BP Shedding

ive went through the BP caresheet but have not found what i wanted to know.

all i want to know is, my BP is already showing shedding signs, her eyes have gone to milky coloration and my question is; do you guys handle your BP when they are showing signs of sheddings? oh, and follow up question, do you feed them?

thanks!

(new owner here sorry :D)

I do not handle any of my snakes when they are in shed, due to their limited vision and that makes them more vulnerable and defensive, IMO. Also i do not feed my snakes when i they're in a shed cycle because of the fact that the recently ingested prey item could restrict the old skin from coming off if the snake immediately sheds after eating.

I hope this has helped! And i'm sure more members will chime in with any of their experiences with your questions:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crissabell

I do not handle any of my snakes when they are in shed, due to their limited vision and that makes them more vulnerable and defensive, IMO. Also i do not feed my snakes when i they're in a shed cycle because of the fact that the recently ingested prey item could restrict the old skin from coming off if the snake immediately sheds after eating.

I hope this has helped! And i'm sure more members will chime in with any of their experiences with your questions:)

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make sense and yes, it did helped! :gj:

thanks!

i got a follow up question on shedding. how long do you start handling your BP after they shed?

Once their eyes clear will be fine, I have one girl who doesn't mind being held when she's in blue.

i heard that snakes have sensitive skin post shed so it hurts them when they are handled, now im confused.

Hi,

As soon as they have shed I treat them as normal. Never seen any sign that their skin is sensitive at all after they shed. :)


dr del

I had to remove my snake from his enclosure to clean it while he was in shed and he hissed at me for touching him. He is normally a real sweetheart. I try not to handle my snake unless absolutely necessary when he is in shed.

I'm sure that if you wanted to handle in shed you could, but I personally wouldn't because they tend to stress out a little more when they're shedding cause they have limited vision, etc.

I never have a problem with feeding during shed though, but I only feed F/T. I don't recommend feeding live while an animal is in shed for the same reason that I don't handle in shed. If you feed frozen/thawed or pre-killed then the animal will either take it or not, depending on how they feel.

I never heard that they have extra sensitive skin after a shed, I handled mine right after I had to soak him and help him get his shed off, and there was no problem.

I treat all my animals the same regardless of shed cycle, and have never had any problems. I don't handle mine often though so that's not a big deal. I wouldn't recommend having a ball python in blue out for a couple hours, but to handle for cleaning cages or something is no big deal. As far as feeding goes, the only way a digesting rodent would restrict shedding would be if it were a huge meal, and right before they shed. I never offer huge meals like that to animals in shed, and many will refuse until after they've shed anyway.

thanks to you all!

i do miss handling my BP when in shed but will do handle now after she does :D