problem shedding?

[Danita]

my 10" corn started shedding two days ago and has only got two inches off. We are soaking him often, but it doesn't seem to do much... help please!! :shrugs:

[colinmcc]

Paper towel soaked in lukewarm water. Wring it out so it's not sopping wet.

Hold the towel in your hand and let the snake crawl through it and the skin should start to come away.

[Tracee]

Great advice from Colin. I've also used (just) my hands to help 'finish off' a partial shed, after the snake has had a good soak of course. Please take care to ensure the eye caps come off. Good luck!

[Cursed_Witch]

I just returned my snake n got another one,that they said has shed a day or two ago, but it still had some of it on his eyes the girl tried to take it off. I only came off one eye, the other one still has it... Should i take it off myself? n if yes, how? or should i keep it on? will he take it off alone?

[SnakeAround]

So you ask for advice but instead of following it you return the animal to the pet shop the next day, where conditions for corns are not very well, considering that your new one has some problems shedding too.... I would just have had done anything to help my corn so it didn't have to get back to that shop with a problem...of course it's nasty when newly bought corn has problems, but I tend to think; once bought it's mine and I'll take care of it when it has a solvable problem. Of course, if it dies very soon after buying or has to be put to death because of a (sudden appearing) disease, I would go back to for a new one, just for the amount of money spend (maybe even for meds or vet.) I would like to have a new one. But an animal is not a device that you return for another when it has a little problem to my opinion.

[Cursed_Witch]

DOnt u know how to read it... I said i returned my old snake n got this new one, who has shed 2 days ago but has some of it on his eyes, the girl at the pet store took some of it out but there is still on it, n i want to know how to take it off myself or leave it... Its my new snake that has the prob. my old snake i had to give it back coz it hasnt eaten for 2 weeks n the pet store had it for 2 weeks, they had given me a snake from the wrong tank, the ones that werent eating. So since its my 1st snake, i didnt want to risk killing the snake, so i took it back so she can take care of him, n when i saw the sizes of the others, they were a good 14 inches, while mine stayed about 10"
So i believe i did the good thing...My question is for my new one! What am i supposed to do with the skin on his eye!

[SnakeAround]

Sorry, didn't see that Cursed Witch posted about her second snake... thought it was Danita, oops... I think I would return hatchlings that don't eat, that's too much risk to take.

[Danita]

hmmm yes, back to my snake... I have him in my hand with a damp washcloth but his skins seems almost stuck. I live in Nevada so the humidity is very hard to maintain. I have a cloth over his terrarium but still he's just sitting there acting as if he doesn't know he's supposed to be shedding ... he's not even trying.
Thanks

[Danita]

I correct myself... the cloth is not over the terrarium but on top of to keep moisture in.

[Roy Munson]

I live in Nevada so the humidity is very hard to maintain.

I notice people posting things like this all the time, and I don't get it. The humidity requirements for corn snakes AND humans are within the same approximate range. Does it matter if you live in Death Valley, or in Siberia, or in the Everglades? I don't see how it could. Viv ventilation control and misting can get you any level of humidity you want, regardless of indoor or outdoor conditions. And corns don't need any specific, constant humidity level anyway, so what's to maintain? 50% and up with variability is fine.

[colinmcc]

hmmm yes, back to my snake... I have him in my hand with a damp washcloth but his skins seems almost stuck. I live in Nevada so the humidity is very hard to maintain. I have a cloth over his terrarium but still he's just sitting there acting as if he doesn't know he's supposed to be shedding ... he's not even trying.
Thanks

Some are just easier than others.

I've had one where he just started crawling through himself and it came off almost straight away and pretty much in one piece.

Others through, I've fround myself sat there for over an hour putiing him through the cloth and through it again with little bits coming off here and there.

Just gotta persevere. The one certainty in all this is that the rest of that skin needs to be removed.

[Danita]

I do realize that the humidity doesn't need to be very high but we are using a heat lamp which I have heard is not the heating tool of choice.

Hi...this is Danita's Mom...I think actually most of what we are doing is fine. However, we are concerned that Leon has taken days now and does not have his shed complete, it seems stuck. We have let him soak for 20 minutes or so and crawl on a big rock that seems rough enough to help that skin come off but he is starting to feel less substantial than he did days ago. He also has rough things in his home to rub on, at least they were rough enough for his first 3 1/2 inches.

We have tried helping the shed by holding him in a damp to almost wet washcloth and stroking the skin in hopes it will kind of roll off, to not much avail.

