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SWEET handled Scarlet for first time...but noticed something

T

TDog77

New member
As I am sure that many of you know we have our new member Scarlet at home and today she was finally due for her first handling. We were pleasantly surprised to not find her buried in the shavings but rather in her long hide all coiled up and comfy. For the most part she was pretty calm, not at all aggressive and would just sit there if we could get her to wrap her body around our hand. We kept this session short as suggested by you all and whoever was not holding her was pouring through her cage looking for a turd or regurge (just in case) but found neither. She ate three days ago and I expected the stinky but oh well. The thing that we immediately noticed is that she is definitely pale and her eyes seem a little opaque....I am assuming that she is getting ready to shed which leads us to our questions.
1. When she came from the breeder she was usually eating two small pinks or one larger one but three days ago she only ate one for us and now that we think she is going to shed how long should we hold off for the next attempted feeding or should we just try to feed again on Sunday which is a week from the first one?
2. We live in ultra arid colorado and with it being winter it is even more dry; we have some moss that we can moisten and put into a container with a hole but should we put a portion of it close to the uth since the cold side of her tank is only 69-70 degrees. I would think that the damp moss might be pretty uninviting if it is that cool?
3. Can we do very short handling sessions once a day during this process?
4. Anything else that we have not read in our books;) that you think might be helpful?
 
I wouldn't handle her until after she sheds. I also don't feed snakes when they are "blue." I would cover the top of her viv loosely with a piece of plastic wrap just as big as the lid- just lay it on there, and mist her every day or two, lightly. You can also put the moist hide in and see if she likes it. She may not have pooped yet because they generally wait until after they shed, (or during!) unless they are disturbed.
 
I always offer my snakes a meal even when they are in shed, have never had a problem with it. Either they eat it or they don't but there is no harm in waiting till after the shed. If the snake is fairly new to you I would say wait till after the shed that way there is no risk of regurge, never had it happen to a snake in shed personally but I know there are a few on here that have.
 
Hey! I live in CO too. I usually don't do anything different for my corns when I notice they are in blue, but I mist the cage once a day when they are in blue. I keep them in plastic cages so the humidity stays up pretty well. My motley boy just shed yesterday and it came off in three pieces- it still counts as a good shed! But upon closer inspection- no tail tip! So with a little water I got that off for him. You can always provide a humid hide- they're real simple to make, just cut a hole in a sandwhich box and stuff it with the reptile moss sold at petco/smart. I personally would not feed when they are in blue. Mine tend to refuse meals during that time anyway, and regurges seem to go up when fed in the blue. Then you have to go through the whole regurge protocol and that's a big pain, so it's just easier for them to skip a meal.
 
Oh, and as for handling, I usually don't, but if their eyes are not clouded over I don't see why not. I heard somewhere that it is uncomfortable for the snake, and they hide the entire time anyway, so I figure they want to be left alone.
 
I usually mist since both of my girls refuse humid hides. If the shed goes on for too long, I have to "shower" my yearling. She gets uncomfortable, so 2-3 days after she leaves her blue stage, if she still hasn't shed or pooped, I take her out and lightly mist her with a spray bottle. Luckily, my snake doesn't hate being handled at this point because her eyes are no longer clouded and she seems to enjoy the shower lol. She usually sheds about an hour after that. Humidity should be kept rather high in the tank during shed time, though, and Nanci is right, cover the top of the tank with plastic wrap or lightly damp paper towel, loosely.
Also, if you should choose to mist, be wary of the level of water being retained in the bedding. It can cause sanitation issues if the tank isn't clean and dry after your snake finally sheds. I usually deep clean immediately after they shed or wait overnight for them to go to the bathroom.
I sometimes feed my hatchling just before she goes into blue, but with my yearling I wait. And don't handle while they're blind. They don't like that.
If you wanna get some pictures, do it quickly so as not to stress them. :)
And as for the moist hide, I used to put in on the warm side. Too bad both snakes hate it lol.
I'm glad she liked being handled. The first time I handled my yearling, she stared at me for 10 minutes then bit my hand 6 times haha. She's a sweet snake now, though.
 
I mist my snake cage until it is about to shed and it really helps remove that skin and for handleing I would wait until she is done shedding. :)
 
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