shedding question

[nickykci]

ok, since this is my first snake, i have a couple question, my corn snake is a bit over 1month old now, and tuesday i noticed his eyes turned bluish grey. I know this means he's going to shed, but what i was wondering it when? is it like a week after getting the eyes? and is it normal that the eyes became normal again?

and i am suppose to feed him tomorow, but i heard that they wont eat during shedding, should i offer him a pinky anyways? or wait till he's done shedding? lol omg too many questions! i hope someone can answer these fairly easily....

last question, i promise, lol... can i still handle him befor he sheds? like now? his eyes where grey 2 days ago...

Thanks!!
Nicky

[Kevin McRae]

When his eys become cloudy, in a couple of days they will clear up and he will shed.

You can handle him in this time but he might be a bit aggressive.

None of mine snakes have accepted food when there eyes have been cloudly except my two young corn snakes, so you can try:)

Good Luck!:)

[vanderkm]

Definately normal for eyes to clear several days before they actually shed.

We find hatchlings will often feed even when blue, but our older snakes prefer not to. If we notice the snake is about to shed, we usually don't bother offering food - no problem if they go a couple weeks without eating. Hatchlings that have a big meal a day or so before they shed can have a tough time getting the shed past the lump in their belly too.

Suprisingly, we find most (not all) don't want to feed the day that they shed - I would have thought they would be hungry, but they seem to want a day or two after a shed before they feel like feeding again.

We don't handle ours if we know they are blue - the new skin is developing underneath the old, if the snake moves suddenly and you have to restrain him, your grip can cause the old skin to slip off in places, and we have had slight scars develop from this. They go away with the next shed, but no need to stress the snake if not required. We still pick them up to clean cages if needed, just no excess handling,

mary v.

[nickykci]

Hey thanks for the posts guys, actually he shed last night! and everything went well! I try feeding him not too long after, and he ate without any problems, so i'm glad that went well :-)

[Kevin McRae]

Glad everything went well for you:)

Good luck with your corn:)

[BoidKeeper]

Of course he ate! All my hatchlings eat.lol
Like I was saying I don't handle snakes when they are in shed because they are blind and it is stressful for them. They do in captivity what they do in the wild while in shed, hide! They don't come out until the cycle is done. Also you can accidently remove skin, I know I've done it, before it is ready if you handle them while they are in shed. A kinda of blister of sore develops where the skin is removed. People who own snakes will own them for a very long time and will have lots of time to handle them. Taking a few days off while the snake is in shed won't be the end of the keepers world so why stress the animal for nothing?
Cheers,
Trevor