Not Shedding?

[hecho_en_japon]

Is it normal for young (as in, born 1 October) BPs to not shed for a while? My BP hasn't shed since I got him back on 17 November.

According to the breeder he'd shed twice before that, but I don't know when was the last actual time he shed. The breeder also said that his colours should darken before he sheds, but I'm not really seeing that happen either. I know turning pink is a common sign of them shedding, but he's a mystic potion, so a lot of him is normally pinkish. His eyes haven't shown any signs of clouding over.

I'd attribute it to him not growing, but he's gained more than 30 grams since I got him. He was somewhat underweight when I got him, but I'm certain he's grown lengthwise in addition to weight.

I doubt it has to do with husbandry. I keep him in a tub with an ambient temperature of 80°F or so, and a warm-side temp around 88°F. Humidity is consistently between 60-70%. The container is nice and small for him to feel secure in, with a hide on each side as well. The tub is in the closet in a quiet room of the house, just so he doesn't get disturbed.

His behaviour seems all right. Most of the time he's hiding or barely sticking his head out one of his hides. When I'm handling him, he's never jumpy unless I accidentally touch his head or neck. Usually he climbs all over, flickering his tongue.

What else could be preventing him from shedding? Could it be the weather? It's very cold where I live and has only gotten colder, even though I try to keep the indoor temperature the same year-round.

Come to think of it, my corn snake hasn't shed for a while either. For her it was almost two months ago, but she's much bigger than my BP and I'm not quite as concerned. She's been hiding for a few days, and while I haven't seen her go blue recently, I'm not doubting she'll shed soon.

I'm not sure if there's any reason why both snakes aren't shedding, unless there's something I'm missing. Any ideas?

[ckuhn003]

Sounds like you were in the same boat as I was. It took my BP more then 2.5 months for him to shed after I got him. He was eating each week, putting on weight and the husbandry was right where it should be. I was a little worried but after speaking w. several on this forum it didn't seem like a huge deal. And then one day, I noticed something blocking is hide and it was his 1st shed. Didn't even see any signs leading up to it......

[Godzilla78]

My snakes seem to take forever to shed too. Not sure why, but they are growing and healthy, so it’s all good.


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[Sunnieskys]

Mine she'd like clockwork every 7 weeks. Literally every 7 weeks she is in blue. Weirdest thing. It's normal to go a couple months in between. First sign is a pink belly, can be slight pink to salmon color, then, cloudy scales, then eyes go blue, then eyes clear, and shed after that. Hold fast...it will happen.

[hecho_en_japon]

Oddly enough, the creamy-coloured stripe on his back turned pinkish today! (I actually tried wiping off the pinkness because I thought it was a stain from rat blood- go figure.) The closer I look at his light-coloured parts (sides, belly, etc.) the more I see pinkish colouration as well. So I think he'll shed soon.

Good to know it's not unusual for them to go so long without shedding! I'll keep that in mind for the future. I thought it was a sign of worse things, but I guess it just shows that each snake is different.

[Craiga 01453]

No worries, your snake will shed when it's ready