New Owner Concern

Hello! I just got my corn snake, Molly, on Wednesday. I brought her home and set up the tank but had to switch tanks on Friday. She's got hides, water, shredded aspen bedding, etc. I have finally gotten the temps right, for the most part. I am trying to get the humidity up a bit more as it's been hovering around 29%-31% all week.

Concern 1: When I moved tanks, I noticed her eyes may have been a bit cloudy, so I was concerned she may be going into shed but couldn't tell for sure. I have only seen her twice, out in my hands because I have only handled her in the store and then switching tanks. She's been in the same spot now since moving to this new tank Friday. I of course cannot know if she moves when I sleep, but she doesn't appear to have gone anywhere. Yesterday I attempted to touch her to make sure she was still alright and she mad a puffing sound. Could this indicate that I was right about her starting to shed? How can I know for sure without bothering her too much? I did some reading and generally they do not like to be messed with during shed.

Concern 2: If she IS in shed mode, I would be right not to feed her on Wednesday like I planned, right?

Concern 3: If she is not in shed, what else could that puffing sound mean? It didn't seem to come from her mouth, although I couldn't see it. It sounded more like coming from her body in the area I touched or got close to.

Not sure how to proceed from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have never owned a snake before and I want to make sure I am doing everything I can for her.

Hi and welcome! :wavey:

Cloudy eyes and the behavior you described certainly indicates she's probably going into shed. The short little huff could likely have been because you startled her a bit, no big deal just her way of saying, "HEY! Don't do that!"

Waiting to offer food is up to you. A lot of snakes will happily eat through shed (my fire is thus far deterred by nothing when it comes to food) and others will refuse. I'm not convinced that feeding in shed results in any greater risk of regurge.

Dragonling said:

Hi and welcome! :wavey:

Cloudy eyes and the behavior you described certainly indicates she's probably going into shed. The short little huff could likely have been because you startled her a bit, no big deal just her way of saying, "HEY! Don't do that!"

Waiting to offer food is up to you. A lot of snakes will happily eat through shed (my fire is thus far deterred by nothing when it comes to food) and others will refuse. I'm not convinced that feeding in shed results in any greater risk of regurge.

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Thanks! I really hope it's just a shed thing then. It'd be my luck that in the week I get her she's all nervous AND shedding, lol. I may just leave her be until tomorrow night then and see if she has come out. The store said she was eating 2 pinkies per week so I will get 2 ready and see if she takes them Wednesday night. :dancer:

I don't see age or size in your post so Ill be more general in my response.
Many snakes will eat during their shed cycle and have no ill effect.... BUT
If your snake is a hatchling or even a few months old then I recommend NOT to feed on Wednesday. It really depends where they are in their shed cycle whether it will cause a regurge. If they eat in the first phase (in blue) they will digest it before the actual shed takes place with no issues. If they eat close to the third phase (shedding) then the snake might not be able to expand and contract their body to remove the old skin because of the food item in their belly so what they will do is regurgitate it in order to complete their shed. THE PROBLEM is when hatchlings regurge it is very hard for them to recover. They lose vital digestive fluids from their belly. Adults can recover much more easily.
Since this is your first snake I would wait till after she sheds. As I wrote this I see you posted she is eating 2 pinks a week so if she is at the appropriate size for 2 pinks then I would definitely wait. NO HARM will come from waiting BUT a lot of harm will occur if you do feed and she does regurge. Your snake can skip a meal.
BTW Don't be fooled by the second phase of shedding. The clear phase where they look normal again bit in fact are in between being "in blue" and the actual shed phase.

Welcome to the forum !:cheers:

daddio207 said:

I don't see age or size in your post so Ill be more general in my response.
Many snakes will eat during their shed cycle and have no ill effect.... BUT
If your snake is a hatchling or even a few months old then I recommend NOT to feed on Wednesday. It really depends where they are in their shed cycle whether it will cause a regurge. If they eat in the first phase (in blue) they will digest it before the actual shed takes place with no issues. If they eat close to the third phase (shedding) then the snake might not be able to expand and contract their body to remove the old skin because of the food item in their belly so what they will do is regurgitate it in order to complete their shed. THE PROBLEM is when hatchlings regurge it is very hard for them to recover. They lose vital digestive fluids from their belly. Adults can recover much more easily.
Since this is your first snake I would wait till after she sheds. As I wrote this I see you posted she is eating 2 pinks a week so if she is at the appropriate size for 2 pinks then I would definitely wait. NO HARM will come from waiting BUT a lot of harm will occur if you do feed and she does regurge. Your snake can skip a meal.
BTW Don't be fooled by the second phase of shedding. The clear phase where they look normal again bit in fact are in between being "in blue" and the actual shed phase.

