Is it not safe to feed a milk snake in shed?

[Condog]

My pueblan milk snake is eating but he is in shed, is this normal, or should i stop feeding him because this is unhealthy. If so, why?

[AkHerps]

Some say it makes it harder for them to shed. But I've fed mine in shed when I haven't noticed and I have encountered no problems with shedding as long as the humidity is correct

[Kymberli]

The only reason I've heard that some do not feeding during a shed cycle (in regards to any snake), is because supposedly the lump created by the meal makes it difficult for the snake to pull the shedding skin over it. If that made sense? I wasn't sure how to word that. The lump of the meal creates a "block". I do not know if this is true and I do not know if there are any other reasons why not to feed during the shed cycle, it's simply what I have come across while reading on forums and breeder's pages.

[deathadder1069]

I have fed bps in shed and have never had a problem with it...i get full sheds all the time. Even my pastel male which hes been the hardest to get a good shed from, his last shed was a week ago and he took a rat and gave a full shed for the first time.

[Kymberli]

I have fed bps in shed and have never had a problem with it...i get full sheds all the time. Even my pastel male which hes been the hardest to get a good shed from, his last shed was a week ago and he took a rat and gave a full shed for the first time.

Yes, I forgot to add, I have fed a couple of my BPs while they were in shed and have had no problem with it. The only reason I don't offer food to my male normal BP while he is in shed is because he unleashes all of his anger during the shedding process, lol. I leave him alone.

[deathadder1069]

Yes, I forgot to add, I have fed a couple of my BPs while they were in shed and have had no problem with it. The only reason I don't offer food to my male normal BP while he is in shed is because he unleashes all of his anger during the shedding process, lol. I leave him alone.

True, i have had them strike but i put it to the fact that their vision is bad during a shed and cant really tell whats coming at them so theyll strike at whatever is near, especially if they smell food hehehe.

[SoFarAway]

No, it's not unhealthy. As Kymberli explained, it make make it a little more difficult to pull the old skin off, but the snake will manage just fine. Also, because snakes have a clear scale over each eye, their vision becomes cloudy during a shed. This can put some snakes in a bad mood and they won't want to feed. It's some what individual though. Some snakes are hogs and wouldn't miss a meal for an apocalypse. lol Others would prefer to wait until they're out of their old skin. If your Milk is normally a good feeder, it won't hurt to offer him/ her a meal during a shed.

[Redneck_Crow]

My pueblan milk snake is eating but he is in shed, is this normal, or should i stop feeding him because this is unhealthy. If so, why?

OK, this is only my speculation on why some snakes won't eat when they shed, and based on my observation and best guesses only.

Shedding has a greater effect on a snake's physiology than just to make their eyes cloudy. BPs have heat sensing pits on their snouts. These are creatures that hunt at night, and scent and heat sensing have a great deal to do with their ability to find prey, and sight not so much.

I've always known that belly scales turn a little pink on most ball pythons when they shed. Pink means more blood flow is going to the skin in that area. It's normal, and most of us have seen it and know that it's nothing abnormal.

It wasn't until I got my piebald snake that I noticed how much blood flow is getting diverted to the skin. Her white areas turn pink when she's about to shed. My guess that this is happening all over her body, but that I can only see the effect on the white areas. Within a few hours of shed the pink is gone and the white areas are back to plain old white. What this tells me is that when she's shedding a lot of her circulation is being diverted from other areas to get the new skin nourished and ready to replace the old.

So here is my speculation, and it's only a speculation: When blood flow is diverted to preparing the new layer of skin to maturity, some of this blood flow is being diverted from the snake's gastrointestinal tract. Less blood flow = a decreased amount of circulation available to handle digestive processes. My theory is that is why many snakes go off feed when they are in shed--not because they can't see but because they are temporarily less efficient at processing food because some of their blood flow has been diverted to nourish the new layers of skin that are growing and maturing quickly.

Some of my snakes will eat in shed. It's never harmed them. But I can see where less circulation to the gastrointestinal tract could potentially result in a temporary loss of appetite.

[Alexandra V]

Redneck_Crow has a great point, and might be onto something. I'm sure it could have a mild effect on the snake, but again, I always offer food when my snakes are in shed, and if they eat they eat. It's never caused problems for me either.

So is it dangerous? No. Could it be a little less than ideal? Maybe, but not significantly.

[Redneck_Crow]

I don't think that the amount of blood that might be diverted to the skin could cause the snake not to be able to digest. But I do think that the diversion could make the snake not feel like taking on the additional circulatory load of digestion until the blood flow in the digestive organs is back to it's normal baseline status.

I think that it just causes a lack of appetite in snakes that are sensitive to it. The gastrointestinal tract is one of the body systems that can be temporarily at less than optimal function for a short time without harming the body. That doesn't work so well with the lungs or kidneys. Most animals will divert some circulation from less critical functions, such as digestion, when there is a greater need for increased circulation elsewhere.

Heavy exercise or blood loss can cause decreased appetite in many animals, including humans. The body picks priority functions, such as respiration and circulation, over digestion. It seems logical to me that a priority function such as maturing a new skin would take priority over digestion.

The skin is an vital organ in any animal. It not only protects the body from injury, but it's a barrier to fluid loss and a barrier to infective organisms. Lose your appetite for a few hours or even a few days and no harm done. Lose your ability to maintain a fluid balance and protect against infective organisms for a few hours and you could potentially die.