Shedding or not?

Mara · 02-16-09, 03:45 PM

Ok my friend and i got a bp and a rtb about 1 1/2 weeks ago. the bp has looked like she is going to start shedding since we got her. I was looking at her a couple days ago and her eyes were turning that misty blue/white color so i thought she was going to start within a couple days.
she hasnt come out of her humidity box for a while so i was leaving her alone. but today she came out and was in her dry hide and her eyes dont look blue/white and she still hasnt shed.
ive heard that they can get some type of illness that makes it look as though they are going to shed when they are in fact not shedding. so that has made me a little concerned. im not really sure what to do about this because i know that she wasnt taken care of properly in the home she was in before.

Smilts · 02-16-09, 03:52 PM

A snake will go blue(when the eyes are milky) and stay that way for a few days then will clear up and may be clear for a few days to a week before they shed.

Mara · 02-16-09, 07:10 PM

ok...thats reasurring...but something else that i noticed today is that she hasnt had a single bowel movement in the entire time ive had her. Ive had her since not this past thursday but the week before. she ate the day that i got her and shes also extremely dehydrated and i dont know what to do or what it means. any ideas?

Smilts · 02-16-09, 07:46 PM

give it a bit on the poop. on the dehydrated have u seen her drinking and was she dehydrated when you got her? If so has it gotten any better

Mara · 02-16-09, 09:29 PM

she didnt seem dehydrated when we got her, if so it wasnt so noticable, i havnt seen her drinking, but when we got her she only had a small water dish, not enough for her to get into. So the day i got her a large enough container for her to soak in she laid in her water for close to an hour, but not really at all since. do you think the dehydration may have a little to do with the shed? her skin feels extremely dry, and it seems to stay lifted a longer than it should when she moves.....i dont know if im explaining that right....... thats the only way i can say it though.....like when you pull on a dogs skin that is dehydrated-the way that it stays- thats sorta what hers does.

Smilts · 02-16-09, 09:36 PM

At this point in the shed I'm sure what your seeing is the soon to be shedded skin.

Mara · 02-16-09, 10:25 PM

awesome....thats a great relief but ill keep an eye on her anyways...just in case its not the shed. thankyou for the advice

Kmef07 · 02-16-09, 10:40 PM

if she is dehydrated just put her in the bathtub and let her soak for a while.

Mara · 02-17-09, 11:27 AM

ok, i had my friend speak with her uncle, also the previous owner of the snakes. and he said that this is just the way that Selene is. he said she wont do much of anything and seems dehydrated when she goes into shed. and also he said that it can take her a while to use the bathroom.
Also though would it help her shed if i let her soak in the bathtub? i was told that i should let them soak in the tub at least once a week anyway.

Kmef07 · 02-17-09, 11:30 AM

i just put that in the post above yours

citysnakes · 02-17-09, 04:38 PM

there is really no need to soak her at the moment. just make sure your humidity inside the enclosure is good and wait for her to shed on her own. if she has a bad shed then you should soak her so that you can removed the stuck pieces.

Mara · 02-17-09, 08:40 PM

ok thankyou

Chu'Wuti · 02-18-09, 10:43 PM

Quote:

So the day i got her a large enough container for her to soak in she laid in her water for close to an hour, but not really at all since.

Mara, she'll soak when she feels the need to soak. As you've gotten her a large enough water bowl to soak in when she wants to do so, the bathtub really isn't necessary. Just keep your humidity levels in the enclosure way up--at least 85%, and Mykee says 100%, until your BP sheds. Then maintain the humidity at 60% and she should be fine.

I was really weirded out the first time my BP shed, as it was very different from any other snake I've ever had. After the blue stage, they do go clear a day or two or a few before they actually shed. Hang in there--you're going to have a beautiful snake soon!

Mara · 02-19-09, 01:48 PM

she started to shed last night in her humidity box. she hasnt really come out of it for a couple days and i dont really expect her to until shes done shedding. im not sure that the humidity is right in the rest of the tank for her shed, so im really glad i decided to make the humidity box because she seems quite happy about having it.