Feeding juvenile while in blue/shedding

[Saml8]

My little bci (i've only had 3 weeks) is going into shed. For the last 2 days he's had cloudy eyes. His feeding day was yesterday but I decided not to offer him food because I haven't quite got the humidity dialed in and didn't want to stress his body out anymore.
my question is: do you guys offer your snake food when you see them starting the shedding process? I know some snakes refuse food when in shed and others don't.
Also, about how long is the shedding process?

Thanks so much!

[richardhind1972]

I personally don't offer my boas food when in shed,I'm sure some would eat but most take them self off into there hide or a corner till they have done normally 10-14 days.try to get your humidity sorted or he won't have a great shed
Hope this helps
Good luck with your new boa and don't forget to post pics

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[EL-Ziggy]

I don't feed any of my snakes if they're in the process of shedding. They're usually really hungry after they shed anyway. Rich is right it takes them about 10-14 days to lose their old skin.

[Jellybeans]

I feed my BP when in shed.
Idk maybe boas are diff

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[Bogertophis]

Even though some snakes will take food while in shed, I avoid offering or feeding them until after they've shed. This is what they do in nature anyway. Some
snakes have bad (stuck) sheds if their hydration isn't optimal, & you can't tell ahead of time, plus many will refuse, so why waste the prey. I know many just
re-offer the prey to other snakes, but unless you've had all of them for a long time & are certain all are healthy, that risks transferring diseases or parasites.

[CloudtheBoa]

I personally don't offer food while in shed (if I notice). This gives them a short period of time to rest from a constant state of digestion, and assures no issues arise if for some reason their humidity is not totally dialed in. Some also just won't eat while in shed.


Shed cycle length seems to vary, generally about every 2-4 weeks from first sign of shed to actually shedding. Before they go blue, it can be hard to tell, and it's definitely easier in darker individuals (except anery motleys apparently).


About a week before they go blue, their iridescence will take on a different appearance. Really hard to describe, but the closest I can say is it loses some of its luster and the scales take on a "fake" appearance. Likely from the loss of elasticity. 1-3 days before they go blue, the belly will turn pink. They'll go blue for anywhere between a week to 2 weeks, and then they'll clear up and look normal. At this stage, it's anywhere from 2-6+ days before they shed.


With albinos and my anery motley, it's mostly a guessing game until they go blue. lmao

[CloudtheBoa]

Hold up I have some examples.

First sign of shed, back in 2014. He did not yet have a pink belly, and I was really going back and forth as to if he was really in shed. It had been almost a week since I had last had him out at the time, so I wasn't sure when he started to show.

I'm not sure if anyone can see the weird sheen I'm talking about? His skin also has less elasticity, so the way his skin folds at the bends is a lot more gradual, lending a lean look to him. (At the time I thought he may have been underweight.)



vs his normal sheen and look at the time. Notice how in the picture above, all parts of his body are equally shiny, here the sheen is mostly focused on his dark areas and his background color is slightly lighter.



This picture was taken 3 days after the first one, which is when his belly turned pink. I was checking him every day because I couldn't tell if he was in shed or not, and that's when I learned their bellies turn pink. XD I believe I posted on another forum, thinking he may have been burned.



The following day, he started to turn opaque.



4 days after that, he turned fully blue, and finally, 5 days after that he shed. Total of 13+ days in that particular instance, but I've had him go as long as 3-4 weeks before. (Also notice the weird way the scales on his head separate? That's also a good indicator of a shed, even before they go blue.)

[bns]

It was mostly covered above but I will add a little...

I have never observed a wild snake hunting while in shed...I don't see wild snakes exposed while in shed.

In my care if a boa constrictor had been hanging out on the cool side of the enclosure it will choose a warmer body temp about 14 days before getting 'blue eyes'. Developing new skin requires energy and will change their habits...if you are observant you can predict a shed cycle before there are appearance changes.

I never feed or handle a snake in shed (or about to go into shed). -Neither of these things will cause a snake to burst into flames but the shedding process is a vulnerable time for a snake and there is nothing to be gained for the keeper (or the snake) it does, however, offer the opportunity to induce stress.

[bcr229]

Depends on the snake. I know which will eat in shed and which will not; none of my live-only rat eaters will feed while in shed.

As for the others, if they're early in the cycle or if they're one of the ones that eats in shed, I usually offer a f/t feeder one size smaller than what they usually eat, and it gets offered wet to help the snake stay hydrated while shedding.

[Saml8]

A lot of great info! Thanks everyone.
Thanks for the photos Cloudtheboa, those help a lot.
Richardhind1972, I'll post pics of the little guy once he's done with shed!