A pink belly is something to watch, as it can be one of several things: 1. A sign of impending shed (not all snakes show this), or 2. A sign of a thermal burn (double check your surface temperatures immediately if you're using UTH- & it had better be controlled by a reliable thermostat, fyi, & should not allow surface temps. where the snake can actually touch to go above 90* for safety. OR 3. A sign of septicemia (bacterial infection in the blood- very serious, often fatal).
So as not to panic needlessly over every shed (which is the most common cause of a pink snake belly), learn ALL the signs of shedding. Signs are much harder to see in albino or other light colored snakes. Use a small narrow beam flashlight in dark room- shine the beam across the curve of the snake's eye caps- look for signs (hazy, milky). Realize that the eye caps don't stay foggy until the snake sheds- they go back to "clear" as does the rest of the snake's skin prior to shedding. That's because a healthy snake's body secretes moisture between the old & new skin to facilitate its removal- that's also why it helps somewhat to bump up the humidity for a snake in shed, & why you should care about their hydration 24/7. Once they're cloudy & shedding, it's a bit late to improve what's inside their body- it's also why snakes instinctively refuse meals when in shed, & why it's best NOT to feed one even if they'll eat. Some snakes have no trouble doing both (digesting & shedding) but many do- it can cause a stuck shed, because BOTH functions take extra hydration from the snake's body to accomplish. See?
Other signs of shedding: refusing food, staying on the cool side, drinking more water, dull coloration, moodiness ("I vant to be alone! Ssss!") & sometimes you can see a faint double edge on the belly scutes. Another favorite sign of mine is very hard to explain, so study your snake & eventually you'll understand after seeing multiple sheds- but it has to do with how the skin folds in the snake's neck appear. The neck skin just looks different when a snake is in a shed cycle- & I'm talking about texture, not cloudiness.
Also keep in mind that you can MISS some of these signs if you aren't observing your snake daily- ie. when they go "clear"- thanks to the moisture, it temporarily makes the cloudy skin look normal..."almost". So now that I've confused you thoroughly?
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
A pink belly is something to watch, as it can be one of several things: 1. A sign of impending shed (not all snakes show this), or 2. A sign of a thermal burn (double check your surface temperatures immediately if you're using UTH- & it had better be controlled by a reliable thermostat, fyi, & should not allow surface temps. where the snake can actually touch to go above 90* for safety. OR 3. A sign of septicemia (bacterial infection in the blood- very serious, often fatal).
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