Welcome to the forum !:cheers:

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Thanks for your reply! She is only about 3 months, according to the store. I can see why waiting would be the better option so I will skip Wednesday. How long does the shed process usually take from phase 1-3? For a younger one at least? I definitely don't want to upset her stomach or her shedding pattern so I will wait and see if she has any change in her attitude.

Is there any harm in my picking her up to check her eyes and such to see if she appears to be getting ready to shed?

In reference to picking her up, if she's buried deep in the aspen and I cannot see her at all, or almost at all, how would you suggest getting her? I don't want to accidentally grab her head because I can't see, but if I go and uncover her from the aspen with my fingers dangling in her face she might get agitated and strike before I've touched her because I appear to be hesitating.

I feel like I sound like a worry wart. To be honest, I am. I'm not afraid to handle her, I'm just afraid to start our relationship out with me upsetting her. Lol.

:wavey: Welcome! Congrats on your new corn, Molly! That's a very sweet name.

I attached some photos of her. These were from the first night I got her, Wednesday.

Ahhh she's so cute! Luckily aneries are pretty easy to tell when they're blue. I can always see it most in Marcy's belly checkers - they go really bright blue. I'd wait a week and by then she would either have shed or probably not be blue. I try not to handle my snakes when they're shedding. They hide because they feel vulnerable, so I leave them alone feeling comfy. My snakes seem to take a little longer than average, they shed a bit more than a week after I notice blue. Sometimes even longer than that.

Rigby & Marcy said:

Ahhh she's so cute! Luckily aneries are pretty easy to tell when they're blue. I can always see it most in Marcy's belly checkers - they go really bright blue. I'd wait a week and by then she would either have shed or probably not be blue. I try not to handle my snakes when they're shedding. They hide because they feel vulnerable, so I leave them alone feeling comfy. My snakes seem to take a little longer than average, they shed a bit more than a week after I notice blue. Sometimes even longer than that.

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Thanks! I will just do my best to leave her be until next week then. I will just continue my tidying up and whatnot.

She is gorgeous. I am learning a lot about different morphs now and have found so many beautiful ones. As soon as I get settled with Molly I may have to get another...lol.

Rigby & Marcy said:

Ahhh she's so cute! Luckily aneries are pretty easy to tell when they're blue. I can always see it most in Marcy's belly checkers - they go really bright blue. I'd wait a week and by then she would either have shed or probably not be blue. I try not to handle my snakes when they're shedding. They hide because they feel vulnerable, so I leave them alone feeling comfy. My snakes seem to take a little longer than average, they shed a bit more than a week after I notice blue. Sometimes even longer than that.

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Yes ^

Yeah, she is in blue probably going into the clear phase. Definitely don't feed until she sheds. No point taking that chance especially were she looks healthy and can go weeks + without eating.
I always recommend no handling for the first week for corns anyways.

daddio207 said:

Yes ^

Yeah, she is in blue probably going into the clear phase. Definitely don't feed until she sheds. No point taking that chance especially were she looks healthy and can go weeks + without eating.
I always recommend no handling for the first week for corns anyways.

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Noted! Thanks again for the help. I can't help but worry. Very glad I found this forum.

Came home today to her shredded skin on the branch and she was hanging out in the coconut. I took her out for some handling but do you still suggest I wait to feed her until next week? Today was to be her feeding day. I will have to measure her shed but I weighed her and she is 19g.

Sorry, shedded not shredded.

Go ahead and feed her.

Some snakes wont eat on the same day of their shed so if you want wait till tomorrow.

I agree that you can feed her. Maybe wait until tomorrow though, and then just shift the feeding cycle off by one day for future.