first shed...

[nessy]

Hi everybody! Hope you all had a great christmas!!

My baby snake is ready to shed for the first time (since i bought it) are there any precautions that i should take?

Also, i'm assuming it's normal that she isn't eating at the moment - how long should shedding take (so she doesn't starve)? Her eyes have just gone a bit cloudy. This is my first shed and i would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks guys!!

[KITKAT]

Hi

Congrats on the new snake, and welcome to the forum!

Now that your baby has cloudy eyes, it will take a few days for the eyes to clear and the skin to begin to slough off. She will need something rough to rub against to start the shedding process... a climbing branch, a rock, etc.

Not eating during the cloudy eye stage is normal for many snakes. I have had a few that continue to eat, but many stop for a few days.

It is good to have the cage dry, but to have a moist spot in one corner of the cage. I like to take a margarine tub and cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners, using a hot knife. Try to avoid any jagged edges.

I put a moistened and slightly crumpled paper towel inside, and snap the lid back on. If the humidity in the cage is OK, your snake may not use this, but if she needs higher humidity, she may go in and rub around in the paper towel.

Once the shed is finished, take out the skin and look it over closely. See if it looks complete, and whether the eye caps are included. If not, come back to the forum for help.

After her shed, your snake should have enhanced colors for awhile. It is the best time for photos!

[ssssnakeluvr]

your little snake will be fine...it won't starve to death that fast. Snakes were designed for going long periods without meals. After she sheds, she will start eating fine again.

[Elliot]

Congrats on the first shed!

[nessy]

Thank you guys!! especially Kitkat: I'll go and do that now!!

Thanks!!!

[nessy]

Once the shed is finished, take out the skin and look it over closely. See if it looks complete, and whether the eye caps are included. If not, come back to the forum for help.

Hey guys, my snake shed on new years eve. the shed skin is all in one piece but there was no eye cap, nor any skin off the top of the head. i tried to look for it incase it came off separately, but couldn't find it.

It looks like she's shed properly though, what do you guys think? here's a pic of her head:

[GarterGuy]

It looks good...usually if the eye caps are left on you can see kind of an edge to them around the eye itself. The head also looks nice and clean with out any skin edges on it either. It may have just been rubbed off somewhere in the tank. I know sometimes my guys will totally destroy the head part of the shed, rubbing it on the wood and such in their tanks.

[abcat1993]

Do any snakes eat thier sheds? I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a snake but I remember some bug/animal/other thing eats thier shedded skin.

[Stefan-A]

Not to my knowledge. I've had frogs, toads and newts that ate their shedded skin, but I've never seen a reptile do it.

[CrazyHedgehog]

my leopard geckos eat their sheds, literally off their own back!