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Shedding and feeding questions

G

gevets

New member
I'm a very recent snake owner and got a corn about a month ago. He was a very good eater from the time I got him. About a week ago I noticed his eyes getting a glossy whitish look to them so I figured he was getting ready to shed. I tried feeding him a few days ago and he didn't seem at all interested in the pinky. I think I heard they usually don't eat much when they're getting ready to shed so I figured that's what was going on. Yesterday when I got home I looked at him and noticed his colors were very vivid again and no more glossyness in his eyes so apparantly he must have shed but I found no skin anywhere in his tank. Could he have eaten it? Is there a certain amount of time that's good to wait after they've shed before I can try another feeding. I tried feeding him last night again after he apparantly shed and he still wasn't interested. Also is it ok after you thaw out a pinky to refreeze it to use it again or is it best to just throw it out and use a fresh one.

Thanks,
Steve
 
Chances are high (if you couldn't find the skin) that he's not shed yet.

There's a period of 1-3 days after you notice them out of blue where they become really vivid again, but have not yet shed. He'll probably shed any time now. It helps them to get it off easier if they have something rough to rub against. :)

The only way I can tell is by picking them up. If they've shed, they'll be smoothe and shiny. If their shed is still impending, they'll feel slightly 'sticky' and hitch on your skin when they try to move.

As for the mice, I throw mine out afterwards if they refuse it.
 
I agree that he's not shed yet. I've never heard of a snake eating it's shed. As for refreezing, I refreeze from time to time if I end up with too many leftovers. I've never had a problem with it.
 
As the others have said it sounds like her certainly hasn't shed yet, unless you think it's hiding in the bedding somewhere.
There are some debates about whether or not refreezing the mice is ok, some do it without any problems and some people worry that its not healthy.
What you do is up to you, know that here at this board, both ways happen.
 
Thanks for the replies! I have about an inch or two of the Aspen shavings for his substrate so the skin could be buried underneath that stuff since he really likes to bury himself a lot....I didn't bother to look underneath all that stuff. I really noticed a big difference in how much clearer and shinier his whole body looked and especially how much clearer his eyes looked so I was certain he had shed. When I get home this evening I'll have to dig around in the aspen to see if I can find the skin.

Thanks again,
Steve
 
In my experience once a snakes eyes go clear after being 'blue' it will be 48 hours before they actually shed, so I agree with most others here that it still hasn't shed it's skin.
 
Oh...so the eyes do go clear for awhile before they shed. Since this is the first snake I've ever owned, I just presumed once the eyes look clear again, he must have shed. Thanks for clearing that up with me!! If he hasn't shed yet, hopefully he'll do it soon.

It always great to learn something new...Thanks.
Steve
 
Yeah it fools nearly everyone the first time.

As they get older I've noticed the period of 'clearness' gets longer - I don't know if anyone else would say the same, but mine has been clear for 5 days before shedding before.

Just wait until that skin does come off, if you think snakey's bright now, whew! You're in for a treat :)
 
When I came home from work today I looked into my Sammy's tank and there laying on the bed of aspen was a nice 14 inch long skin....he finally did his first shed!!!

I tried feeding him tonight but he still had nothing to do with the pinky. Does it take awhile before they regain their appetite? Hopefully he'll start eating again soon.

Thanks to all, who knew exactly what was going on!
I'll try and post some pics in the photo section.

Steve
 
You might just have a sensitive snake, sometimes they feel very touchy right after shedding, it's a very stressful event for them.
Wait a few more days and then try again.
 
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