She's getting ready to shed- how can I help?

[Zincubus]

Hello, all!

Nagini, my first python who I got just over a week ago, seems to be preparing for her first shed in my care. Her eyes are milky, and she's spending a lot more time than usual hiding. I have a bearded dragon, and I know for him, the best thing to do is to spray him with water, provide water to sit in, and leave him to it. Norbert, the dragon, loves being sprayed with water. Nagini, on the other hand, shies away whenever I mist her terrarium to maintain humidity. I was wondering what, if anything, I can do to assist her.

I have a water dish large enough for immersion, and a rough natural bark hide and a couple other rough surfaces to help her get started. It's obvious, but I feel I should state that I know enough not to actively help her by peeling it away or anything. She has been skittish due to the cloudy eyes- I didn't know she was prepping when I last went to handle her, and she hissed at me- very unusual. Then I saw the eyes. Feeding day is Wednesday and I feed her outside of her habitat- should I either attempt to feed in the habitat or else not try to feed her this week?

Side question, is there any benefit to feeding outside the habitat? I was told by my coworker that it keeps them from being aggressive in their habitat, as they will think every time you reach in, you have a mouse. It didn't make sense to me, but it's what we do with the snakes at work and it's how Nagini has always been fed, so I did it the first time I fed her.

Also, a question for once the skin is shed. Can I keep it? Will it decay? Is there a simple way to preserve it?

Three quick answers from me

Watch for the eyes going clear and then spray the viv well , a few times each day until you find the shedded skin .

Please don't consider feeding in a separate container- just feed in the viv and put a few pieces of card down over the substrate to minimise the chance of them swallowing any substrate.

Finally , in my experience shedded skins last perfectly well for years and years ..


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