Milk snake shed?

[glennborg]

hi,
I got a milk snake about a week and a half ago, and he was acting normal until yesterday.
I got him out of the tank, as usual and he was very defensive, tried to attack me for 3 times, than I grabbed him and put him in the tank.

He never shed until now.

I read some forums on the internet saying that these are the symptoms of shedding.

If so, for how long does the shed procedure lasts?
Should i add a humid hide for the snake?

I am going to add some photos of him so that you can see how he is and what type of milk snake he is.
Thanks and sorry for my bad english :/

[lady_bug87]

Looks like a Honduran milk but I'm not 100%

Just add some moist moss in to container to make a humid hide and leave it be. It takes as long as it takes. It really depends on the individual. Usually they get duller and their eyes get cloudy. We tend to call this 'going into blue'

I wouldn't pull the snake out again until it sheds

[glennborg]

Thanks very much ..
I would really like to know how long does it take for the snake to shed but..

and how many times does he shed per year?

Thanks

[lady_bug87]

The length of shed and the amount of times he will shed in a year will vary depending on age and growth rate. For a young snake you can expect a shed once every 6-8 weeks again not all are the same some shed more often and some less.

There is no way for me to tell you how long it will take your snake to shed since they're all different. You'll have to wait and see

[glennborg]

ohh thanks than.. i really appriciate :))

Regards

[concinnusman]

Looks more like a northern Mexican species to me, not Honduran/Central American. Maybe a Mexican milk which also ranges into So. U.S. a bit. But then, a lot of milks in the pet trade are crosses of similar subspecies so there's no telling what it is exactly except that the pattern suggests a northern Mexico species rather than So. Mexico/Central American.

Going by a care sheet for Pueblan milk snake should be fine.

You'll know a snake is going to shed soon because they get dull colored, eyes may get milky/grey looking for a few days to two weeks. Then one day the eyes suddenly clear up. After the eyes clear the snake should shed within a few days. A young snake will shed pretty often (perhaps every 4-6 weeks) if it's healthy and growing well. Adults grow more slowly, and so shed less frequently. And yes, it's perfectly normal for any snake in opaque phase (milky eyes) to be nervous / defensive / biting because they usually can't see well. Best to leave them alone during that time until they shed. Overheating milks/kings often causes an otherwise docile snake to get mean and bite too. Be sure you're not overheating. Your snake should be able to have a place to go that isn't warmer than upper 70's. Snakes sometimes seek out cooler moist places when they are about to shed. If it's too hot and dry he will definitely be grouchy and might have trouble shedding.

You should place your hand near the snake from the side and make sure he's aware of you, then lift from underneath. Predators grab from above and so doing that can make them bite/get defensive.