post-blue, pre-shed, how to tell?

[Hexadeci]

Dern it, it's been a busy couple weeks and I haven't had time to handle between feeding/watering sessions. My hatchling has been hiding since last feeding (last Wednesday, he's on a 7 day schedule), which is not too unusual for him. It's been just over a month since last shed and I highly suspect he went blue over the weekend, but cleared by the time I dug him out on Tuesday for weighing/cleaning. He's only shed twice with me so far and I am rather bad at telling besides the obvious "o look, solid blue eyes, yay!". On Tuesday he looked and acted like he has in that time after-blue-but-before-shed. He was burrowed on the warm side after digestion when he's usually (but not always) climbing, only made a half hearted attempt to flee, and was very acquiescent for handling (lazy but not to the point of lethargy). Whereas he usually is very flighty in the cage and makes at least one or two escape/jump attempts during handling, except, ironically, during and just after blue, when he's more cautious and laid back. His belly checkers looked grey, rather than black, but I have been wrong about that before. He regurged a while back when I fed him just before blue, so I definitely don't want to feed him until he sheds, if I'm right, but if I'm wrong I don't want to withhold food for too long. Last time I had this dilemma he went 2 months between sheds.

So my question is, how do you guys tell when a snake is in this phase (comparison pictures would be amazing)? Does it sound like my hatchling is (I know, pictures would be best, I'll see what I can do when I get home)? How long should I hold off feeding, just in case?

My working plan is to provide a humid hide until Saturday (my local humidity is about 50% if my hygrometer and calibration is to be believed), and if there's no shed by Saturday evening, I'll feed him the head of the fat pinky I've been saving and maybe the flank of a left over from our post-regurge times, just in case. Then in 5 days if still no shed or obvious blue, I'll resume normal feeding. Sound like an ok plan? Feedback (har har) would be most welcome.

 

[cmack91]

if he did just come out of blue, i would imagine he would be shedding within the next week. if he doesnt shed after ten days id say hes not in shed. you can hold off feeding for two weeks and he should be fine.

how is he otherwise? when hes curled up is he wrinkly in the folds, or squishy at all?

 

[bitsy]

From blue to shed seems to depend on a number of variables, including what constitutes "normal" for each individual snake. You should be seeing a shed in the next few days, if mine were anything to go by.

I feed mine as usual through shedding, but then I've never had a regurge caused by that so I know it's safe enough for my gang. However, caution is rarely a bad thing, so if you're worried, holding off a feed for a while won't hurt. If he goes more than a week without shedding then he probably isn't in that phase of the shed so it should be safe to feed.

 

[Hexadeci]

Sweet! I was spot on with my estimate of his shed progress. Found a complete shed yesterday after work and even managed to get it out this morning without breaking it. And the issue with the frontal scale from last shed came right off.

 

[Lyion]

I notice they are bright but not stunning. Sometimes the eyes are still a bit hazed.

 

[AliCat37]

I wish I had good pictures of my corn when he was in his "in between" stage. It almost looks like the skin on his face is lifted up from the color.