Normally Friendly But today very aggressive

[Rock.My.Socks]

My little corn snake, Nigini, is always friendly! I got her about 6 weeks ago and she hasn't had a shed. I keep checking for blue but she has red eyes and I don't know if I will be able to tell the difference. About 2 or 3 days ago I thought maybe her eyes were blue/grey but it wasn't her whole eyes, just a little half-moon shape. But I think maybe I was just looking too hard and maybe she wasn't blue??

Today was feeding day. So I opened her viv and moved the tree she was hiding under and she started striking at me. I hadn't even reached for her yet. She kept striking repeatedly. I coaxed her into the feed box since she obviously didn't want to be picked up. She ate just fine. And I put her back.

Tonight I brought home a new hide for her and Put it in her viv but didn't disturb her at all. About 20 minutes later I looked through the glass and saw her in the other hide and she struck at me. I backed away and she struck again. I made a humid hide for her incase she is about to shed. What's going on with little Nigini!?

 

[bitsy]

Certainly does sound like she's going into shed. They can't see during this period as the scales over their eyes loosen. They become very scared (not aggressive!) and think that you're dangerous as they can't see what's going on.

The best thing is just to leave her in peace until after the shed. If you notice any colour change, it will be a sort of greyish sheen over her body, although it can be difficult to see in lighter morphs (I've never yet successfully predicted a shed in my Snow and she's 17!). After a few days of this she'll go back to her normal colour, then a couple of days later, she'll shed.

You should see your gal back to her usual sunny self once the process is complete!

 

[Jdog3131]

I agree with bitsy.
It could also be that her viv is to hot, so i would check her temps.

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

Great thank you! I will check in her hides without going into her viv when I get home from work to see how she's doing. Her viv is a consistent 85 degrees. At night I cool it down a little just to 83 degrees.

 

[bitsy]

Ah - temps are a good point. They can get antsy if they can't cool down properly.

Does she have an area cooler than 85? Ideally, she needs a cool end to the tank of 70-75 degrees so that she can thermoregulate.

All temps need to be taken at floor level (so that they measure the temp that the snake is experiencing) with a digital thermometer - the plastic dial and cardboard strip type can be 20 degrees out either way.

My money's on an imminent shed, but a double-check on temps could well give you a quick fix.

 

[Farmgirl]

my blizzard's eyes go slightly cloudy 2-3 days before his shed, it's not opaque looking like some other snakes, his eyes just are not the clear sparkling pink they usually are. And of course he becomes a little buzzing machine (his tail) until his shed is finished.

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

Yea I have a warm side of 85 degrees and cool side of 75. my digital termometer is measuring temps on the floor. She hasn't left her humid hut since I made it past night. I'm thinking it's shed time!

 

[bitsy]

Mm-hmm - I reckon so!

 

[Jdog3131]

Ohhh her first shed, congrats.And remember pics when she is done

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

I will be posting pics for sure! Thank you very much for the help and for making sure I had the proper temps and equipment for little Nigini!

 

[xStaticSnow]

just thought I would mention that both my albino snakes develop light lavender colored eyes right before they shed. It's very easy for me to see when they're in "blue" but I suppose it may depend on the individual snake. If you get a chance shining a flashlight at them can help you see the color of their eyes. Also, my snakes don't usually strike when in blue but my corn use to rattle his tail some and he also usually gets pretty lethargic and secretive right before he sheds!

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

That helps a lot! She hasn't sed yet. I've been checking on her through the glass and she won't leave her humid hide.

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

Ok so still no shed. she's not leaving her humid hut and when I reach in to change the paper towel in her hut she gets all S'ed up and rattles her tail. I've been giving her te space so she won't be stressed. I hope she sheds soon!

 

[visceralrepulsion]

my blizzard's eyes go slightly cloudy 2-3 days before his shed, it's not opaque looking like some other snakes, his eyes just are not the clear sparkling pink they usually are. And of course he becomes a little buzzing machine (his tail) until his shed is finished.

this is pretty much what i experience with my snow (red eyes) except she doesnt get defensive for some reason. but she doesnt go blue like my ghost does, she just gets a "dull" glaze to her eyes. and even though you were checking, your girl could've been opaque while you were asleep, or at work, etc. it sounds like youre doing everything really well. but dont be surprised if it takes longer than 2-3 days if she does shed. some people have different experiences with their shed time after they become clear again. its more common i think for older snakes to take longer sometimes, but doesnt mean it never happens in hatchlings or yearlings.

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

This morning when I checked on her she was actually not in her humid hut. Last night she was laying on the moist papertowel and today she was in a different hide. When I moved her hide she struck at me so I'm assuming she still can't see very well. So I put her hide back down and she went right back in. I've heard of people giving their snakes a soak before a shed but I don't know if I should take her out of her viv where she feels safe. Any advice?

 

[bitsy]

Your best bet is to leave her completely alone until she sheds. She's clearly stressed judging by her behaviour, so just give her a bit of space and try to stop checking on her.

As long as the temps aren't too hot, that really is classic pre-shed behaviour.

 

[visceralrepulsion]

chances are its not going to be harmful to bring her out for a soak. its not necessary, but to each their own. i sometimes do soak mine before a shed, especially if theyre taking longer to shed than usual. just make sure you thoroughly clean the washtub out of any soap residue if youre going to use it. vinegar makes a good safe cleaner, just make sure you rinse that out thoroughly too. but a plastic tub is probably easiest. i use one with a lid, that has airholes poked in it. and i put the snake in the plastic tub with enough lukewarm water that it covers their back, but not too much so that they cant keep their head out of the water easily (just use your best common sense).then let her soak for 5-10 mins with the lid on so they cant crawl out of the water. i know it sounds mean, and youll feel bad having them look at you like "WHY are you doing this to ME???" but theyll quickly forget it even happened when its over. if your house is a decent temperature, you dont even have to dry her off, the water sitting on her skin will just absorb and/or evaporate. but if your house is on the cooler side, id dry her off. and id prepare for a poo in the water haha, because people commonly give their snakes a soak if they seem blocked up. it gets the bowels flowing i guess from the excercise.

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

Great thank you! Also her feed day is Saturday. If she still hasn't shed. Should I continue with a normal feeding schedule?

 

[visceralrepulsion]

ummm that really depends, dear. some dont feed before a shed because some have had trouble with regurges with their snakes, others like me, feed with no trouble at all before a shed. i would wait for someone else to chime in too on this question. they can probably give you a more concrete answer than i can. all i know is it varies from snake to snake, owner to owner. not sure about any particular rules to follow...

 

[Rock.My.Socks]

She ate today no problem! She did miss a couple times when she struck but she did eat. I soaked her to help with her shed too. So hopefully we will see some snake skin in the viv soon.