QuestionRegarding "Blue" Phase...

Hi everyone. You all seem to be a tremendous wealth of information around here. So I thought I might ask a question...one which has probably been answered before, and might even seem a little silly to most of you, but...I'm a newbie, so I'd rather ask, and know, than wonder...

Have any of you ever had a snake go into "blue" without the eyes clouding over? My snake seems to have this satin-like sheen over most of her body, but her eyes are clear as a bell. It almost looks like she was painted with a satin finish clear coat. But I always thought that there eyes would cloud over as the first step in goin blue. Is this a relatively common thing for hatchlings? Or do you think there may be another issue going on?

This is my first corn, and also my first shed, if that is indeed what is happening. Any input y'all could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance-

tyflier said:

Hi everyone. You all seem to be a tremendous wealth of information around here. So I thought I might ask a question...one which has probably been answered before, and might even seem a little silly to most of you, but...I'm a newbie, so I'd rather ask, and know, than wonder...

Have any of you ever had a snake go into "blue" without the eyes clouding over? My snake seems to have this satin-like sheen over most of her body, but her eyes are clear as a bell. It almost looks like she was painted with a satin finish clear coat. But I always thought that there eyes would cloud over as the first step in goin blue. Is this a relatively common thing for hatchlings? Or do you think there may be another issue going on?

This is my first corn, and also my first shed, if that is indeed what is happening. Any input y'all could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance-

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First off, congrats on Sammi, and welcome to the forums....

The shedding process has a number of variables, the primary one the snake's individual growth rate; hatchlings obviously increase their percentage of body mass at a faster rate than adults, so it follows that they'll shed more frequently. Humidity also plays an important role, so when they "go blue", the greater the ambient humidity, the faster the process.

In general, a snake will "go blue" for a few days, then develop that "shrink wrap" look for a few more days, and then, they'll shed. The "blueness", in terms of color and length of time, can vary considerably - I've had snakes that were cloudy-eyed for only a day or so, and some for as long as four days.

Another factor is the morph of the snake - the eyes of my amels don't develop the deep blue of normals and anerys, for example, but the cloudiness is still noticable.

Bottom line, IMO, is that you have nothing to worry about, as long as your humidity is at the right level for a proper shed. When I was a n00b, one of the most "comforting" things I read was that "benign neglect" is sometimes the best course of action. They've been shedding for far longer than they've been captive.

It's just snakes.

regards,
jazz

Thanks for the reply. I just fed her a small pinky, and so far so good. She took it almost immediately with no problem. This is the second feeding since I've had her, both times were small pinkies, about 1/2" or so in length. I've had her for 6 days.

I guess I'll just let her "do her thing", as it were. She *seems* to be doing just fine...

I agree with jazzgeek.

jazzgeek said:

the eyes of my amels don't develop the deep blue of normals and anerys, for example, but the cloudiness is still noticable.

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So pitiful in blue...

See...that "satin sheen" is what my girl is displaying, but her eyes are very clear. Is it possible that I actually missed the cloudiness of her eyes? I havent been handling her as much over the last 3 days or so, but I have been checking on her daily. Could it also be possible that she never developed the cloudiness in the eyes?

I have an anery corn that will go blue for about 4 days, but it's eyes don't actually turn blue until the last day. Then it clears up for two days, and sheds sometime during the night. My snake also will not accept food during this process, so I usually have to skip a feeding.

I have a cali king who is yellow with dark brown markings. I've never seen him go blue, although his belly changes from dark to light chocolate. His eyes and back never change. I can only tell he's blue by his behaviour- normally he's out and about a lot- if I don't see him for a couple days- he's probably blue.

Has yours been in hiding, or is she as active as usual?

Nanci

She has definately been in hiding ALOT more than normal. Usually, she hides for the majority of the day, and then comes out and plays at night. But the last 2 days or so, she has been hiding all day and all night, very rarely coming out, and that's usually just to move from one hide to another. I guess today will be the third day of her constant hiding.

She did take a pinky yesterday, though...

tyflier said:

She did take a pinky yesterday, though...

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Good to hear that she ate......how's the humidity level in her viv?

regards,
jazz

The whole process takes roughly ten days. Some of mine eat while blue, some won't eat even before I can tell they're going blue. It's very individual.

Nanci