Shedding.. I think....

[DeviledDiablo]

my lil baby has been wit me since april 30th, hes a great lil guy.. really friendly ( hasnt hissed or struck at me yet ) but hes kinda shy.. he doesnt really like me touchin him hehe. hes feeding great.. ive fed em f/t 3 times since ive had em and hes pooped once.. <--- ( y doesnt he take his crap? lol ) his last poop was around the 4th maybe?? i was too worried about that though.. cause im thinkin he'll crap when he needs to.. as long as its not on me :P well anyways this is my first snake and im not too sure if he is sheding.. ive been handlin him lately and hes been rubbin against me.. and for the past 2-3 days now.. his eyes are turning grey.. im juss wonderin wut i should do if he is shedin to help em shed ( i dun have anythin really in the tank for em to rub against ) i gave em a "bath" couple of days ago.. he hates water lol, but it was juss to clean em up a bit. well anyways if u got advice or questions for me.. gimme a shout :) and thanx alot for readin

:D
2 more thing.. if he is shedin.. should i stop handlin him from now on? and if say.. until when? when he's finally finished sheding?
and finally.. how do i get em to poop? lol thanx and peace

[Dark_Angel_25]

I would say yes, your boa is shedding. I have handled mine while in shed, but your chances of getting bitten are increased. Basically they can't see all that well (imagine looking through car windows when they are fogged upyou see shapes, but not much else)
You should have a branch or something for him to rub on to get the skin off, but they will just as well use the glass on the tank too. or the entrance to the hides.
What you can do to help, is mist the cage to increase the humidity. If you have a glass tank and a screen or opened top, you can cover part of the top with a towel (moist) to help hold it in.
The soaking or bathing will also help. Once they eyes go from grey/blue back to clear, they usually actually shed within a few days. so kep your eyes open for the discarded skin. Check the skin to make sure that the eyecaps are present, if the humidity was right, oyu should get one long piece of skin.

Good luck, and maybe post some pics of your tank and snake...

[Dark_Angel_25]

I would say yes, your boa is shedding. I have handled mine while in shed, but your chances of getting bitten are increased. Basically they can't see all that well (imagine looking through car windows when they are fogged upyou see shapes, but not much else)
You should have a branch or something for him to rub on to get the skin off, but they will just as well use the glass on the tank too. or the entrance to the hides.
What you can do to help, is mist the cage to increase the humidity. If you have a glass tank and a screen or opened top, you can cover part of the top with a towel (moist) to help hold it in.
The soaking or bathing will also help. Once they eyes go from grey/blue back to clear, they usually actually shed within a few days. so kep your eyes open for the discarded skin. Check the skin to make sure that the eyecaps are present, if the humidity was right, oyu should get one long piece of skin.

Good luck, and maybe post some pics of your tank and snake...

As for pooping, well Boas can poop once a month or more in most cases. they don't 'go' after every meal. My Cleo can eat for 3 weeks, 2 feedings a week and poop once. I never worry, If you are concerned, a warm bath will clean them out. :)

[Dark_Angel_25]

oops!! sorry about the double post!!

[daver676]

Sounds like a shed. Don't handle the snake while it's eyes are cloudy. It's just added stress to the snake, and increased odds of a bite. Increase the humidity in the cage to 80% or higher, or give him a humid hide. I also give my snake a rock or something similar to rub against.

I don't handle my snake from the time her eyes start to cloud until she sheds.

[DeviledDiablo]

ok kool.. thanx for the help guys.. i juss missed the cage a couple of times rite now.. i was juss wonderin how i can tell my snake is stressed out? is there such thing as too much handling? cause when i take em out.. i usually juss lay on my couch thats in my room wit em on me and let em explore for like 1-2 hrs.. ( if i have the time ) but mainly i juss wanna know wut the signs of a stressed out snake is.. ( so that when i see it i could leave em alone ) so u say a rock hu? like a rock from outside?? well im workin wit a 15 gallon tank ( i think ) and i have 2 sides for em made outta a cut-up box and a water dish in the middle.. so im not soo sure wut he could really rub on to get the skin off.. and when u say rock.. how big? tennis ball size? cause i dun have much room in this tank.. i have an open top lid wit another metal lid over it.. ( covered ) to keep in humi. so should i try givin em a bath every other day? to help em shed? or how does this bath thing work? thanx

[ReptiliansDOTca]

The term 'too much handling' is relative to the species and the individual. However, I would not handle more then once a day, and do not handle in shed. In addition, not handling during shed is not limited to an increased risk in being bitten. The snake can hardely see, and to have something or someone pick them up and handle them can be rather stressful.

There is no need to place a dirty rock in the enclosure. Do you have hides for him? I am sure these will suffer. Definitely do not give him a bath every day, or every other day, or at all unless necessary. You do not need to bathe your snake, it is not a stinky dog. A gentle misting of the cage will raise the humidity to what is required. Do not worry about his defecating schedule, he sounds fine. And as you said, he will poop when he deems necessary :D! If you have any further questions please feel free to ask.

In regards to stress, and how to determine stress, this can often be a hard sign to locate. Aside from regurgitation and the like, you cannot really 'tell' when a snake is stressed. However, when he is trying to hide and / or flee, this is often a good sign.

[MormonBoa]

When they are in shed the newly forming skin underneath can be damaged if they are handled too much durring shed, and like everybody else said it increases your chances of being bit. Too much soaking could cause a respiritory infection...and in some cases it could cause scale rot...or so i've herd.

[DeviledDiablo]

thanx for the help... well my lil guy finally shed.. found it in a clump inside his hide, i unraveled it and checked for the coatin on the eyes and they are there too :)
about handling.. well hes been kinda shy ever since i got em.. like he would try to crawl off and hide everytime i try to touch em or pick em up.. so.. i dunno anymore lol.. and how often should i be feedin em? i hear from 5-7.. wuts a good #? i got em on april 30th prefed (29th) and fed em on 7th,12,17,23 so far.. should i stick wit a constant day? or does movin around matter? ty

[Dark_Angel_25]

Glad to hear the shed went well! Congrats. As for the feeding, it sounds good. My baby Cleo will eat anywhere from every 4-5 days for now. sometimes more sometimes less. but never more than one rat every 4 days at the most. when she starts to wander around and poke her head out, or when I see her spending all her time under the cool hide, I am usually sure she is hungry. and after her shed, she ALWAYs is ready to eat..
Can you post some pictures? I'd love to see her..

[DeviledDiablo]

ok kool.. thanx for the reply darkangel. as for pictures, sure. i posted these pics when i got him, so they kinda old. i dun have a diggy but i got those pictures that first night cause i borrowed one. but here ya go :D
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/508/4633Dscf0004-med.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/508/4633Dscf0003-med.jpg
ty for lookin :)