The Shedding Process

The Shedding Process
By: Daniel Hill

The process by which a reptile sheds its skin is called ecdysis. This process may last from 9-14 days depending on the reptile. Unlike lizards that generally shed in pieces, snakes will shed in one single piece if provided the proper conditions. A lot of first time ball python owners may panic at the signs of their snake's first shed because they do not know what is happening to their animal. In the following paragraphs, I will cover some of the main shedding topics and present pictures to help keepers get a visual image of what shedding looks like. I also have a short video clip of a yearling female ball python that I caught shedding.

The process of shedding generally involves several steps. These steps will be outlined in the paragraphs and pictures below. I put times on these steps based on my visual observations and ball python records; however, the start of the shedding process may not be easily recognizable in some instances and the times may vary by a day or two. This is just a general guide and not a standard.

Day 1-2: Dull skin with a slightly pink belly

This step of the shedding process can vary from snake to snake. I have a few ball pythons that get the dull appearance but generally never show a pink belly; but, I have others that are dull with a very pink belly. Sometimes the ball python's eyes will become darker or dull in this step. Ball pythons get very shy during shedding time. It is not uncommon for ball pythons to remain in their hide throughout the entire process. The pictures below show the dull appearance and pink belly. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

This young female ball python is just beginning the shedding process. She appears darker than normal and the dulling can really be seen in her side at the top left of the photo.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed7b.JPG

This is the same female from above. Her belly has only a slight pink tint to it but the dull appearance is shown really well on her sides.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed4b.JPG

The very beginning of the shedding process may be subtle in some ball pythons. This is the same female as in the above pictures.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed8b.JPG

This is another female that is about to enter the next stage. Notice how her eyes have begun to get cloudy. This female also demonstrated a great example of 'pink belly'.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed13b.JPG

This is a belly shot of the female above. In both pictures, a wrinkle of skin can be seen around her neck. I have noticed that skin winkles may sometimes show in shedding ball pythons. This may be the result of dehydration, so make sure that clean water and proper humidity are provided.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed9b.JPG

Days 3-7: Opaque or In-blue

This step of the shedding process is the most easily recognizable. The eyes turn a grey/blueish color and the skin becomes very dull and faded. This step is caused by fluid buildup between the new and old skin layers. At this stage of the shedding process, handling or feeding ball pythons is not a recommended action. The opaque eyes may cause the ball python to strike defensively at both you and the prey item. During this time, the ball python is visually impaired and can also become stressed due to excess activity. Imagine yourself being tossed around and having animals running around near you, but you can't see. That could be a stressful situation for any creature. Below are several pictures of my ball pythons in this step of the shedding process. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.



This is a normal female that has just become opaque. Her eyes are slightly blue and she is developing the faded appearance.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed1b.JPG

This is the same female in the pictue above.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ing/shed2b.JPG

This is another female that was angry with me for opening her enclosure. I was changing her water, but the movement around her caused her to get very defensive. She actually struck at me several times. This is one of the reasons that ball pythons should not be handled at this time.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed14b.JPG

The same female as in the picture before. Like most ball pythons during shed, she is comforted by her hide and will remain there throughout the process.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed15b.JPG

This is my het pied male in his opaque stage. He usually has a very strong color to him but it is very dull in this stage.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed16b.JPG

This is a belly shot of the het pied male. His belly has a very pinkish look to it and the black pattern on the side of his belly appears to be blue. Again, I do not recommend handling during shed. I had to take him out because I tipped his water bowl over when I was filling it up (he struck at me and I bumped the side of the tub...LOL).

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed17b.JPG

Day 7-10: Clearing up

During this stage of the shedding process, the opaqueness of the eyes clears up and the ball python is preparing to shed. The body will clear up slightly but may keep a dull appearance. At this point, it may be hard to recognize that your ball python is in shed. They generally look like they normally do, but slightly darker. I have never taken pictures of this step because it is not drastically different than normal. I will take some pics when a few of my girls get there this week.

