eating shed?

[AngelinaB]

So my ball python was in a shed, her eyes were cloudy and wasnt eating at all. I go in her tub today and her eyes are normal now and she looks like she just shed... but the only problem is, I cant find her shed anywhere in the tub? did she eat it or what?

[ballpythonluvr]

I don't think your BP ate her shed. They will normally clear up like that and then you will find the shed.

[Sarin]

Agreed.. After the blue phase they clear up like nothing happened and then will shed within the next couple of days. I've never heard of a BP eating their shed.

Post pictures when she's done!

[singingtothewheat]

Yup, didn't shed yet.

[kc261]

Yeah, it can take a couple of days after their eyes clear before they actually shed. A lot of new owners (me included, when I was new) get fooled by that, but once you've been through it a few times, you'll know the difference between a shiny pretty new skin and the old one that hasn't shed yet.

Only time one of my BPs "ate" their shed was when I found the balled up shed at feeding time. Rather than reach in when the snake was expecting food, I thought it would be best to drop the mouse in, then grab the shed while the snake was coiled up on the mouse. Of course, it turned out to be one of the few times one of my BPs missed on their first strike, and instead she got a mouthful of her shed skin! I figured she'd realize her mistake momentarily and spit it out, so I looked away for a minute to go ahead and feed the next snake. When I turned back, she was starting to try to swallow the shed! So I picked her up and started trying to pull the shed out of her mouth. I'm not sure if she realized it wasn't a mouse at that point, or was just upset at me messing around with her, but she spat it out then. She did go ahead and eat just fine after that.

Anyway, the point was that this never would have happened if she hadn't happened to strike the shed when she was aiming for a mouse. Some snakes, such as king snakes, will occasionally eat their shed, but these are snakes that will also eat other snakes, and they probably mistook it for a meal. I have never heard of a BP eating their shed.

[mr. s]

Yup yup. Kind of like Houdini.
Hey, I'm going to shed soon.......or AM I ?!?! (Insert evil snake laugh).