The Shedding Process

[magicapple]

Thank you soooooooooooo much. This is awesome i recently bought an almost full grown carpet python from an neighbor, previous to my purchase i knew nothing about snakes. When my snake changed color i thought it was dying...thanks to you I know it is just shedding

Also I am having problems getting my snake to eat, I tried feeding it a full grown frozen but i did not thaw it properly and it regurgitated it, then i tried feeding it a live one but the rat bit it twice and the snake did not want it anymore. When it has finished its shed I will try to feed it another frozen(making sure it is properly thawed this time)...do you think a snake that is use to eating live rats can be switched to frozen?....if so do you have any tips on feeding finicky snakes?

[enchantress62]

It never ceases to amaze me how much I learn reading the stickies. To the OP, thank you. I have only had my bp for a month and it's my first. She has not shed yet, but I see some of the signs that she is entering the process. That is she has become irritable and hides constantly, skin dull, etc... Anyway, I have a couple of questions. Sorry if this has already been asked but I didn't have the time to read all 10 pgs of this post. First, does shedding cause them discomfort like itching, burning, pain, like sunburn symptoms? Second can a bad shed cause fatal problems?

[JLC]

First, does shedding cause them discomfort like itching, burning, pain, like sunburn symptoms? Second can a bad shed cause fatal problems?

First of all...I don't think anyone could ever say. Snakes are notoriously close-lipped about such matters.

Second...it's conceivable that multiple stuck sheds, encircling the body, left over a very long period of time might eventually cut off enough circulation to cause death. But I've never actually heard of that happening.