Day 10-12: Getting rid of the old skin

This is the final stage of the shedding process. The 'sloughing' of the skin is generally a very quick process and it may take a new keeper a while before they witness the act. During this step, the ball python will rub its nose against the enclosure (or something in the enclosure) to loosen the skin. Once the skin has begun to 'peel off', the ball python will either use things in its environment like a water bowl or hide or simply pass over itself to pull the shed off. This is something that never gets boring to watch in my opinion. Also, if any problems occur with the shed this is generally the point where they become obvious. The pictures and video below show what happens in this process. Click on the pictures to view a larger image.

This is a yearling female ball python caught in the act of shedding her skin. Notice the color difference between the section already shed and the section left to be shed.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed20b.JPG

This is a closeup photo of the ball python above.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed19b.JPG

This is a picture showing the during shed and after shed contrast of my normal male ball python.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...ng/shed18b.JPG

This is a 39 second video clip of the female ball python in the above pictures shedding. This clip can help someone that has not witnessed the act of shedding understand what takes place. Click on the link to view the video.

Ball Python Shedding Video

Awesome article Daniel!!

That is just too awesome, Daniel! And since I know you're too humble to sticky your own stuff...I did it for you! :P

Yeah, that was awsome:winner: ! I've yet to see it actually happening. Great info.

My snake is getting ready to shed for the first time since I got him, that article was extremely informative! =) I like having a better idea of what to expect

Monty has shed 3 times since I have owned him, and I have yet to actually witness it. The last time, I never even saw him with blue eyes, I just went to clean the viv, and there was his old skin.

Absolutely excellent Daniel! Like I said to you before I'd have happily sold my good left kidney for an article like this when we went through our first shed with Rionach. Very informative and I am confident this will be a very well used educational tool for the site!



~~Jo~~

Very cool article! I reminds me too of a question my Mom asked the other day. She asked why snakes shed, and I told her that everything sheds, even we shed, it's just that they do it all at once and we do it so subtly we don't even notice (sunburns being the exception to that) and she said "Yeah, but *why* do they do it that way?"

I have no idea. Does anyone else know?

I think that thread and it's related links should help you Sheree.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...hlight=ecdysis

~~Jo~~

Excellent, Daniel! Thanks for sharing!

Very nicely done Daniel!

Aweseome writeup.
Damian's been chilling in his hide the last couple days and not evening coming out at night since I think Friday. When I checked this AM it appeared his belly had a pink tint to it. I could be in for my first shed with Damain since I got him 1/13/06.

It's official he's going into shed. I checked on him this morning (he still has not left his hide in 4 days) and his eyes have become cloudy. Thing is today is his feeding day. Should I go ahead and try and feed him?

I would not feed live prey when the eyes are blue. If you feed f/t or p/k, go for it. Some ball pythons will eat during shed...some won't. I don't feed during shed....kinda consider it a week off to give the girls a break from digesting constantly....it is not like they are getting 1 rodent a week in the wild :)

Very informative...
Now do a piece on the not so fun side to your BP shedding process..like how the humidity has to be just right..the no feeding..the wet towel trick, the eye caps all that stuff. My 2 foot ball just shed for me and it took over a week with my help as a final straw, its not only stressfull for your ball but you as an owner..you want nothing more than to have it run smoothly but thats not always the case.
Great article and great pictures!

Oh did I miss the part where keeping ball pythons was supposed to be totally easy LOL. I figure though if it was say a dog you'd be dealing with grooming, getting it's shots each year, shovelling up dog crap daily, local leash laws, getting it's tags...yada...yada. Fiddling a bit with a snake's enclosure or just about any husbandry issue with them still seems like a lot less work than one small yappy poodle but maybe that's just me LOL.

