The Shedding Process

Great video of the assisted shedding in the sink! I subscribed to your Youtube channel. :)

Also great article showing the different stages shown by the OP! :)

One question I thought of; Is it alright to clean the cage while the snake is in shed or should that wait until after it's all finished?

Hi,

If the snake is due to shed in a couple of days and the tank isn't too bad I'd be tempted to leave it but otherwise I'd clean as normal.


dr del

:new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::confused::confused::conf used:

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Originally Posted by mr.ball

:new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::new::confused::confused::conf used:

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You read it. :P


dr del

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Originally Posted by Giftbearer

Great video of the assisted shedding in the sink! I subscribed to your Youtube channel. :)

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Thanks!

I have since made a new channel just for my snakes--

http://www.youtube.com/user/MyReptil...l?feature=mhee

Yes snake(s)... 2 months ago I got an IJ Carpet Python!!:banana:

Is it okay to handle your snake right after it sheds?

I believe the skin is sensitive after it sheds. So I don't usually handle them until after 24 hours or so. But I really am not sure :/

Okay. Just to be on the safe side I won't handle her for a day afterwards. I have tarantulas and I know you're not supposed to handle them after they molt. I wasn't sure if snakes were the same way.

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Originally Posted by Solarsoldier001

I believe the skin is sensitive after it sheds. So I don't usually handle them until after 24 hours or so. But I really am not sure :/

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The only thing I do real fast is look to make sure everything came off ok and there is no stuck shed and leave them alone for 24 hrs. Don't know if it matters or not though, just something I've been doing.

Hi,

You can handle them fine after shedding. :)


dr del

Thanks. :) I'm waiting for her shed cycle to end so I can hold her. Right now she has the milky eyes.

I'm glad I did not post a new thread. I just hope somebody catches these questions.

Our Royal is getting ready to shed soon. All the classic signs, although she was very laid back when she was out for a bit today.

I noticed the article did not think feeding was a good idea. If it's early enough in the cycle is it OK to try? If she eats she eats if not is there any harm done by trying?

Also, we have great humidity levels in the tank. 70-72% on the high end right now and I'm able to keep that fairly constant.

Is there any need for a shed box? I have the moss and the "shed hide" but if our humidity levels are decent is there a need?

Thank you,

Gio

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Originally Posted by Gio

I'm glad I did not post a new thread. I just hope somebody catches these questions.

Our Royal is getting ready to shed soon. All the classic signs, although she was very laid back when she was out for a bit today.

I noticed the article did not think feeding was a good idea. If it's early enough in the cycle is it OK to try? If she eats she eats if not is there any harm done by trying?

Also, we have great humidity levels in the tank. 70-72% on the high end right now and I'm able to keep that fairly constant.

Is there any need for a shed box? I have the moss and the "shed hide" but if our humidity levels are decent is there a need?

Thank you,

Gio

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You can feed during shed, some will eat, some won't. You just have to try and find out for yourself!

If your humidity is good (which is it) then you don't really need a humid hide. You can put one in if you want, it won't hurt.

Just the stuff I was looking for. Thank you very much!

images aren't loading for me :(

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

images aren't loading for me :(

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Thanks for the heads up. Something must have gotten broken during the server move. I'll look into that and get those fixed.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Thanks for the heads up. Something must have gotten broken during the server move. I'll look into that and get those fixed.

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Thanks :)

Great article man . . This is great for beginners.

really very great. your the master dear

Thank you very much for writing this! I am a new Bp owner. I did my research before I chose this reptile as a pet! I was aware of the shedding process, but I wasn't sure what it would look like in the steps youve provided. I noticed on Monday that my little one started looking dull/dehydrated and her eyes started looking opaque. Because of this article I didn't spaz out :taz: thinking that there was something wrong with her! Hopefully I can witness her crawling out of her old skin and see her beautiful new skin!!

This article is great,it answered some questions I had,and cleared up a few things I wasn't sure of :banana:,2 of my girls are in shed now,with their eyes started to get that blue tint,and very very dull colored compared to my other girl who isn't showing signs of shedding.Seeing as Sphinx started about 2 days ago,and Phoenix started today with the shedding process,I didn't feed them,as I wasn't sure if I should,they will be hungry girls when its the next feeding time after they shed! Hopefully I can get some pictures of them shedding =).Anybody know what the average shedding time is,or does it vary from snake to snake?I had a kingsnake that would do a shed cycle in about 3-4 days

Thank you Daniel. We (my 7 yr old daughter) have our very first baby Bp aka Snakey, about 20" long now. We got him from Petsmart and he was real skinny. We've had him for two months now and he is getting nice and fat! We'll we took him for a bath and his eyes looked hazy. We put the humidity chamber (Rubbermaid bowl with moss) in his enclosure and the next morning he went in there. It's been three days and he hasn't come out. According to your article, he may stay in there the whole time...14 days? Should we just wait for him to come out? Is there a time when we should start to be concerned?

Kim and Madeline

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Originally Posted by Kconvy

Thank you Daniel. We (my 7 yr old daughter) have our very first baby Bp aka Snakey, about 20" long now. We got him from Petsmart and he was real skinny. We've had him for two months now and he is getting nice and fat! We'll we took him for a bath and his eyes looked hazy. We put the humidity chamber (Rubbermaid bowl with moss) in his enclosure and the next morning he went in there. It's been three days and he hasn't come out. According to your article, he may stay in there the whole time...14 days? Should we just wait for him to come out? Is there a time when we should start to be concerned?

Kim and Madeline

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:welcome:

Ball pythons will often stay hiding for their entire shed cycle. It is best to just leave them alone at this time since they are probably very uncomfortable!

Hold off on the bath next time. All they need from you during a shed cycle is increased humidity. Soaking before a shed can actually cause a bad shed sometimes since it strips the oils on the skin that they use for shedding.

It is okay to check on him every day or two just to make sure he is still in there and breathing! lol I get paranoid about my little ones :)

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

:welcome:

Ball pythons will often stay hiding for their entire shed cycle. It is best to just leave them alone at this time since they are probably very uncomfortable!

Hold off on the bath next time. All they need from you during a shed cycle is increased humidity. Soaking before a shed can actually cause a bad shed sometimes since it strips the oils on the skin that they use for shedding.

It is okay to check on him every day or two just to make sure he is still in there and breathing! lol I get paranoid about my little ones :)

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Ok, so I should open the Rubbermaid top and check on him? Should I wet the moss if it is dry and put the lid back on?

We took him a bath because he ate a piece of Aspen bedding a month ago when he was eating his pinky (since then we feed only on newspaper) and I have never seen him poop it out. Just small liquid poops, so I was worried about that stupid piece of aspen. He's eaten a lot of fuzzy's over the last two months and hardly no poop! Anyway, we noticed his hazy eyes in the bath tub and so we put the humidity chamber in the cage that night. I saw him early next morning crawl in there. He even pushed the moss the the hole is covered up!

I just was getting worried if he's alright in there since we can't see him at all. He looked really healthy going in, so I guess I shouldn't worry so much. It's a mom's job to worry, though! :P:)

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Originally Posted by Kconvy

Ok, so I should open the Rubbermaid top and check on him? Should I wet the moss if it is dry and put the lid back on?

We took him a bath because he ate a piece of Aspen bedding a month ago when he was eating his pinky (since then we feed only on newspaper) and I have never seen him poop it out. Just small liquid poops, so I was worried about that stupid piece of aspen. He's eaten a lot of fuzzy's over the last two months and hardly no poop! Anyway, we noticed his hazy eyes in the bath tub and so we put the humidity chamber in the cage that night. I saw him early next morning crawl in there. He even pushed the moss the the hole is covered up!

I just was getting worried if he's alright in there since we can't see him at all. He looked really healthy going in, so I guess I shouldn't worry so much. It's a mom's job to worry, though! :P:)

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I think it would be fine to get the moss damp again and just check that he is okay. If you notice that he looks back to normal, don't worry! They clear up right before they shed.

As for ingesting aspen, it really isn't a huge deal. They digest bone just fine so a wood chip here and there shouldn't bring need for concern. You can probably start feeding him something much bigger. Hatchling ball pythons are started on hopper mice (bigger than fuzzies) and quickly move to small adult mice. If you are uncertain if you are feeding your snake enough, pick up a kitchen scale that weighs in grams and weigh your snake and the food. Your snakey should be eating 10-15% of its body weight every 5-7 days.

This was a great article thanks for sharing. My snake just had her first shed and it wasn one big shed but stages. I think that's okay cause she shedding up to her last part but she still had t shredded her final bit. I have checked on her and its still there. What should I do? The humidity is appropriate for shedding and the temperature is perfect. Will she finish or should I do something to help her?

My new little ball python just got its cloudy eyes today. I know you mention that they may not eat but he has been a good eater from the beginning. Monday would be his feeding. Should I try to feed or just leave him? I also noticed that when I pick him up he just gets real cozy and doesn't move much. So should I also stop picking him up while shedding too? I am really new at this.
thanks
viviane

My guys eyes turned grey/blue today I guess or late late lastnight. Hopefully I will be able to watch the rest.

I have a new Five month old ball python, he was initially getting grey as of he were beginning to shed, but my boyfriend decided to hold him non-stop as much as he could. Now he's not dull or grey, so this article helps. I am only still concerned, because recenly he's been in his water bowl frequently, especially at night for hours at a time, he's rubbing around the cage off and on, but still has not shed for about two weeks now!

What are we doing wrong, and how can we help him??

Thanks in advance!

wow ! after the shed , he looks really gold looking. nice!

I think my bp is starting this process, though he seems to be very dry/dehydrated. I can see lots of wrinkles by his neck and he feels very dry/sticky. I've only had him for 2 weeks. I think I might be having a humidity issue at the same time.

I've rescued my two balls. One adult and one juvenile. They both have shed within days of the rescue and and the juvenile has shed once every month since January. Every time I've handled them. Either to change there moist towel to assist humidity or to check on them, I've never been bit. I believe that they remember your smell and if you handle them gently at there vulnerable times then its proactive to prevent a strike.