Should we just let him hang out and hope that this skin will come off on it's own? How long does it take on a young snake like this? Could he be sick? His eyes are clear and he is pretty, he is gentle and does not seem afraid of us.

This snake is new to us and he has not yet eaten from our menu (frozen pinkie thawed in cool water). I am thinking he must have eaten at the store before he came to live with us and then was readying himself for the shed, he looks healthy to me on a whole except for how empty he feels just today as I am rubbing his tummy.

So...more soaks? More drying heat? Just misting? Or just don't worry and it might take a week? The last 7 inches of him are certainly less vibrant than where the shed has occurred.

Another question I have not seen an answer for yet on the boards, if you thaw a pinkie and try to feed for say an hour, and it is not accepted, is it safe to refridgerate the pinkie for a later use? And how long before it would be unsafe for the snake to eat?

We CARE SOOO much for this little being who has come to live with us, we researched but non of this was in the research.

Thanks!

[Danita]

All right! I pulled it off! we wound up giving him a nice long soak and I could (for the first time) "peel" him! We are going to try to feed him now as he has not eaten since we've had him... about three weeks now. Again about the pinkies...?
thanx! Dani

[colinmcc]

Glad to hear the skin came off in the end.

Looks like yours was one of the "more work required" problem ones. Anyway, good experience. You'll be well sorted for any future sheds.

As for the pinkie ...

I'd be tempted to warm it slightly (just use warm instead of cool water) to around body temp. Then pinkie and snake in a small container (with airholes), towel over the top and leave in a dark room in TOTAL peace and quite for at least an hour before you risk a peek.

If he's still not taken, you can leave them overnight in those conditions.

I've found f/t pinkies don't last much more than 24 hours at room temp before going a bit stinky which is when I'll bin them.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

[Danita]

Allright we'll try that, thanks

[Danita]

so can you refreeze a pinky? I have lots of questions, sorry.

[colinmcc]

The search button is your friend .... ;)

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24456&highlight=refreeze

(Personally, I don't, but I've seldom had refusals so it's never really been much of a issue for me)

:)

[Danita]

tehehe! search button? no way...

[Danita]

Very sad news... we tried feeding Leon and left it there for very long. We noticed him staying it his Warm hide more often and then one day my mom tried picking him up and, he was, without a doubt, dead. I know it was not my fault as to his death, but I now realize we shouldn't have got him at such a ridiculous place as Petco. As it seems, He must have been sick when we got him, as we do not know if he actually ate because he was in a five gallon tank with three others. Before he died we noticed him getting baggy and almost hollow like. I plan to get a corn from a breeder sometime after Oct first and I have a good contact for breeders so I'm pretty confident about this and I know that this next snake will live long. Thank you all for the tips on Shedding eating etc. much appreciation for your help
Danita

[ultimuttone]

Danita, I am so sorry to hear about Leon.:( I know that it is very hard when you try so hard to take good care of them. I am glad to hear you are not giving up on having a cornsnake, they are great fun. Best of luck with the next little guy :).

[Roy Munson]

Very sad news... we tried feeding Leon and left it there for very long. We noticed him staying it his Warm hide more often and then one day my mom tried picking him up and, he was, without a doubt, dead. I know it was not my fault as to his death, but I now realize we shouldn't have got him at such a ridiculous place as Petco. As it seems, He must have been sick when we got him, as we do not know if he actually ate because he was in a five gallon tank with three others. Before he died we noticed him getting baggy and almost hollow like. I plan to get a corn from a breeder sometime after Oct first and I have a good contact for breeders so I'm pretty confident about this and I know that this next snake will live long. Thank you all for the tips on Shedding eating etc. much appreciation for your help
Danita

Sorry to hear that. If you get a new snake, don't put it with your other three snakes. You shouldn't keep these snakes together either, but even those who don't consider cohabitation to be a problem will still recommend a quarantine period for new acquisitions. I would do a lot of 'searching' and reading for quarantine and cohabitation before you continue keeping corns together. Good luck.

[ultimuttone]

"As it seems, He must have been sick when we got him, as we do not know if he actually ate because he was in a five gallon tank with three others."

I think she meant that her corn was in a tank with 3 others at the Petco where she got it. At least that is how I read it.

[Roy Munson]

"As it seems, He must have been sick when we got him, as we do not know if he actually ate because he was in a five gallon tank with three others."

I think she meant that her corn was in a tank with 3 others at the Petco where she got it. At least that is how I read it.

Thanks for clarifying Traci. :)