Shedding Problems?

JoeAmor · 01-29-13, 10:56 AM

Hello all,

I have a Striped Keelback (Indonesian Garter) female named Arya that I've had for almost 6 months now, and so far we haven't had any problems. Well, over the last couple of weeks her living situation has been abnormal while I was moving, and she stayed with a trusted friend for about a month, then last week I moved her into my new place with me. When I finally got her back, I noticed she looked like she was in blue, and was hiding a lot, not zooming around her cage like normal. I figured she was getting ready to shed, and chalked any other reclusive or lethargic behavior up to the move. Well today I finally picked her up because she still hasn't shed and I just wanted to check on her, and I can't tell if she's had a botched shed that she can't seem to shake, or if she is just almost ready to.

When she curves, you can see her old skin wrinkle as it is stretched and contracted. Her head looks like it has a piece of the old skin missing, and I don't see any eye caps on her, but I am bad at recognizing eye caps on her (I can always tell when my Corn is in blue). Her old skin which she has yet to shed is looking pale white and crinkly in some areas. When I picked her up she didn't try to get away at all which is really odd for her, and then I figured maybe she would try to use me to start her shed once I had her in my hands, but she just slithered around for a bit then laid still.

I know that all this could be typical shedding behavior, but I'm worried about the appearance of her old skin. She's never had a problem with shedding before, and she has a large water bowl in her tank that she has been drinking out of, so I don't think lack of humidity is the problem. Her normal feeding day is Wednesday, and I didn't feed her last week because I thought she was going to shed in the next couple days. I was going to try and feed her tomorrow, maybe the extra girth from the mouse will cause her extra skin to burst off? Or should I wait? Am I overreacting? I would love it if I came home from work tonight and she has properly shed, but I'm not holding my breath. Any advice would be welcome. I have only been a snake owner for almost a year now, but I do a lot of research, I just can't figure out if everything is normal or if something is wrong.

CanadianEryx · 01-29-13, 02:35 PM

Hi! I suggest you put a simple humid hide (clean margerine container with a damp towel in it and an arched hole for entrance and egress) in your enclosure regardless of the water dish and try to feed. If she is really in shed she may or may not refuse to eat, but you can always try.

infernalis · 01-29-13, 04:01 PM

I place a very shallow amount of water (like 1/4 inch) in the bottom af a small tote box, I set a few rocks in it and lock the snake in it overnight.

They swim around and rub the rocks, all the shed bits are gone in the morning.

The snake will curl up on the rocks when it's not rubbing off dead skin.

bushsnake · 01-31-13, 12:14 PM

ive heard the same story over and over with this species(Natrix vittatus) Theyre all imported from Asia and come with heavy parasite loads...after about a year they drop dead, most of the time its sooner.
Ive also kept them, theyre freeking awesome i dumped mine cuz of all the horror stories i was getting.

JoeAmor · 02-01-13, 04:36 PM

Thank you guys for the advice, I made a humid hide out of a small flower pot and stuffing a damp washcloth up into it. She has been hiding out under there the last couple days. Today I lifted it up to redampen the cloth and she just laid still while I did it, not even moving when I set it down around her. I saw her tense up a couple times so I know she's alive and responding, it's just very unlike her and I'm really worried.
I too have heard the horror stories about Striped Keelbacks and their parasites and high death rates, but I wouldn't think of just dumping mine because there's a chance she may die in the future. At least I can give her as comfortable a life as I can while I have her. I'm not positive how old Arya is, but I've been told if I can get her to a year she'll probably be ok... I think she's around 6-9 months now. Anyway, I'll keep my fingers crossed for a completed shed here soon.