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Originally Posted by 4Khan

Very informative...
Now do a piece on the not so fun side to your BP shedding process..like how the humidity has to be just right..the no feeding..the wet towel trick, the eye caps all that stuff. My 2 foot ball just shed for me and it took over a week with my help as a final straw, its not only stressfull for your ball but you as an owner..you want nothing more than to have it run smoothly but thats not always the case.
Great article and great pictures!

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Working on it :).....and putting a humid hide in the enclosure will generally make a shed go much better

Great write-up. Im glad its a sticky. Mine shed very quickly after a soak. Really an amazing process to witness.

Great write up...my girl has not had any issues since the first shed after I brought her home -- once I did get my AP cage and mist each day, she sheds in one piece usually or sometimes two (head & the body part). I did have to help her the second time just get the tail portion off -- just let her work it off in a wet towel.


I do have a question for you - her shed is whole and seems pretty good. I do remove any leftover 'here and there' scales with a wet towel (if I see any - usually just a few). I do notice that she does at time have blood spots -- usually at the rear. Should I be concerned - does that mean that she is having trouble still (even though it looks good)? This past time - I studied it more and realized that it was at the cloaca area -- probably actually was the cloaca portion where the skin goes in just a bit. So - is there anything I can do to make sure she is not having trouble or should I worry? I do always check to make sure she is not bleeding still. This time there were about 2 dots (bigger than a pinhead but smaller than an eraser on pencil) in her hide where the skin was located and then a little red around the area the cloaca area on the skin. I hope I am using the right anatomy words too...haha. Happened the last two times but also these were the two times that she has shed in one piece.

It was great to log in with this question and see a whole write up going on already!

Cloacal bleeding has happened to me several times during sheds and is actually be fairly common. Some ball python are 'rough' with themselves during shedding. Because the skin inside of the vent is rather tender, sometimes bleeding can occur when the skin inside the vent is shed. This is not really anything to be concerned over unless the bleeding does not stop within a few hours. If the bleeding does not stop, I would suggest an immediate vet visit.

awesome article, i love that video too. great job!!

Hey Daniel -- Thank you for the reply. That does make me feel better....it just kind of concerned me and I could think was "poor girl that had to hurt". Trust me if I came home to her bleeding -- she would be scooped up and rushed to a vet. I am very lucky -- her vet is one of the guys on Animal Planet here in Denver and he is awesome but just did not want to pay for a visit for a question. So thanks!!! I just did not know if I could do anything to make it better for her....

Sometimes my snake has trouble shedding and won't go in his water dish so I have to soak him and gently rub him with a cloth. I found a book that told me to do that and it works, I was just wondering if its ok to do that? He doesn't have trouble often but sometimes he doesn't get it all off.

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Originally Posted by catzeye21138

. I found a book that told me to do that and it works.

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What is that book? I just rescued a ball and I have never had any type of retiles before. So I have no idea what I am looking for or what is normal. She is starting to shed but it's not all in one peice, its in peices. (Probably due to her not having any water for over 2 1/2 weeks at her old home. Did I mention rescue??) I would also appreciate any help anyone could give me as well. I have found a lot of information here in the forum which I greatly appreciate, but I am looking for someone I can email my stupid overprotective first time snake owner questions to. Anyone interested?? <smile>

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She is starting to shed but it's not all in one peice, its in peices.

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A healthy ball python is optimal conditions will shed in one piece, with no retained skin. (ideally, though some just retain skin for no good reason at all).

Technically, she's already finished her shedding process and the skin you see now is what is called "retained shed."

Soak her for 30 mins, and then use a damp towel to remove the excess skin. Kind of hold her in the damp towel and work the skin off with your hands.

Hi guys,

It's my first post here on pythons.net :)

I am about to have a twin shedding week-end (at least I think)
My Ball & my Surinam Boa both have milky eyes, with dull colors...it has to be shedding.

One thing struck me is the fall in activity. Both snakes toped being active even during the night. They just stand there and move only to change positions.

My Ball hides in his hide box (its been almost 3 days.) usually at night he was a really active snake. Temp is good and humidity is is at 68%.

