Shed Stages

[nitrogen15]

Very unusual cloudy scales on the head and body or is that a flash issue.

It's not a flash issue. Her scales always get cloudy but more so this time. Her shed was prolonged this time so it may be an indication that her skin was too dry. A bath and an increase in humidity based on Jeff's tips cleared her up and the shed completed soon after. Unfortunately no pics of the shed in progress. She always sheds at night.

I had never noticed that happen before but then again, she had never shed 4 weeks apart before. She needed a little help this time. She's bloated and due to her condition, it seemed like too much effort for her to get it done on her own.

This has been her longest stretch between sheds so far. Maybe that's also a factor.

[ConcinusMan]

It's not a flash issue. Her scales always get cloudy but more so this time. Her shed was prolonged this time so it may be an indication that her skin was too dry. A bath and an increase in humidity based on Jeff's tips cleared her up and the shed completed soon after. Unfortunately no pics of the shed in progress. She always sheds at night.



This has been her longest stretch between sheds so far. Maybe that's also a factor.

That's good to note what is normal and what is not. Every snake goes through growth spurts and maybe the shedding frequency varies according to the time of year, and other rhythmic variances. The better you know your snake's rhythms and behavior.. well, you know. You know when she tends to shed, how long it's been, etc. and that's good. Keep getting to know her normal rhythms.

We all know that snakes go cloudy, then clear up. Then after they go clear, they should shed very soon. If that doesn't happen within a day to a week,(depends on the individual snake) then we know somethings wrong and they may need a soak and/or assist shed, before they get into a dangerous situation of "stuck" shed, or "failure to shed".

Crinkled skin, labored breathing, abnormal behavior.. these are things to watch for especially during the clear that comes after a cloudy time.