Is a shed a conscious decision?

I'd always assumed that a shed was not a conscious decision by the snake; that it was just something that happened on a cycle within the body, but I was thinking last night, I've heard people say that an injured snake will sometimes shed over and over again to heal itself. This to me would suggest some kind of "choice" on the part of the snake.

Really curious about this. What do you think? And if you don't think the snake controls its sheds, why do sheds occur more frequently after burns, etc? How would the injury affect the shed cycle?

All input appreciated

surely rather than a concious decision it would be an automatic response, like the growth of scar tissue?

I don't think it is a conscious decision on the part of the snake when it is injured. If you think about it, it's really no different then a person going to the beach and getting sunburned. Eventually that person will be peeling a layer or two of skin off as a result of the burn but I seriously doubt anyone consciously wants to peel.


Jenn

Sure - like I said in my original post, I had always assumed that it was not a decision by the snake to start a shed. I just wondered really.

Perhaps my saying that repeateded shedding indicates "choice" was bad wording (wouldn't be the first time with me! haha) ...I was just wondering what triggers the snake in to repeated sheds. Is it a chemical thing?