loss of colour/ milky eyes

[webber]

Originally when i first purchased my corn, he had reaaly bright colours and was really active outside his enclosure.2 weeks later,after he has benn feed twice on frozen mice that he has taken an kept down straight away he seems to have lost his brightness to a much less DULL colour.Looking at his eyes they are really milky and when i get him out of the enclosure he is really docile...Bit concerned as this is my first snake.

[Dave123]

He is going to shed his skin. Every 3-4weeks to 2 months they will get dull and their eyes will turn blue for a day or two, then they will clear up for maybe 1 day, then in the next day or so he will shed. So it looks like your snake will be shedding in about 2-3 days.

[antsterr]

When the begin to shed they get an oil between the layers of skin to separate it from the new skin underneath. This dulls the colour and because they shed their eye scales as well it will happen on their eyes as well and look blue. Your snake will be 99% blind when it's eyes are blue so try not to bug it much. Most corns will not eat when they are in the "blue" stage. Some won't even eat if they are in the dull colour stage before they go blue even.
If the shed skin should come off in one or two pieces. If it flakes off it's a sign that the snake is too dry. You may need to give it some damp paper towel to hide in. If any only skin sticks to the snake after it sheds, soak the snake in water and then let it crawl through a damp paper town that you hold snug around it. Make sure the tip of it's tail get all the skin off, it's often a trouble spot that doesn't come off and if left alone it will make the end of the snakes tail fall off.

That should cover any potential problems you may face in shedding. Corn look their best after a shed so enjoy you're new colourful snake.

[sazzy925]

you really should have put some research into getting your snkae before you bought it if you didn't know it was about to shed it's skin, most novice beginners should know that. Sorry im being harsh but what gets on my nerves is inexperienced handlers with any animal! My friend bought a snake and when it started to get blue eye, he thought his snake had had his eyes attacked and had gone blind lol. So yeah that's my little moan, his eyes will clear and then about 1-2 days later he should shed his skin, make sure your snake has something to rub his head on to remove the start of his dead skin and don't be tempted to rip off the rest of his skin iff you find him in mid shed. Wuite often you get skin left at the end of their tales, get a damp cloth and gently remove the skin but do not try to just pluck it off as this may lead to infection.

[jvbernard]

Now come on Sazzy there wasnt really any need to be hostile, We were all new to snake keeper at one stage. Webber well done for finding this site, i like you was pretty new to snakes aswell a few months back, thankfully i found this site and it has helped loads...MOST people are very helpful and in most cases friendly, and please do not worry about questions that you might think are stupid...i'm sure any question you might think of has been asked a dozen times before. well i wish you all the luck with your snake and be warned the ADDICTION starts from here!!!

[NI GUY]

Now come on Sazzy there wasnt really any need to be hostile, We were all new to snake keeper at one stage. Webber well done for finding this site, i like you was pretty new to snakes aswell a few months back, thankfully i found this site and it has helped loads...MOST people are very helpful and in most cases friendly, and please do not worry about questions that you might think are stupid...i'm sure any question you might think of has been asked a dozen times before. well i wish you all the luck with your snake and be warned the ADDICTION starts from here!!!

Here,here.We all had to learn sometime and is that not what forums are for?

[gwb8568]

both agreed and disagreed.............yes sazzy should have been a small bit nicer, but not much. too many people come on here with questions that are way too obvious to be asking if you already own a snake. there are plenty of places to search and find answers before buying an animal (dog, frog, snake, goat, fish, bird, etc.). most people do research previously to getting an animal but for some reason they don't do it with snakes. it's almost like asking on another forum: "i just bought a puppy and now i notice that little things are jumping up and down on him and he keeps scratching and itching himself. does he have dandruff?"

now granted, there are alot of young folks on here and that should be the responsibility of the parents as youngsters don't feel that they need anymore understanding than feeding and holding the animal. alot more goes into it than that and without having pet stores with qualified personnel to ask questions and make sure the buyer understands the needs, then this will continue to happen.

please check out the link in my signature before moving any further in posting questions on the site as most answers will be found there. if not, then use the search function. welcome to the site and the addiction of keeping snakes, but please understand them before getting any more (and tell your friends to read up if they plan on getting one).

[BeckyG]

Sorry im being harsh but what gets on my nerves is inexperienced handlers with any animal!

And just how much experience does a 13 year old have at anything? Certainly not diplomacy...

[webber]

Well that went down well.Thankyou all for your help, my corn has shed successfully without any skin patches left behind but will keep in mind for next time about the damp cloth.For the negatives people out there that have no patients for beginners, i will try and post a more intellectual question next time,although this would mean my corn was not well or i had done something wrong so i don't really mind if the questions stay simple!!!
For the people who think i didn't research,sorry, but that is why there is not a 12 foot python or red belie in my bedroom.On many sites they say that corns are a great "first pet snake",so i think i did OK with the research but i will keep trying...
Thankyou all though, I'm sure i will need more advice.

[gwb8568]

For the negatives people out there that have no patients for beginners

they come and go very frequently. along with the trolls in cyber space, it's kind of like the "boy who cried wolf". very sad, but until someone has stayed around long enough and/or their posts make sense............alot of members can't tell what is real and what isn't. they way your first post came off, it was hard to tell what "we" were dealing with. also, please use spell check before posting and this will help out 100%.


.On many sites they say that corns are a great "first pet snake", so i think i did OK with the research but i will keep trying...

and that is correct, you have picked the best beginner snake out there. and the links here to the search feature and the FAQ's section will only help you gain more knowledge.

congrats on the completed shed and please post some pics when you get the chance. :)

[jenkva]

Hi Webber, welcome to this forum and to the addiction ;)

The first signs that your snake is going to shed is the belly checkers (if he/she has any) start to become dull in colour, then the body and then you get milky eyes.

When you see the checkers becoming dull, you need to bring the humidity up to about 60-70% to make sure they shed in one piece.
With mine, I put and extra water bowl under the heat lamp and spray morning and evening and they have a full/completed shed each time.


sazzy925, that was uncalled for. You could have first answered the question then point out that there was a search function!

[ghosthousecorns]

Welcome, and as nobody has said this yet I just wanted to suggest you buy a copy of 'the corn snake manual' or the new version (title?) by Kathy Love, aka 'the katy manula' almost any question you have will be answered in there, it really is a must-have reference if you get into keeping corns.

[sazzy925]

ok ok maybe i was a little harsh and soz if people thought i was offensive. But it's just the type of thing that gets on my nerves, not just with snakes but with any animal! I'm sure the rest of you have a particular thing that gets on your nerves!

[jenkva]

With regards to books, these are the ones that I heard the most about:
- "Corn Snakes : The Comprehensive Owner's Guide" by Kathy Love
- "The Art of Keeping Snakes" by Philippe De Vosjoli

I have both books and I really enjoyed reading them, they are really good!

[doovoo]

I'm sure the rest of you have a particular thing that gets on your nerves!

Knee-jerk reactions.

[Droptines]

Sazzy925,,your only 13 ?.I am impressed with your concern and ability to take care of such a pet :)
Shoot,when I was 13,well...lets just say snakes(wild) were still a "toy" :eek1:

[Velvet]

Better to ask if you aren't sure about something!

The only stupid question is one that is not asked.... :)

Webber, congrats with your new pet! Feel free to ask anything, anytime if you are unsure. We all had to learn in the beginning and most of us are still learning! :grin01: