Hatchling fails to shed?

[WingedWolfPsion]

I have never before encountered this problem. One of my albino hatchlings has failed to go through his first shed. He hatched out on 08/20. His siblings all shed out within 10 days. He's now going on 19 days without having shed for the first time, and I'm becoming concerned.

Humidity is high--I keep new hatchlings in boaphile hatchling rack bins, and they tend to be extremely humid, even slightly damp in places. I move them into Vision racks after that.

I put a mouse fuzzy in with him, but I do not expect him to eat it. I offered one once before already, but he has shown no interest in food--but then, they usually don't, before they shed. He most definitely has not shed, he still looks shrink-wrapped.

Any ideas?

[nixer]

has he even started to turn blue at all?
just for my info did it pip on its own or did you cut and at what day did you cut?

[NorthernRegius]

I too have this with one of mine... doesn't seem to be any sign of retained shed either. He just hasn't gone yet. I'm going to go ahead & feed him & wait it out. Good luck with your wee-one.

[muddoc]

Every year, I always end up with a handful of hatchlings that do this. Typically they are stressed babies (i.e. dropped yolk sack, or hatched very small). However, occassionally we do have a perfectly normal hatchling do this as well. In my experience, if they miss the first shed with the other hatchlings, they usually shed around day 30 or so. I would expect your animal to get blue soon. With that said, I have a very small number that will wait until about 60 days to shed. Just keep offering food, and it will shed when it is time. This should not be cause for any concern.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Thanks, I do worry about him getting too thin before he sheds. To the best of my knowledge, there wasn't any stress for him--he's a normal size, the eggs weren't cut until several pipped, and he hatched out right in the middle of the rest of them. Will they actually eat before the first shed, if this happens?

[Blue Apple Herps]

Every year, I always end up with a handful of hatchlings that do this. Typically they are stressed babies (i.e. dropped yolk sack, or hatched very small).

My pied from this year crawled out w/o absorbing his yolk. He ended up absorbing most of it, but never shed for me. However he is chowing down on rat pinks like no tomorrow. So you may be right about stress playing a factor.

[Mikkla]

I've had two hatchlings that did this this year. I wait maybe 2 weeks, feed them and then they go in to shed.

[WingedWolfPsion]

As for him being blue--well, he's an albino, so that's a tough call, but I don't think so. <lol>

[NorthernRegius]

Thanks, I do worry about him getting too thin before he sheds. To the best of my knowledge, there wasn't any stress for him--he's a normal size, the eggs weren't cut until several pipped, and he hatched out right in the middle of the rest of them. Will they actually eat before the first shed, if this happens?

I've had one last year & he fed then went straight into the blue afterward. It was weird, but on him there was unabsorbed yolk, not on this one.

[Eventide]

I got a hatchling this year who did this. The other two in the clutch shed within a couple weeks, but mine waited about a month. I didn't want to wait that long to feed him, though, so I offered a fuzzy after a couple weeks, and he took it. He ate a couple times before shedding, and now he's shedding at about the same time as his siblings.

That's my only experience with it, but I'm guessing it isn't anything to worry about.