BP questions

[bchapman]

julius has started losing some of the shine to his skin and appears agitated. he hisses at bunch if i open the cage or handle him. i am very wary that he is going to bite me or something.

are there any warning signs of him attacking me, or a way to calm him down?

he also started getting cloudy eyes and I dont know why, is this a sign of him being sick or dehydrated?

thanks
barr

[daniel1983]

Sounds like he is going into shed.

You might want to read this:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28794

[elevatethis]

Welcome to the site.

I'm 100% certain that your snake is beginning the shedding process. In a nutshell, here's what happens:

1) Their colors begin to dull up. Their attitude might get a little fiesty.
2) Their eyes turn opaque blue. This is the result of a layer of fluid developing between the old eyecap on the outside and the new eyecap on the inside.

3) Their colors go somewhat back to normal but still duller than normal, and their eyes go back to black. Expect them to physically shed their skin in 24-48 hours.

Wasn't there a "the shedding process" sticky?

edit: Danny boy got to it first!

[Adam_Wysocki]

Shed ... it'll all be back to normal in 2 weeks.

-adam

[bchapman]

what about feeding? its his food day tomorrow

[snakedude56]

yea my bp monty is in the blue stage now. dont be surprised if julius is a little bit wrinkly right before he sheds. if the humidity in his cage is about 70-75 it will help him shed in one piece.

[mr~python]

offer him food an see if he takes it. if he doesnt its no biggie. a lot of snakes dont feed when they're in shed. just offer it again next week.

[aaajohnson]

what about feeding? its his food day tomorrow

I would try to offer his normal food, but don't be disappointed if he refuses it. Some snakes seem to do fine during their shed cycle, and others can get picky. You also might notice a miss if his eyes are blued, but usually once they get ahold of the prey they are fine.

Neil