Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok so obviously im new to this so please bear with me. i have a baby king snake, and recently (3/8/10) its eyes began to turn blue, and i know that means it will shed soon. but today (3/11/10) i check up on it and picked it up and its eyes were clear and i began to search the habitat for the shed skin. i wound up cleaning out the cage (it was time anyway) and still no trace of the shed skin. so i was wondering will the eyes turn clear again before the snake sheds? and if so how much longer before it will shed? also fyi the pattern on the snake never got dull in my eyes.

thanks in advance

Rick.
(if wanted, Ill gladly post pics)

Don't worry! You aren't going crazy! At least that's how I feel every time one of my snakes goes into shed and this happens. It'll drop it's skin in the next day or two. It's completely common. They all clear up and look like they stopped shedding, then BANG the next morning you have a nice shed in the enclosure.

It takes from two to five days AFTER the eyes totally clear again for the snake to actually shed the skin. This depends on temps, and activity level. Make sure the ambient humidity in it's enclosure is not real dry, this will help the shed come off in one piece without any issues.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

np
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www.Bluerosy.com

"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".

"They that can give up essential liberty, to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety." -Benjamin Franklin

The others answered your question. I am adding a bit of advice: it is best for the snake to leave it alone during the shed cycle as much as you can. If you need to mist the cage or change water, fine.

You will notice that during part or all of the shed cycle, the snake will seek the warmest spot it can find (within reason of course). I have measured temps of 88 deg and the kingsnake hugging that for extended periods during a shed cycle.
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Mark

All my snakes get moist sphagnum moss hides. Never a bad or incomplete shed in my collection.