Snake taking a while to shed after eyes going clear

[MichaelHuang132]

My juvenile California Kingsnake went into blue and then cleared up around two weeks ago now. Is it supposed to take this long for him to shed? or should I be a bit concerned? His hotspot is around 85-89 degrees and I turned up the humidity to around 60% when I saw that he was turning blue.

[BeansTheDerp]

try putting some not-sharp rocks in there, I know that my BP likes to rub his face on a geode I put in his terrarium to start the shedding process and break the old shed so it can properly peel off! I also have a container over the warm side, that has damp moss inside of it! it's right on top of where the heat mat is, if you have one on the side then place is against the side, but anyways! the container has damp moss in it, and a hole which has been sawed smooth so he can crawl inside! the way the water evaporates causes humidity to be trapped inside of the container, making a humidity box! the humidity helps loosen the shed! if that doesn't work, give him a nice soak, don't let his head go underwater though!

[Bogertophis]

I'd give him a "humid hide"- AFTER you look closely throughout his enclosure. His shed is probably rolled up into a tight little ball somewhere...snakes don't always tell ya when they shed, lol.

But if there's really no shed, give him a humid hide, because you're correct, it shouldn't take 2 weeks to shed AFTER they go "clear". (what is the ambient or lowest temp. in his home?)

And IF you find that he's truly "stuck" in his shed, I'd put him in a small ventilated container with either very shallow water (not deeper than his "height") or saturated paper towels.

(Did you feed him while he was in shed? That will make it take longer, & sometimes causes stuck sheds, as they don't all "multi-task" very well- both shedding & digestion requires good hydration, so they sometimes conflict.)

[MichaelHuang132]

There are some rougher rocks for him to rub against and I actually did make him a humidity box But, I don't have moss right now so I'm using some damp paper towels. Although He doesn't seem to like it very much, he went in once, pooped in it, and never went in it again lol. Should I try again with the humidity box? or is it time I just give him a good soak. Thanks for the response!

[MichaelHuang132]

I'd give him a "humid hide"- AFTER you look closely throughout his enclosure. His shed is probably rolled up into a tight little ball somewhere...snakes don't always tell ya when they shed, lol.

But if there's really no shed, give him a humid hide, because you're correct, it shouldn't take 2 weeks to shed AFTER they go "clear". (what is the ambient or lowest temp. in his home?)

And IF you find that he's truly "stuck" in his shed, I'd put him in a small ventilated container with either very shallow water (not deeper than his "height") or saturated paper towels.

(Did you feed him while he was in shed? That will make it take longer, & sometimes causes stuck sheds, as they don't all "multi-task" very well- both shedding & digestion requires good hydration, so they sometimes conflict.)

The ambient temp in his enclosure in around 75 degrees and yeah I fed him a pink about a week ago so that might be it

[Bogertophis]

The ambient temp in his enclosure in around 75 degrees and yeah I fed him a pink about a week ago so that might be it

A pinkie is pretty easy to digest, but considering that he's way under-fed, that's why he is struggling. Going forward, you need to step up his food, as his body just may not have the resources to grow as he should. And yes, if you're sure there's no shed hiding somewhere, I'd give him a longer soak, make sure the water is cool to touch (not cold, & not warm). "TLC", okay?

[Bogertophis]

There are some rougher rocks for him to rub against and I actually did make him a humidity box But, I don't have moss right now so I'm using some damp paper towels. Although He doesn't seem to like it very much, he went in once, pooped in it, and never went in it again lol. Should I try again with the humidity box? or is it time I just give him a good soak. Thanks for the response!

Flat paper toweling in a humid hide wouldn't be too cozy- try crumpling them, or put a clean (new) saturated sponge in there (or piece of wet terry cloth towel)...many things besides moss can work. Many ways to "get the job done" & yes, he probably needs to be confined for an hour+, until you see results (shed).

[MichaelHuang132]

Gotcha thanks for the help!

[Bogertophis]

Gotcha thanks for the help!

Anytime!

[MichaelHuang132]

So uh funny story, I just filled up the container I was gonna soak him with and when I went to get him I walked into him shedding! I guess it still shouldn't take this long so I'm still gonna step up his food.