Shedding Question

[captainjack0000]

So I hear alot that a "good shed" is when it comes off in one piece. I hear this tossed around a lot, and that it is the ideal and that somehow if its not one piece, humidity isn't right, or some other husbandry aspect is wrong. Why?

One piece is cool looking, and easy to clean out of the cage, but as long as the snake gets all the skin off then that should be fine right? Eye caps, tail tip, etc. How many snake skins in the wild do you find that are all in one piece. They're fragile and tear easily.

I mean, you don't want it coming scale by scale like dandruff or tiny little chunks, I would say that is a problem, but is 2, 3, 4, of even 5 big pieces that big of a deal?

What does everybody think?

[The Serpent Merchant]

The shed is susposed to come off in one piece. It's the way that the process works, the old skin is loosened from the new and then removed.

Sure it may not happen in the wild all the time, but it is a sign that everything is right if the shed comes off in one piece, as it can only happen in ideal conditions.

I agree that most of the time a "bad" she'd doesn't have any negative effects, but it is a pain to deal with. All in all you should try to have your snakes have perfect sheds every time. If not that means that you don't want to provide for your animal to the best of your abilities. And to me that is wrong, espicially when there is such a clear indication that something is wrong.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I don't think that a 2-3 piece shed is a problem, but mire than that and there might be an issue behind it.

[Xotik]

Big chunks isn't a terribly big deal - two or three large pieces is acceptable (in my book, others may feel differently). One piece is desirable, because that means the humidity is correct, the snake is comfortable and (hopefully) all is well with the other aspects of the husbandry.

Anything more than 4 really, you may want to check on your husbandry - more specifically the humidity. I up the humidity in mine every time they go blue (Eyes turning cloudy/blueish) or go pink (their underside turns a pinkish color). It helps them much more than trying to help after the fact.

I've actually found full sheddings of garters and milksnakes in "the wild" outside of my house. (I used to live in the middle of nowhere). It's not as rare as you'd think.

[RobNJ]

Assuming your snake(s) isn't rubbing against weeds, branches, rocks, cracks and crevices in the ground as they do in the wild, sheds should be coming off in one piece because there really isn't anything for them to break the old skin on.

[captainjack0000]

I was also thinking that the number of acceptable pieces might also depend on the size of the snake and/or enclosure. I would think it would be harder for a large python to shed in one piece than say a small corn snake. It might mostly actually depend on the snake to cage ratio. Do they have enough room room to move around?

In the wild, size might matter too. Longer snakes have longer skins and more opportunity to tear. Plus, I'm not sure longer snakes have thicker sheds (at least not proportionally), so extra weight of the longer skin pulls more during the shed process, increasing the chance of a tear.

Is there also a learning curve among the snakes themselves? Are older snakes better at shedding than younger ones? Or is all of this just innate?

Individually are some better than others? Guys and gals out there who have several snakes, do you have one snake that just cannot ever seem to get it right, even though conditions are the same across the board?

[The Serpent Merchant]

All of mine have perfect sheds every time. I've only ever had one bad shed and that was because the snake was shipped to me while he was in shed.

I can't tell if any of mine are better at shedding than the others. All ball pythons shed within the first week or so of hatching so it must be genetic knowledge, and not a learned skill.

[captainjack0000]

All ball pythons shed within the first week or so of hatching so it must be genetic knowledge, and not a learned skill.

I didn't know if it was more like a scratching an itch. Not exactly a learned skill but more of stimulus-response. How you scratch and techniques can improve with experience.