hello from the new guy

[ssssnakeluvr]

He called me last night...chatted for a bit, said he was, haven't seen his name on here. Said he voted on the book by Chlebowy, he has the german version... will keep looking for him.

[ytee29]

hello everybody, Had our first shed today! very excited I thought the snake was acting alittle funny and I was worried but came home tonight and there it was a perfect uninterrupted lenght of shed. does anyone know if there are signs of a coming shed and what I should look for next time? I did have a boa once and when she was ready her eyes got blueish. thanks

[ssssnakeluvr]

garters get the blue eyes too....they will look dull and dark. generally about 2-3 days after the eyes clear up they shed. most of the time they won't eat either.

[Stefan-A]

This is pretty much what you can expect. Blue eyes and dull colors. This one is on its third or fourth day since it started. After this it will gradually start clearing up and a few of days after that, it will start shedding. Symptoms before eyes getting cloudy may include apathy and refusal to eat.

[Cazador]

Ytee,
Congrats on getting your first shed. Be sure to look at the shed very closely to ensure that the scales that once covered the eyes (called the spectacles) are attached to the rest of the shed. They almost always come off without a problem, but it's critical that they did. It's something to always check when a snake sheds because it can cause blindness if they don't come off. Also make sure the shed includes the skin that covered the tail spike. Don't mean to sound alarmist, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in these cases.

Sometimes the shedding process can happen very quickly, or it can take a long time. I've had snakes, particularly young ones, that only had cloudy eyes for a little over a day. At about 4 or 6:PM on the second day, their eyes were very cloudy. Then by about 11:PM, the eyes were completely clear, and the snake shed late the next day.

Kitkat also shared an example where her young T.s. concinnus took almost 2 weeks (if I remember correctly) between cloudy eyes and shedding. These examples aren't nearly as common as the pattern that ssssnakeluvr & Stefan described, but I mention them to show that there can be a bit of variation.

[abcat1993]

How often do snakes shed anyways? I've had my snake for two months I think and it has grown a ton (1-3 inches) but never shed.

[Thamnophis]

The amount of sheddings of snakes are depending on age, growth, food, sex, etc.
My juvenile garters shed every 4 to 6 week.

[abcat1993]

Could something be wrong with my garter then? 2 months = ~8 weeks not 4-6

[Stefan-A]

Nothing unusual this time of year. I remember last winter, my '04 male didn't shed between October and February. It seems like both it and my female are following the same pattern this year as well. That's despite having eaten just fine until recently.

[Thamnophis]

When it grew 1 tot 3 inches you would expect it to shed.
Maybe the snake has eaten the old skin (this sometimes happens).
But don´t panic. If the snake is doing ok you must not worry too much.