shedding

I was planning on handling Monty for the first time tonight, just 5 or 10 minutes of sitting him in my lap and hoping he uncurled really. When I picked him up (and he really didn't like that at all, very tight ball and even a little hiss) I noticed that his skin looked definitely slightly pale and opaque but his eyes are not blue/milky.
I don't see what else it can be but an impending shed, so how long does it usually take for his eyes to cloud over and for the shed proper to start?
I put him back without handling him (more patience :() as I've read that it isn't a good idea when they are waiting to shed.

It's an impending shed. I usually see them go into blue about a week later.

LOL if nothing else Ball Pythons will teach one patience won't they!

He'll look dull, I always think mine look like they've had a dust bath, his eyes will go cloudy/blue, he may well refuse to eat (one of ours refuses to eat in shed, the other eats regardless but she's a total piggie snake) and won't likely want to be handled. Suddenly Monty will look totally fine and you'll wonder what's up. About 2 days later give or take....shed!

Remember to push the humidity up to 70% to help with a good shed.


~~Jo~~

I haven't seen much of him recently, for the last few days he only seems to poke his head out of his hide - Is this also normal shed behaviour?

Both of mine go into lazy mode when shedding. They don't even poke their heads out, and usually are just content to stay in their hides. In fact the do the whole process in their hides, and I know they're done when they come back out again. Don't worry about lack of activity it's normal!

Mine are pretty much "leave me the heck alone" during shed times (other than the aforementioned piggie snake who apparently thinks mice are about to go extinct and she best eat any she can as fast as she can LOL). Neither of them wants to be bugged and Baby actually hides to shed. We just see her emerge all fresh and her shed's a ball in the back of her warm hide usually. Sounds like your ball is being...a Ball ;)


~~Jo~~

i noticed sunday morning that my Bp's eyes were cloudy. i had noticed that his skin color was somewhat dull prior to sunday and he also didnt come out and explore much at night like ussual. yesturday morning which was thursday she shed. she never seems to come out while her shed so i pretty much leave her alone.

It makes total sense to me that our snakes would go into a quiet, hiding mode whilst in shed. Were they out in nature they must be terribly vulnerable to predation during this time when their sight is severly cut back and I would imagine their skin sensation is far from normal.


~~Jo~~

Well he was due his feed today but he hasn't taken it, the first failure in 3 attempts. He came over to sniff it and even looked like he would strike a few times but it stopped there. I rewarmed it and tried again to the same result, he comes over and sniffs it, follows it around when i move it but ultimately won't take it.

It could be because he I left it in his enclosure for a while first and it dried out/lost scent, or more likley he just isn't in the mood for eating with his shed.

His skin looks brighter today though.

Kashmire did the same thing when he was in shed. I would wait until he finishes his shed.


Kashmire also got "normal" looking, shiny skin clear eyes, the whole bit, and the next day his skin was "silvery" looking and he shed out that day! Won't be long now!