Not sure if shedding

[GhamMagsBaird89]

Hey Guys,
This is my first snake (well that ill have gone to shed last one escaped withing 2 days never seen again) and im not sure if shes going to shed or getting sick or what. Over the last 2 days she doesnt want to go into her hide instead is sitting close to the light weither on a rock or on a stick. and slowly she is loooking more Dehydtrated(i would call it) her skin is going like a darker colour but looks liek its drying i just wanna make sure she not sick. cheers
p.s if she is sheddding how much longer should this take she was brn dec 11

 

[jonez]

Id say itll be shedding first signs are usually darker lookin dry skin then there eyes go cloudy blue then they clear up and about 3-4 days after they clear up they will shed... Also wat are ur temps cause mine pythond usually hide when in shed. Not sayin urs should be just outta curiosity

 

[Pythoninfinite]

The snake should be shedding approx every 6 weeks at this age, but there can be huge variation in that, usually varying to more often rather than less. As they approach shedding they get quite dull and although the scales go milky. they can look a bit darker than usual. The skin can also become less flexible, so it can look wrinkly - maybe this is what you mean by dehaydrated.

Don't handle the animal at all during this time, leave it to go through the process itself. Usually it takes between 8 days and 2 weeks, sometimes a bit more. Be aware that the skin & eyes will become clear again a day or two BEFORE shedding, so the animal can look fairly normal just prior to the shedding event.

Jamie

 

[GhamMagsBaird89]

it fluctuates between 28-31 (stupid hong kong thermostat) but yea since shes been looking dryer shes just been happy to chill and slowly move round to in my opinion dry out more

havent had her the 6 weeks yet and the guy i bought her off didnt think to keep or give me a feed shed history but shes eating like a champ had her 2 weeks today and shes had 3 feeds taken straight away. is there anything i can do if she is shedding to make it more comfy for her

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Not really, the best thing is to leave them alone to go through the process undisturbed. You may want to put a larger waterbowl in to increase the humidity, but there usually is no real advantage in this unless the cage environment is very dry. Do, however, change the water every couple of days at least - snakes don't like drinking water which has stood more than a day, and although they may not drink every day (they go months in the wild without drinking much of the time), they do need to be well hydrated to allow easy separation of the old skin from the new layer underneath.

A word of advice - get a good thermostat - cheap or inaccurate thermostats can kill your animal or cause overheating which can burn your house down.

Jamie

 

[GhamMagsBaird89]

thanks i change her water everyday and ive put in a bigger bowl for her should the water be warm or cold. i use kettle water be4 its boiled for the first time so has sat overnight. and any recommendations on good thermos>?

 

[someday]

i use imit thermos =) from the herpshop

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Cool water is fine. I'd have a look at the Herp Shop site for thermos - great service and reasonable prices. Brian's been in the game longer than Moses so he knows his stuff, and he's great to deal with...

There are people on here who know far more about the pros & cons of electronic gadgetry than I do - maybe someone has more info... anyone???

Jamie

 

[jonez]

I use ebay digital thermos work a treat and just pop the water bowl on the hot side of the enclosure

 

[Gruni]

+1 to what Jonez says, keep the water down the warm end of the enclosure and it will give your snake the humidity it needs. My snake hides in the warm corner almost non-stop when she comes into shed and is completely antisocial. I just leave her alone and don't feed her etc, just topping up the water. Last shed that meant she didn't eat for 3 1/2 weeks but that is nothing for a snake (she gets fed 10-14 days and went into shed mode just before she was due for a mouse). After she shed I got her out and checked to make sure she didn't retain any and fed her... happy heathly snake in the house.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

^+1.

Some snakes feed when in shedding phase, others don't, I don't bother because if they don't, I may have wasted a rodent! There's always the chance that they might knock and damage the old skin layer as it's separating from the new one underneath as well.

J

 

[GhamMagsBaird89]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think she must be in shed from wat every1 says no eye colour change yet but she's slowly rotating herself through the day drying her old skin out.wish she looked nicer otherwise would be great for pics as she not interested in hiding
as far as feeding goes I don't mind wasting a few bucks on the pinky but when u say damage the old skin. Will those hurt her as I don't wanna stop her feeds but don't want her new skin layer to be affected.

 

[Chanzey]

My bredli is in shed mode atm, and when it is, the skin around the upper neck and head tend to crease, but it's perfectly normal after she has shed, but my jungle never seems to have that happen.