Is this normal ( since both snakes are doing the same thing)

Thanks in advance for your help!

I've always heard and seen that you should handle your snake during every aspect of it's life. I can soak Loki, take him for a walk, even feed him during a shed....and he won't eat anything but live rats.
Merlin (the wild caught) I'm still working on, and he's not comfortable eating during a shed, but he'll allow me to handle him.
Yes, I know that every animal is different, but I honestly believe that if you handle your snakes enough, it creates a trust between you and your pet.
What happens if there's an emergency and you have to move a shedding snake?
Or a snake that has just eaten? If your snake is the grumpy kind, you're more than likely gonna walk away with teeth marks because your snake wasn't used to being handled.

I just read this and it's a great post. Very informative too. First time I actually noticed my snake's stomach was pink before a shed, I freaked out. lol

SnakieMom, I agree with you. I can handle Phleg durring his shed, but he hisses at me to let me know he's not happy about it. ;3

Wow, very well done and thouroghly done. Thanks for "Guide to shedding for idiots"! Now I feel that I know just what to look for and can take extra care in handling and cleaning while my little guy enters this wonderful stage of growth process! :rockon:

ok sorry to ask but my bp shed for the first time, i kno because his eyes are not light blue anymore, but his skin isn't no where to be found; i was just wondering if they sometimes will eat their skin becasue i kno geckos eat theirs .
im just wondering thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rberry1911

ok sorry to ask but my bp shed for the first time, i kno because his eyes are not light blue anymore, but his skin isn't no where to be found; i was just wondering if they sometimes will eat their skin becasue i kno geckos eat theirs .
im just wondering thanks

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If they just went clear from blue, he should shed in the next few days. I am not aware of ball pythons eating their shed. Hope this helps!

The article really helped, thanks

Thanks! Wonderful. Just what I was looking for as Sammy begins his first shed cycle with us (I say "begins," but today I learned that he actually "began" several days ago--he's in blue now). Explains why he's been hiding out for most of a week, even at night. :)

Wonderful article, very informative links. Just lovely. Thank you.

hey,,just found this site.i got a royal python as they are known here in ireland.well i got it about 3 weeks ago now.a week after i got it,the head started to get a blue tint to it and 3 days ago i noticed that the belly was a pinkish colour(no longer pink)except around the vent area which is very pink at the moment so i knew she was in shedding cycle,but i didnt notice her eyes getting cloudy.she soaks in her water bowl alot now but still has not shed her skin,she climbs onto the ledge at the top of the tank but has a habbit of falling off, has 1 r 2 tiny litttle scars cause of it, silly girl.
humidity levels in the tank are around 65% so i thaught that might be enough.
i also have a corn snake named cliff who is also in shed cycle,3 weeks ago he shed for the second time since i got him(day i baught him he shed b4 i even got him home)and now he is shedding again, so i take it as a good sign he is eating and growing well, he eats 3 pinkie mice in about 10 minutes.i feed him once a week.

Hey Reptile_Man,

Everything sounds fine to me but here's a few ideas if your worried.

The humidity levels everyone on here recomends are 50-60% normally and 70% when shedding so your not far off.

It might also be an idea to pack the ledge so she cannot get on it to fall off to prevent any further scarring or damage :) - god luv em but royals are clumsy beggars at times and if they fall onto things can break ribs etc ( not likely in a tank though as the distance is so small).

Sounds like your corn is growing almost large enough for fuzzies.:D


Welcome to the site.:)


dr del

cheers,no he isnt big enough for fuzzies just yet,i have tried getting him to take a fuzzie but he ignored it.il try feeding 3 pinkies a week for another month or 2 and see how it goes.even during shedding he eats as usual.and after he sheds, he eats even quicker.

Still no sign of the royal shedding her skin,havnt noticed the eyes going blue yet but still theres a bluish tint on the head but the rest of the body remains the same as the day i baught her,still a slight pinkish tint at the end of the tail but thats it,spends alot of time in her hide and sometimes soaking her head and neck in the water bowl.but no signs of shedding.

this was a great article i have 2 bps that looked and acted weird for 2 days questioned aswered and i saw the shedd thanks ;)

Hello, this is my first post on this forum.

