Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! Anyone know how long the eyes should stay opaque for while in shed? Any problems if it has been a few days?

Thanks!

No problem at all! Depending on what species you have the time it takes between becoming opaque and the shed may vary. I keep kingsnakes and milksnakes and mine are generally opaque for between 4 and 8 days depending on not only the species but also the individual. With my snakes I've found about 5 days to be typical. About a day before they actually shed they lose their opaqueness and it looks like they've already shed. I like to increase humidity in their enclosures right before a shed by misting a little more than usual until I find the skin. One of my milks does not shed properly unless I mist her at least twice a day prior to the shed (otherwise her skin flakes off rather than peels off in one piece -- this can be dangerous to the snake because pieces can get stuck and cause a medium for bacteria to grow or constrict growth if it is the tail tip that sticks).

What do you have anyway?

Oh ok great. I'm relieved to hear it can take that long for the eyes to clear. I've got a western hognose. Its been about 5 days. I checked today and they are completly white. Don't remember it ever taking quite this long! Did some extra soaking and spraying as well

Ok. I don't know what is "normal" for a typical hognose snake but that doesn't shock me at all. I initially was thinking that this was the first time the snake was getting ready to shed since you've had it. If you're noticing that it's taking longer than usual for this snake then it's a good call doing what you're doing just to be safe. I still wouldn't be worried but someone else here can probably tell you all the reasons why a snake might remain opaque longer than usual. I imagine that changes in temperature, health, and humidity can all play a part in things like that. There also might not be any reason worth mentioning at all. When the snake does shed you should examine the shed closely to make sure the eyecaps and tail tip both came off completely. Again, I don't think this means there is anything necessarily wrong but whenever there is a change in a snake's behavior that is not consistent with things it has done before then it's worth being extra attentive to stuff like this just to be sure it's not a sign of a more serious problem.

place a damp sponge inside the cage whenever your snake goes into a shed cycle.
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The Reticulated Rattler

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