Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I heard a few times it is not good to feed snakes when there in shed or they don't eat when their in shed.

Well I offered a mouse to two of my snakes that are in shed and both greedily accepted the prey item.

Are there any negative ramifications to feeding them in shed?

Please discuss.

I've never had a problem with it.
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I fully agree. In my entire 44 plus years of owning snakes, me neither....ever!

All it may do is make them a bit lazy temporarily from digesting a good meal. Then when they become active afterwards and poop, they will also shed. The shed esily stretches to accomodate any meal, and has no relevence or bad repercussions for the snake at all if they eat or not during the shed cycle.

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

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Nope, no worries doing so.

Some snakes may not choose to eat during shed, and some may. I have seen both.

Here's a funny story. Once I went on vacation, came back, and then fed everyone. My 99 albino Nelson milk male was fed a decent sized meal. Little did I know he had gone into the blue while I was gone, and decided to start shedding right after I fed him!!

I come back in the room a few minutes later, and there he is straining and straining to get that unraveling/unrolling skin over the big food bulge, looking up at me as if to say.." What in the living.........hey buddy..you wanna give me some help here? I ain't got all day!! "

I carefully helped him get the skin over the food lump. He then was fine, and went and crashed afterwards.

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Genesis 1:1

I have some that will, and some that won't eat when in blue. I did observe what Billy described, which was a snake trying to shed while it had a large lump, and it did appear to be stuck. I helped him and nothing bad came of it. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had not helped him? Could it have somehow constricted his blood flow or something? Maybe I worry too much, but I don't feed huge meals if they are blue, just in case.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

I agree with everyone else. No harm, if they want to eat. I have found that most of my adults won't eat when in the blue, but many younger snakes will. I just had one of my baby alternas eat an anole followed by a pinky while very blue.

I have posted this pic before, but it is still one of my favorites. It is my female hypo cornsnake last year. She still had not had her first shed, but I was feeding everyone else so I put one in with her. I looked a few minutes later and got this shot! She started to shed, then decided she was hungry. She is now about 3 feet at one year old, and still eats even when in the blue.

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Kent

1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) corn snakes, 2010
1.2 Gray-banded king snakes, blairs phase, 2008
0.0.18 Gray-banded king snakes, 2011
1.1 Oregon rubber boas, w/c 2000 and something

Colossians 3:17

That's a great photo!

An old pic of my bull snake Alfonzo in blue; I hand fed him fuzzies by tapping them on his snout because obviously he could not see them. I've had young snakes eat then shed the next day; out of blue but still had the old skin on when they ate.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.