Should food not be offered when in blue?

[Snagrio]

Discovered my boy is in blue yesterday, and tomorrow is feeding day. Last time he was in the middle of a shed cycle he went right ahead and ate (I was unaware of the fact until I noticed he was in the humid hide when I presented the thawed rodent to him) so he clearly eats no matter what. But should I feed him is the question, have heard a lot of mixed opinions on offering meals during shedding time.

[Bogertophis]

Many snakes will eat just fine, but you always run the risk of having to waste the meal.

Also, some snakes don't multi-task very well: what I mean by that is that both digestion and shedding requires good hydration, & that's why some snakes have stuck sheds when they eat at the same time- their body just doesn't have enough water for both jobs.

So, it's up to you...eating doesn't hurt anything, unless your snake is so dehydrated that they barf up their meal. While that's not likely, the fact that they don't eat in the wild when in shed (because there's no "room service" & they don't survive by tangling with prey when they can't see what they're doing) that makes me avoid feeding snakes when in shed, unless it's by accident. I prefer to duplicate what happens in nature as much as is practical.

[Snagrio]

I see. Probably best to err on the side of caution then. He's a healthy boy, a few extra days won't starve him.

[Bogertophis]

I see. Probably best to err on the side of caution then. He's a healthy boy, a few extra days won't starve him.

No, they're not starving when in shed. No guilt needed, lol.

If anything, our snakes are using less energy in captivity than they would in the wild- which is why you almost never see an overweight wild snake, but you do see them as pets.

[EL-Ziggy]

Most of my snakes will eat anytime, and even though I know it won’t hurt anything, I always wait until after they’ve completed their shed to feed them.

[dakski]

My ball python and carpet python will not eat in shed. My corn snakes usually will and my boas definitely will.

Having said the latter, I usually do not offer in shed as Bogertophis said, they do not multi-task well. I've had bad sheds when I've missed them being in blue or about to shed.

Another factor, especially with the snakes that do not have heat pits (Ball pythons and carpet pythons do), is they do not see well in blue. This can affect their aim. No fun having a big boa miss the rat and start striking wildly while you are holding tongs not too far away .

A healthy snake can go a while between missing meals. If you are feeding regularly and your BP is healthy (as I believe he looks from other threads), there is really no good reason to offer in blue.

I would offer soon after shed if he will eat as shedding takes some energy.

[Zincubus]

Discovered my boy is in blue yesterday, and tomorrow is feeding day. Last time he was in the middle of a shed cycle he went right ahead and ate (I was unaware of the fact until I noticed he was in the humid hide when I presented the thawed rodent to him) so he clearly eats no matter what. But should I feed him is the question, have heard a lot of mixed opinions on offering meals during shedding time.

I never do ... My current Royals show zero interest in eating when in shed mode .. they just disappear...

I did have a Pastel Royal many years ago that would eat every day and he took a a warmed up rat one day ( whilst in shed ) but didn’t bother to eat it .... unbeknown to me of course !!!


The smell after a few days was absolutely disgusting !!!!




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[Hugsplox]

Having said the latter, I usually do not offer in shed as Bogertophis said, they do not multi-task well. I've had bad sheds when I've missed them being in blue or about to shed.

Same here, my very first shed with my BP was terrible and it took a lot of assistance from me for him to get through it. I posted here about it and Craiga talked to me about the multi-tasking issue. I took that advice and haven't fed in shed since even though I know he'll take it, and haven't had any other issues. Now full disclosure, I also made some other husbandry changes around that time too, so it may not have all been due to stopping the feeds while in shed, but I'd prefer not to take any chances.

[Snagrio]

Another factor, especially with the snakes that do not have heat pits (Ball pythons and carpet pythons do), is they do not see well in blue. This can affect their aim. No fun having a big boa miss the rat and start striking wildly while you are holding tongs not too far away .

Or you can be mine and just have a bad sense of aim by default. He's perfectly fine otherwise mind you, no wobbling issues (he's a banana so I wouldn't expect any), but I like to say he has Stormtrooper aim because it's a rare day where it doesn't take him several attempts to successfully land a strike on a completely stationary target mere inches away from his face.

[Bogertophis]

... I've had bad sheds when I've missed them being in blue or about to shed...

Same here, over the years, so if I notice first, I just don't offer a meal.

- - - Updated - - -

...he took a a warmed up rat one day ( whilst in shed ) but didn’t bother to eat it .... unbeknown to me of course !!! ...The smell after a few days was absolutely disgusting !!!! ...

And that right there is "the" cure!