:bow:Thank you for this article I am a new BP owner I got mine from a local Petco in the New Orleans area & all of a sudden tonight got a nip & struck at a few times. Marshmallow has been on guard this evening since my wife walked up to the cage & lifted the box hide where Marshmallow was sleeping/chilling. Can anyone tell me what a humid hide is? I have had to make do with a sturdy but proper size box which I cut a opening to because I can't get a proper hide box in my area. I suffer with severe pain due to several auto-immune disorders so I can identify with pain being experienced I like to "hide" too when I am in pain. But so far I don't shed skin :D
i can't thank you enough I am very glad I found this forum! Happy 4th of July Antonio

Thank you so much my girl is getting ready to shed and I wanted to know how long the cycle was. I panicked at first bcuz she's an aggressive feeder but she stopped and started hiding from me. She always comes out for me. Thank you so much for your article.

Can anyone tell me what a humid hide is?
A humid hide is a hide box that can have a moss bedding or other substrate and it is very humid inside mine has 80-95% humidity inside. It is ment for a suplement to the snake's normal cage humidity so that if the snake needs more humidity it need only enter the humid hide.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/repti...midityhide.htm this tells you an idea of how to make a homemade humid hide.

So i'm a new owner with a Ball Python and her eyes have gone very opaque, so I assume she is going into shedding. I am supposed to feed her tomorrow to keep on her feeding schedule, but I also know that I am not supposed to feed her during her shed, so should I still feed her tomorrow or wait for her to finish shedding?

It's not so much you shouldn't feed them while they are in shed.

It's more that some of them are less likely to eat at that time and skipping that feed will do them no harm. :)


dr del

Thank you so much!!!

Our female Darla shed about 3 weeks ago. She's so gentle she let my husband and I handle her with no problems. Dopey Doughnut, our newest addition, freaked when I soaked him. They told us at Petsmart that both snakes had just shed... don't know whether to believe them or not. Dopey was very thin, but the other ball was thinner. Well two weeks ago Dopey started to get darker and his eyes got cloudy. He started becoming shyer and would freak at the slightest thing poor boy. I had to soak him with a rag cause as soon as my little doughnut's tail touched the warm water he freaked and went head first into the water! It wasn't deep just a CM but all the same... he was going ballistic (poor little guy) Anyway... I soaked a rag in the warm water and repti-shed wrapped him up and just pet him. Then after about 15 minutes I put him back in the terrarium.
Darla is a sweetheart and will let you do anything... Dopey is one very shy jittery little boy. Love both my snakes though.

Just to clarify you don't soak them before they shed - just get the humidity right in the enclosure for them. :)

I am soo thankful for this article!! I was terrified and thinking that we were doing something wrong when his belly started turning redish pink, his eyes started turning blueish and he stopped coming out. I was thinking he was getting burned somehow, or had something worse going on. I feel waay more confident about what is going on now, and i know what to expect so thank you for all the details and pix!!

Hello guys, this morning I found out that my BP had its first shed, since he's been with me. I checked him out, and there seems to be no remaining unshed skin on his body, which I suppose is good, however, when I pulled out the shed of his enclosure it was one long piece of shed skin from his body and the second piece which was from his head. I don't know, whether he might have torn his shed or if this is a bad sign when it comes to shedding. He probably shed in his hide because I found it all in his hide. Since he has been hiding for last 4-5 days I did not even know he is going to shed.

The humidity is still kept around 60-70%.
Pls give me your opinions about this.

Thank you very much ;-)

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Originally Posted by metalsmoker

Hello guys, this morning I found out that my BP had its first shed, since he's been with me. I checked him out, and there seems to be no remaining unshed skin on his body, which I suppose is good, however, when I pulled out the shed of his enclosure it was one long piece of shed skin from his body and the second piece which was from his head. I don't know, whether he might have torn his shed or if this is a bad sign when it comes to shedding. He probably shed in his hide because I found it all in his hide. Since he has been hiding for last 4-5 days I did not even know he is going to shed.

The humidity is still kept around 60-70%.
Pls give me your opinions about this.

Thank you very much ;-)

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Sometimes it doesn't come off in one perfect piece, no big deal! As long as it all comes off.

thanks for the info and video, i am new to ownership of my ball python he is going through his first shedding process since ive had him, its feeding time but after reading what you have on here im leery of trying to. he looks like a wrinkled old man at the moment is that normal ? because he stays under his small log.and im not sure on the humidity and how to get it humid enough in there. his water is full and hes got a tree in there, i have him in a 55 gallon. any help or ideas from you or anyone i would appreciate it . email garrin1@hotmail.com

Thanks alot I hope it helps me

Sent from my RM-917_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Sometimes it doesn't come off in one perfect piece, no big deal! As long as it all comes off.

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My guy just shed it didn't come off in one piece,came off in 3 pieces. One really large piece and a couple smaller pieces. But not a piece of shed left on him.

as for feeding obviously I won't feed him while he is literally shedding his skin but I will after or the day before,he always eats ( knock on wood). He's a pig :)