I have a ball python, a little over half a year old, who just shed. The winters here are very dry, so I helped the snake shed with a warm bath of water. After it was finished, I noticed a tiny, bony protrusion from the very tip of its tail about one millimeter in length. It's barely noticeable, and only visible from a particular angle, as it appears flush with the tan parts of the skin, but does not with the darker brown patches. Other than the tiny protrusion from the tail and the initial difficulty due to low humidity, the shed went fine.

I was wondering if anyone has seen anything similar to this and, if so, could tell me a bit about it. Thanks.

Great info ... I am recently the proud owner of a new lil BP ... and she shed for the first time last night/today ... I got bummed yesterday because I went to pick her up and she hissed at me! I felt like such a horrible pet parent; but felt better this morning when I notice she has shed during the night ... So I summed up her 'moodiness' to aggitation of shedding. Now that I know how often they shed and the signs to look for, I can be better prepared. the shed was pretty messy, it was bits and pieces all over the tank, so I'm hoping that's because she's in a new environment (but I am running out soon to get a hygrometer so I can more accurately keep an eye on the humidity. Now that she shed, would it be advisable to 'handle', or wait a few days more?

Thanks so much again for such detailed info!
~BPNewb

My BP's last shed took less than 4 hours! Hmm.. Magic.

This clears up so many questions I had it's not even funny. The pink tinge on the belly was freakin' me out until I saw those pictures.

THANK YOU!

I just got my snake so thanks for the info! It was really helpful! But I have another question about the shedding process......My snake is young about 4 months or so and it has shed once that i know of about a month ago almost but now it has grown since and its eyes are opague or milky looking again and i believe it is going into the shedding process again.......is that too fast, is something wrong with that?

nothing wrong with that. Their shed frequency depends on their growth....so young snakes generally shed more frequently since they are rapidly growing.

I just got My BP about almost 1 month and a half ago (seller said he was about 3mths old) and he shed as soon as i got him and he grew some more and recently he has been digging under his substrate and laying underground for long periods of time. Well when he came up for a second I picked him up to examine him and his eyes looked filmy or milky kinda so I thought maybe he was going to shed again. But now about three days later his eyes aren't white looking or anything and I checked his belly it ain't pink so I am kinda confused! Is he shedding maybe or preparing to or does any one have any advice please?

to add onto what i asked above, he has some areas of his skin that aren't shiny smooth they are dull and looked like that after last shed as if the shed pulled off too much skin is that normal or a skin problem?

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Originally Posted by MyTat

I just got My BP about almost 1 month and a half ago (seller said he was about 3mths old) and he shed as soon as i got him and he grew some more and recently he has been digging under his substrate and laying underground for long periods of time. Well when he came up for a second I picked him up to examine him and his eyes looked filmy or milky kinda so I thought maybe he was going to shed again. But now about three days later his eyes aren't white looking or anything and I checked his belly it ain't pink so I am kinda confused! Is he shedding maybe or preparing to or does any one have any advice please?

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The eyes clouding over and body dulling is a sign of an impending shed. Right before they begin to the shed, the eyes will clear. Look for a shed within the week or sooner... I would say.

Very informative!! My BP, (my first), was looking kind of off-colored, and acting kind of funny. He also didn't eat for me last night, which is strange, so I am kind of worried.

Hey, I am new to the reptile life, and I have a quick question. My b.p. was burying her face in my palm earlier and rubbing her face. Tonight, she has a piece of skin on the edge of her face and her skin is gritty. I am assuming that she is shedding, but she is not in an ill mood. Is there anything that I can do to make this process easier for her? How long is this process?

Hi,


I would increase the humidity in her tank to around 60-70% and leave her alone in her tank and check again in the morning to see if she has shed ok on her own.:)


dr del