Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I fed Elysia a fuzzy 2 days ago and I picked her up today to hold her for a while and inspect her and noticed her head was kind of odd. So I put her head up to the light and lo and behold, her head is slighty more pale and not really shiny like she used to be and her eyes are starting to cloud over. I put her into the sunlight a little check her better and her underbelly is getting kinda pale and looks a little wrinkly I guess *still feels smooth* How long should it take for her to shed? Should I stop handling and feeding her until she completes her shed? Just a few questions is all ^_^

5 days ago I woke up to Elysia in her water dish she didnt stay there all that long so I assume she was just cooling off as we had several bad days up here. The next 2 days when I woke up she was in the dish again, but the last 2 days she hasn't been. She was most likely in the dish each day for less then an hour. I was intially afraid of mites but after inspecting her each and the cage for the last few days *except yesterday and the day before when she was digesting* I haven't found anything. Now I'm wondering if she was just soaking to get ready for her shed.
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0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake (Elysia)

My snakes take a week to 10 days (depending on when you consider the start of it is) to complete their shed cycle. She was probably getting ready by soaking in the water dish. Try to leave her alone until her cycle is done. I have a few snakes that will eat during the cylce, but most won't. Missing a few meals won't hurt her a bit.
You have lots of questions that would be easily answered by buying a book about snakes or kingsnakes for a couple of bucks. Compared o the cost of buying a snake, the cost of a good book is trivial. Alot of your questions could also be answered by searching old messages on this forum, before you post a new one. The most important thing to do is to relax. Overall, taking care of kingsnakes is easy.

Greg

Everything you describe indicates a normal, healthy snake in the process of a normal shed. I suggest leaving her alone - no handling, no feeding - until she actually sheds. Watch her eyes, because once they clear up, she's about 2-3 days from shedding. Make sure she has plenty of water to soak in and something rough to rub against to get things started. You can put a damp wash cloth or small damp towel in her enclosure. The added moisture/humidity will help in the shedding process by loosening the old skin. Remove the cloth once she has finished her shed.
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MichaelB