibited weird body posturing since about 3 days after birth (several times, I thought the poor thing was dead), so I'm hopeful.

The three big babies (absorbed lots of yolk and are huge compared to the twins) have not eaten yet (though one struck/wrapped a f/t rat pink), but I'm not so worried about them, they look like tanks.

I'm just excited to see what they look like after they shed! I'll take new pictures tomorrow. Sorry for the long post.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com | CageMakers | lauren at liquidleaf dot com |
2.2 BP, 1.0 Hog Is., 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 1.1 Saharan Sand Boas

Very obvious, you're probably seeing bits and pieces of birth slime. Over the first week they get "cleaner" by slithering around and leaving those bits and pieces behind. That's why it's key to do frequent paper changes at first tapering off as they age (clean up) Sheds for my latest full term no yolk BCI litter were at about 9 days. Expect it to take longer on less than full term yolk belly babies. Unsure if BCC normally take longer? Also, the big belly ones, are you "cooking" them? On a small litter of three all with big yolk bellies, I was advised to keep them at close to gestational temps. Worked like a charm, helped them digest the yolk with no adverse affects.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

That is great news Lauren I was wandering how they were doing. Yes the first shed should be "normal" I have a personal goal to make sure all of my snakes shed in one piece, I feel like I failed them if they shed in patches, Just my humble opinion.
Raise the humidity a few days before they shed and they will be fine. Glad to hear all is well.
Joel Thomas

That makes perfect sense. I have been changing their paper towel bedding once per day (or twice if they tip their water dishes)... and since those little bits have been rubbing off, they're looking much cleaner and less... "crusty".

I am keeping them a bit warmer than normal, but I have them in a small rack with some other critters, so I don't want the hot spot in the back to go much over 86 or so. We've been having very hot humid weather here, so not difficult to have warmer-than-normal temps in the snake room.

I've also been making sure to moisten their paper towels a little bit when putting in fresh ones so there's always some ambient humidity - glad to know that they should go through a regular shed cycle, so I'll see the opaque eyes etc before it happens.

Also - the yolk bellies on the three larger boas were not tremendous - they look like normal young boas right now, I just know they absorbed some after birth because their yolk sacks were smaller the second day.

Mom "Foo" also shed over the weekend, and isn't tracking me like I am either evil or a large rat as much, which I'm glad about. She was such a sweet girl before giving birth, and such a meanie after!
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com | CageMakers | lauren at liquidleaf dot com |
2.2 BP, 1.0 Hog Is., 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 1.1 Saharan Sand Boas