i just got a baby king snake and i thought he was getting ready for his first shed, his eyes greyed, his color seemed to dull a bit and he spent more time in the water dish, then today i saw his color looked fresh and his eyes were back to normal but i dont see a skin anywhere in the cage, do they eat it?
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Do king snakes eat their own skin?
nerv
Apr 12, 2004 07:39 PM
Replies (7)
DJW
Apr 12, 2004 07:50 PM
ha ha ha ha ha ahhh man, i remmember asking that same question years ago ,--
No , they don't eat thier skins , he'll shed with in the week,
you'll see
Tigergenesis
Apr 12, 2004 08:02 PM
their eyes clear up a few days before the shed. You didn't miss it! 
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nerv
Apr 12, 2004 08:11 PM
why is that? do they eye covers fall off before the rest of the skin?
Tigergenesis
Apr 12, 2004 08:26 PM
Not exactly sure why - maybe someone else knows.
But I can tell you the eyecaps come off (well they should so you should always check to be sure) with the shed. It's kind of neat to see.
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Kerby...
Apr 12, 2004 10:41 PM
The eye has a "scale" over it at all times, and when the snake sheds that scale (eye cap) comes off as well. Only the shed starts at the nose/mouth area and passes over the eye, and if it is a good shed, the snake will just crawl out of the shed, inside out.
Kerby...
northamexotics
Apr 13, 2004 09:51 AM
The "blue" look is caused by the snake producing an oil to help lubricate the new scales so that the old skin sloughs off easily. Its the excess oil that causes that look, since the spectacle (eye cap scale) is clear it shows the hazy blue color. Anyone care to dispute that? It sounds good to me....
Tigergenesis
Apr 14, 2004 10:00 AM
That's what I've read/heard as well. But I'm interested to know why it clears up prior to the shed...
Someone did ask this question on another forum recently, and it was said that the annual 2004 reptile magazine explains it. I haven't checked mine yet to see what it says.
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Check Out My Albums
1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa
"Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa
"Arwen"
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"
