Tips for knowing when an albino bp is in shed?

[arpowell]

So, my girl's an albino, and it can be crazy hard to figure out when she's going into shed. She just finished up a shed, but because I didn't know she was getting ready to shed and she's a bottomless pit, I fed her just a few days before. I know that feeding while they're in shed can mess up their shed, and I'd love to hear if you all have any tips for knowing when an albino snake is "in blue" so I don't repeat this mistake. We got lucky this time and her shed was perfect (she's growing like a little weed!), but I'd rather not chance it again in the future.

The only way I can really tell when she's about to shed is if I'm holding her, because I'll be able to actually feel that her skin feels different. I'll also be able to tell if she's looking wrinkly or gets that bent-scaled look they sometimes get right before a shed, which can be hard to notice before feeding her just due to the dark room. Those are both things it's really easy to miss on feeding day, so I'd love to hear if those of you who own albino snakes know of any other tells.

I know some people say albinos get cloudy eyes too, but on them their eyes turn from pink to orange - I'm red/green colorblind so I have no idea about that one!

And this is a question you all probably won't know the answer to, but - I always warm up her food in water and she gets it while it's still wet, so do you think the extra water from that helped to balance out what it takes to digest a meal? If that's the case, should I even worry so much about accidentally feeding while she's in shed, or did we really just get lucky this time?

[Bogertophis]

I like to check their eyes in a dark room with a small-beam bright flashlight (shine from the side across the arc of their eyes)- you should see some cloudiness if in shed.

You mentioned the texture difference of their skin when holding- with a little practice, you'll notice the VISIBLE difference in the appearance of their skin folds, especially on their neck, when in shed. It's hard to explain, but look for it anyway.

Sometimes you can see a bit of a double-edge on their scutes (large ventral "belly" scales) too.

All of my suggestions apply to any color snakes, not just albinos, but it's definitely more of a challenge with albino snakes.

Added moisture (serving wet prey) can help a snake in shed, but no way to say whether it will always be "enough". If only? If you feed, ya takes your chances, lol.

[arpowell]

That suggestion about checking their eyes with a flashlight is a great one! I'll definitely make sure to try that next time I suspect she's nearing a shed. I've noticed a little double-edge like you mention on my hognose's belly right before he sheds - I didn't know that could happen in ball pythons, too! How cool! Your comments always put my mind at ease that everything will just get easier with time and experience.

Here's a picture of my girl with her nice fresh suit as thanks:

[Bogertophis]

She's so pretty! Sheds are harder to tell on albinos, but it does get easier with practice, once you know what to look for.

(Some snakes may also get a slightly pinkish belly.)

[Luvyna]

I think there are some snakes that are just fine with eating when they are about to shed - if yours is one of them and she's shedding nicely, I wouldn't worry about it

I have an albino BP and here are the ways I can tell when he's about to shed that have nothing to do with colour:

• He stops roaming his enclosure at night
• He is inactive and lethargic when being handled
• His scales kind of stick up where his body bends and he gets a sort of puffy, slightly wrinkled bit of skin around his throat/neck
• He prefers to stay in his warm hide most of the time and stops switching hides

I prefer to avoid shining light or even exposing my albino BP's eyes to bright light because they have no melanin in their eyes to protect them from damage from overexposure to light. Even if they make their pupils slits they aren't getting much protection because of the lack of melanin - the red in their eyes comes from the blood vessels in the eyes that are showing through and are not hidden by colouring from melanin.

A lot of human albinos and albinos of other species have eye sensitivity and while there's no documented proof that BPs experience the same thing I'd guess that without melanin they likely have similar issues.


Gorgeous BP btw, she looks like such a sweetheart!

[Bogertophis]

...



I prefer to avoid shining light or even exposing my albino BP's eyes to bright light because they have no melanin in their eyes to protect them from damage from overexposure to light. Even if they make their pupils slits they aren't getting much protection because of the lack of melanin - the red in their eyes comes from the blood vessels in the eyes that are showing through and are not hidden by colouring from melanin...

Just so you understand, using a mini-mag flashlight in a dark room at an angle across the arc of your snake's eyes to check for clouding is very unlikely to be an 'issue' for them. It's not that bright & nothing like sunlight- also, it's at an angle, not directly in their eyes, & it's very brief.

[arpowell]

I think there are some snakes that are just fine with eating when they are about to shed - if yours is one of them and she's shedding nicely, I wouldn't worry about it

I have an albino BP and here are the ways I can tell when he's about to shed that have nothing to do with colour:

• He stops roaming his enclosure at night
• He is inactive and lethargic when being handled
• His scales kind of stick up where his body bends and he gets a sort of puffy, slightly wrinkled bit of skin around his throat/neck
• He prefers to stay in his warm hide most of the time and stops switching hides

I prefer to avoid shining light or even exposing my albino BP's eyes to bright light because they have no melanin in their eyes to protect them from damage from overexposure to light. Even if they make their pupils slits they aren't getting much protection because of the lack of melanin - the red in their eyes comes from the blood vessels in the eyes that are showing through and are not hidden by colouring from melanin.

A lot of human albinos and albinos of other species have eye sensitivity and while there's no documented proof that BPs experience the same thing I'd guess that without melanin they likely have similar issues.


Gorgeous BP btw, she looks like such a sweetheart!

Thank you for all the tips!! Yeah, I can tell right away she's in shed as soon as I take her out to handle because, like you said, she acts very lethargic, and she gets a little jumpier than usual. I often miss her roaming around at night, but I can usually tell I'll find a shed in a few days when she stops poking her head out looking for food. I'm getting better at seeing that scale-sticking-up look, and hopefully next time I'll spot it sooner (and I'm sure that'll be easier to spot when she's bigger, too!).

She sheds beautifully every time and eats like a champ, so I'm hoping she's just a snake that can multi-task pretty well! And yeah, I'm always super careful about light with her, to the point where I never really even turn anything more than a small lamp on in the room she's in. I'm with you in guessing that albino bps probably have sensitive eyes, so I try to do everything I can to make her comfortable in that regard. Fortunately, though, I have tons of small, low-intensity flashlights to use when I try out Bogertophis' trick, and I'll probably practice on my normal hognose the next time he goes into shed first to make sure it's as brief as possible on her the next time she's due for a shed.

And thank you, she really is a little sweetheart! She even got my mum, who's been afraid of snakes her entire life, to fall in love with her.

[nikkubus]

Pink on the belly is a dead giveaway if you happen to see the belly.

[Jamiekerk]

My big adult female is always hard to tell, she had a bad she’s a few weeks ago didn’t notice like your self, and fed she’s a ferocious eater as also.

Couple days after there was pieces everywhere and massive amounts stuck.

4 years old and first time had to soak her, she’s still got a little bit on here neck close to her head but she doesn’t like her head being touched so I’m waiting for next she’d cycle.


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[Zincubus]

I’ve got 6 Albino Royals and the only clue I get is when they just disappear for days on end .. usually in the evening they can all be seen either clambering around their branches or at least sat with their head poking out of the hide entrance.

I just start spraying daily when they disappear then when they’re back in view I start spraying well , twice daily .

100% shedding success each time !


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