delayed shed?

macandchz · 05-11-16, 07:15 AM

i thought my 1.4 yr old albino python was about to shed. eyes milky with blue, skin dull, belly getting pink,etc. but that was 2 weeks ago. nothing has happened and i'm starting to worry. i've upped the humidity. i'm spritzing him 2 times a day. temp is good. i gave him a snake sauna yesterday in warm towels. he still looks dull and ready to go-his eyes are not as cloudy. what could be wrong? do they ever skip a shed? need advice. thanks!

**Andy_G** · 05-11-16, 07:32 AM

I have had it happen with a gravid female boa and everything worked out fine. She went blue again after she gave birth and shed just like normal. There's nothing you can do but wait. All of those things you tried work great when the snake is in the process of shedding, but as long as your husbandry is on point it's best not to stress him by putting him through anything you don't have to.

macandchz · 05-11-16, 07:40 AM

andy g. thanks for the advice. i was worried about the stress part. mac is not a water lover and i hated to give him the sauna because he wasn't a bit happy with it.

**Andy_G** · 05-11-16, 08:31 AM

I would put a humid hide in his cage in the meanwhile. Just use any kind of plastic container (tupperware, sandwich rubbermaid, margarine container, etc.) with an access hole cut in it in the side and put some damp moss in it. It will do what you are trying to do with the sauna, but without the stress involved and he can come and go as he pleases...they know what they need much better than we do in times like this.

macandchz · 05-12-16, 07:28 AM

dear andy g- went to the pet store for the moss but wasn't sure if it was ok to get the green colored or natural brown color. of course there was no one around to ask. the package mentioned it could be used for most things but no mention of snakes. am i looking at the right stuff? it came in a small pack called sporgum moss.

**Andy_G** · 05-12-16, 09:18 AM

Most mosses will work fine for snakes. The one you saw would work fine.

macandchz · 05-12-16, 09:40 AM

dear andy g-thanks so much for your help.

bigsnakegirl785 · 05-12-16, 05:02 PM

He could just be taking a long time. My 4.5 year old BCI takes 3-4 weeks for his shed cycle to go from the darkening stage to actually shedding. From blue, it takes anywhere from 2-3 days to 1-2 weeks to shed. The blue phase lasts about 4 days, give or take a day.

If he still looks dull, he's probably got a bit to go before he actually sheds. I've found snakes will normally look almost like normal right before they shed.

macandchz · 05-13-16, 07:56 AM

dear andy g-went back to the pet store, got the moss,set it up, and by 11:30 last night, mac had a perfect shed-eye caps and all! thanks for the great advice!