bad shed due to feeding?

[SquamishSerpents]

both my snakes shed, one day apart. however, they both were incomplete sheds. (all eye caps came off though) the conditions in both vivs were exactly the same as milly's last shed. i fed milly on the 15th, and she shed on the 17th. i fed zora on the 10, and she shed on the 16th. i ran them through warm cloths, and got all the leftover shed off.

could the bad sheds be due to feeding them while they are in blue? both sheds seemed to be broken around the tummy area. maybe the moose stretched the skin and caused it to break? a few days before Zora shed i noticed that a few of her scales looked sorta flaky...

anyone heard of this happening before?

[PAIN]

my Mayn is in blue right now and is due for a feeding and i am wondering if I should wait til after the shed...did you feed yours during blue state?

[SquamishSerpents]

yep, both of them were fed during blue. and i thought it was a GOOD thing they ate during blue!

[Rich in KY]

I doubt feeding them had anything to do with the incomplete shed.

I have often fed snakes when they are in blue and rarely have incomplete sheds.

It is more likely that they need more moisture in the viv when in blue.

[cornlover221]

i just recently had mine in blue and he ate and the shed went great, i dont think feeding it had anything to do with a bad shed...not sure what was though

[SquamishSerpents]

the humidity was between 35-40%... what do you guys usually keep it at?

[Rich in KY]

Mine tends to stay around 50%.

I am also an avid user of humid hides. My snakes seem to love them. I have two in blue right now hanging out in humid hides.

[SquamishSerpents]

yeah i 'm gonna try humid hides next time for the both of them.

[Lennycorn]

yeah i 'm gonna try humid hides next time for the both of them.

I use humid hides when my corn were young but now they shed just find.

[TWGarland]

I doubt you'll have the same problem again if you use a humid hide, 30-40% is low for a shedding cycle anyways

[Cam5]

From what I have read (and experienced with our own).
The suggestion is to wait until after they shed to feed them.
Depending on the size of the food bulge it can mean they shed down to the bulge and then it kind of separates at that spot and the rest of the shed stays on the snake.
However, from the experience of most others it seems that the humidity is the biggest factor. Ours will not go into a separate moist hide on their own at this point. So when they go blue I just put a damp paper towel crumpled up in one corner of their hides and change it out for a fresh one every couple days.
Great job getting the shed off:)

[wade]

I don't think feeding has anything to do with it. I feed my small snakes every 5 days and the rest of them every 7 days. Everyone gets fed no matter what. If they don't want to eat they don't. If they are blue and don't eat I figure that is why. But I always offer food to them.

Almost all of my snakes will eat at every feeding. It is unusual for a snake to refuse even if it's blue.

[cornlover221]

i ried the humid hide thing and mine just wouldnt go in it, so if they dont go in it just mist the tanks once or twice aday

[SquamishSerpents]

I don't think feeding has anything to do with it. I feed my small snakes every 5 days and the rest of them every 7 days. Everyone gets fed no matter what. If they don't want to eat they don't. If they are blue and don't eat I figure that is why. But I always offer food to them.

Almost all of my snakes will eat at every feeding. It is unusual for a snake to refuse even if it's blue.

i found this post by Wylie in a different thread:

Can I offer a friendly suggestion? I think you should buy Don Soderberg's book, Corn Snakes in Captivity. http://www.cornsnakes.net It would answer all these questions that you have. It's not expensive, $8.95 I believe, and I think it is excellent. It is a short enough book that you can finish it in one day but it leaves nothing out, it tells you all the pertinent info you need to know. Anyway, that said, I will tell you what Don says in his book:

"During this time (shedding that is), the snake's vision is impaired and its general instinct is to distrust anything that moves. I recommend that you not only avoid handling corns during this time, but that you also forego feeding until the shedding process is complete. Some corns will have an appetite during the shedding cycle, but many will simply not eat during this time. Regurgitation sometimes results when a corn voluntarily eats during a shed so not offering food during this cycle is the safest action. A bulge in the snake during shedding can also complicate the removal of dead skin. If food is completely digested near the end of a shedding cycle, your corn will likely not defecate until the skin comes off."

i fed the amel at the petstore when he was in blue, and his (and milly and zora's) shed was also incomplete, for the FIRST time since he arrived, which was at least 3 months ago, and the humidity in his viv at the store was sitting at 47%. the shed was broken near the belly area.

so in the future i am going to avoid feeding during blue, even if they are willing to feast