Is she shedding or not

[dereksco]

i got a new snake almost 2 weeks ago and shes started to look dull and is getting shy is she shedding?:shrugs:

 

[Sunglow Cornsnake]

Well, i dont know. I think its about to shed. But do you think you can attach a photo of your snake so i can see for myself?

 

[Voodoo]

Dulling of the scales means your snake is starting the shed cycle. Pretty soon, its eyes will look glazed over and blue. Then, your snake will look normal again for a few days before actually shedding.

Not sure if you know this, but you should increase the humidity in your snake's enclosure. You can buy a brand new spray bottle and mist the cage a couple times a day until the snake sheds, or provide a moist hiding spot. You can use dampened paper towels. Just place them inside the snake's hiding spot and keep checking them every day to make sure they are still damp.

Increased humidity will help insure that your snake sheds in one piece, leaving no remnants of dead scales behind.

 

[Nanci]

Normal behaviour during this time would include hiding away and never coming out, and refusing a meal if offered. Near the end of the cycle the eyes will clear and the skin will no longer look blue, and you may see the snake out and about. The snake will shed in hours to a couple days.

 

[Plissken]

If the snake is looking dull then yes, it's probably a shed coming.

It isn't always necessary to actively increase the humidity IMO, it depends what your home is like. My house is fairly humid anyway and two of my snakes always shed perfectly without me doing a thing. I spray the third snake but she requires higher humidity anyway.

Definetly keep an eye on the humidity, though, especially as it sounds like this may be your first shedding experience.

 

[RedRaydin]

If the snake is looking dull then yes, it's probably a shed coming.

It isn't always necessary to actively increase the humidity IMO, it depends what your home is like. My house is fairly humid anyway and two of my snakes always shed perfectly without me doing a thing. I spray the third snake but she requires higher humidity anyway.

Definetly keep an eye on the humidity, though, especially as it sounds like this may be your first shedding experience.

Yup. I live in Virginia. As a hatchling Raydin always got it's viv sprayed and I sprayed the snake itself a little bit with very light misty water. However I tried going a couple sheds without this just to see if the snake needed it or not and the snake was fine. Ever since then every shed has been a perfect one piece shed.

No problems. If you live in an area where the air is not as dry and you have natural humidity in the air most days of the year your snake will be fine and you need not worry about humidity.

Plus depending on your substrate and water combo you will get some more natural humidity in there without even having to do anything else. Alot of people don't realize that as well.

Virginia = humid
Texas = Not so humid almost dry... in the southwest it may be a good idea to add a bit of humidity.

 

[Voodoo]

Yup. I live in Virginia. As a hatchling Raydin always got it's viv sprayed and I sprayed the snake itself a little bit with very light misty water. However I tried going a couple sheds without this just to see if the snake needed it or not and the snake was fine. Ever since then every shed has been a perfect one piece shed.

No problems. If you live in an area where the air is not as dry and you have natural humidity in the air most days of the year your snake will be fine and you need not worry about humidity.

Plus depending on your substrate and water combo you will get some more natural humidity in there without even having to do anything else. Alot of people don't realize that as well.

Virginia = humid
Texas = Not so humid almost dry... in the southwest it may be a good idea to add a bit of humidity.

I dunno. I live in Ohio. My snakes all have aspen substrate, and large bowls of water. If I don't raise the humidity, they have incomplete sheds. It's probably better for a new snake owner to go ahead and do slight increases in humidity during sheds anyway, just to prevent retained eye scales or tail tips, ya know? Plus, if the snake is small, it's harder to see retained shed material than what one would see on a larger specimen. Just a thought.

 

[mitch's da]

Hi Ricky,
I'm from Ireland, so our humidity should be somewhat the same and i don't think you need to incrase your humidity.. I never do and Mitch has shed every time for 2.5yrs without a single problem..
Aren't we lucky to live in such a crappy climate eh???
Hope this helps and good luck with your new snake..
P.S. do you have any pic's, people here just love pic's !!!

 

[patm1313]

I see people talking about humidity and location. Well, why don't you just build a shed box? They're cheap, and even if you live in a humid climate I don't see how putting one in there could be harmful. Just find a container big enough for your snake to fit in with a lid, cut a hole in it big enough for the snake to be able to get in, and fill it with moist sphagnum moss or damp paper towels. I would make two, one for the cold and warm side, and only provide the shed box right when the snake comes out of the blue.

 

[Corny Noob]

They're cheap, and even if you live in a humid climate I don't see how putting one in there could be harmful.

Well then I suppose now is a good time to remind that too much humidity can be harmful to the snake's health by way of a respitory infection.

 

[dereksco]

thanks for the help ill keep eye on her ill post some pics soon!