sheding

hi
ive had my snake for about 8 days now. at first i heald him and didnt give him adjusting time,but now i havnt heald him for about 5 days to let him settle in. he still has never come out of his hide and when i was holdin him in the beginning he had started relaxing but now when i lift up his hide to see if hes shed he curls up into a semi-ball.
my questions are
1. how long after their eyes go blue untell they shed?
2. is it a bad thing that he is more scared of me now then in the beginning?
3. can you feed the day after they shed. he went on shed on his scheduled feeding day so i didnt feed him
4. is it ok that he hasnt come out of his hide yet?
5. is it ok to lift up their hide, does it cause alot of stress on them?

any ideas?

1. I think it's about a week that their eyes go blue, then the eyes clear up and in about 48 hours you'll have a shed. Give or take a little.
2. You won't see his true personality emerge for a couple weeks. Right now he's adjusting to a new environment, so give him a chance he'll come round.
3. You can offer food anytime, but some may refuse while in shed. It's individual to the snake. But once they've shed your fine to feed that day.
4. Bps spend most of their time in hides. That's just normal.
5. Nah if you waited until they came out you'd be waiting forever. Just make a little noise before you pick up their hide to kinda let em know you're coming. I take mine out of their hides ALL the time. No probs.

:D

thanks alot. i get so stressed out about this lil guy haha, im deffinatly lookiing forward to a long life. i hope he lives to atleast 15-20 years old.
how old are the older balls on this site?
p.s. im going to try and take a picture of him tonight.

Quote:

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1. how long after their eyes go blue untell they shed?
2. is it a bad thing that he is more scared of me now then in the beginning?
3. can you feed the day after they shed. he went on shed on his scheduled feeding day so i didnt feed him
4. is it ok that he hasnt come out of his hide yet?
5. is it ok to lift up their hide, does it cause alot of stress on them?

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1. 48 hours give or take
2. nope, not bad, they all react differently so just give him time and gentle regular contact with you even if it's only to reach in and touch him or to actually remove and handle him...it's more important to make sure he's eating well for you...lots of time to worry about handling once that's established
3. some of mine eating during shed, some don't or eat less...if they skip a meal they are usually nice and hungry for the next meal after shed...they all eat every Saturday evening
4. they love their hides and most will be in there throughout daylight hours and much of the evening as well....you are likely missing his "busy" time as it's usually when we sleep...it's a good thing he likes his hide...just make sure he's using both for his own good
5. it's okay just be slow about it and let the snake have a second to adjust to their hide suddenly going away...it can startle them a bit I would think...I just pop off the hide...give them a moment...reach in and stroke them...then lift them out or move them to clean

It's pretty normal to be stressed with a new snake (adult or baby). We all try so hard to give them the right things so you're just being a normal new snake "parent" LOL


~~Jo~~

don't worry about him not coming out. when i first got my guy about a month and a half ago he didnt come out much at all except to switch sides of the enclosure or get a drink. now that he has settled in he comes out about the same time every night and cruises around. he is just getting comfortable.

My BP spent almost all the time in his hide the first week I had him. Now the little critter won't stay in one...he's out of them almost all day. The only time he is really prone to his hide is after he eats, or while going into shed. The only time I have had problems picking up their hide to get them out was when his eyes were blue...and I didn't know it....he didn't care for that much.