Dealing with my first corn shed

emwilly90 · 05-11-17, 09:44 AM

Hi everyone

I have had my corn snake for 2 months now. Everything has been great so far and I am now just experiencing my first ever snake shed with him.

He has started to go blue and I am due to feed him tomorrow, I'm just wondering what your thoughts would be as I know some corns do feed while in blue but others just leave their snakes alone. As I don't know whether he would feed or not, what are your thoughts on me offering him food? I usually get him out of his viv and put him into a separate tank so this would mean I would have to handle him briefly.
If I was to leave him alone, do I feed him when his blue has cleared up or after he has shed his skin?

Also another thing is humidity, would it be worth me giving his viv a light spray of water? I have a heat mat so it doesn't warm the air, would spraying the viv just make it damp? I know corns don't require a lot of humidity so I don't know if this would be too much for him. The humidity always hovers around 68%.

Any thoughts and opinions are appreciated

**Andy_G** · 05-11-17, 09:49 AM

He may or may not take it during shed. My vote would be to feed him once he sheds because he may not take it and you might waste the food, and if he does take it, it may make shedding more difficult with a full belly. I can tell you that feeding tubs/cages are entirely needless and just put stress on the snake. It's really up to you, though.

You can spray his viv, or you can use a humid hide (an enclosed container with a hole cut into it filled with damp moss or substrate) to help him shed.

regi375 · 05-11-17, 09:51 AM

With the ambient humidity I think he'll be OK. You might want to consider adding a humid hide though. There's no harm in offering the food item as you normally would. If he eats it, great. If not, no worries. Just feed him next week. I personally feed all my snakes in their own tank. So it's really up to you on that one.

emwilly90 · 05-11-17, 10:53 AM

Thank you for the advice, I think I will leave him alone while keeping a close eye on him and feed him once he has shed

I feed him in a separate container as I worry about him swallowing substrate with his food and I wouldn't want him to associate his viv with his feeding area (incase he mistake my hand for food when I want to handle him and strikes) he knows exactly what's going to happen when he goes into his feeding container haha.
I'm unsure as to where I would get moss from (other than ordering online) so I think I will spray his viv and see how it goes, then if he needs a little more help I know what to do for next time. I have put a small water bowl in the warm end of his viv to try and moisten the air a little as well.

**Andy_G** · 05-11-17, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emwilly90

I feed him in a separate container as I worry about him swallowing substrate with his food and I wouldn't want him to associate his viv with his feeding area (incase he mistake my hand for food when I want to handle him and strikes) he knows exactly what's going to happen when he goes into his feeding container haha.
I'm unsure as to where I would get moss from (other than ordering online) so I think I will spray his viv and see how it goes, then if he needs a little more help I know what to do for next time. I have put a small water bowl in the warm end of his viv to try and moisten the air a little as well.

They don't eat on paper towel in the wild, and they don't associate a viv with food unless the only reason you open the viv is to feed, and even then it's a stretch. You're more likely to get bit if you move him after he eats if he's still in feeding mode, and he's more likely to regurge if you move him when he's full with the stress, but once again, do what you like and what you're comfortable with.

Moss can be found at almost any pet store, online, or in plant nurseries. Be sure that whatever you use is pesticide and fertilizer free.

emwilly90 · 05-15-17, 03:59 AM

I will feed him inside his viv on his next feed and see how it goes

I bought some moss online so I should be getting that in the next couple of days, will the moss stay humid placed anywhere in the viv inside the plastic container? I don't know if it needs extra warmth to stay humid or whether it is humid regardless. The ambient temperature of his viv is around 21.5/22°C.

akane · 05-15-17, 05:04 AM

Feeding in the enclosure I go ahead and offer. They often still eat but they can't see well so they will not take to handling, moving, less familiar locations, and they usually eat slower to take time to confirm safe prey with other senses and find where to start. I think that would make it too stressful and likely to fail with removal to feed.

I don't think it's necessary to remove here. All my species know rodent present versus not and a corn snake is not particularly prone to mistakes about you having food and strike wrong. I also try to aim the food to set on a rock but they eat on various mixes of sand, soil, and plant fiber or plant compost with it sometimes dragged or shoved about first. I just dry the rodent if I used hot water soaking and the bag leaked so it doesn't pick up excessive particles and they are fine. Impacting is generally considered by most to be poor husbandry leading to poor digestion so they don't pass soil or sand particles. Only exceptions I've seen are actually reptile substrate that is less natural like swallowing chips and splinters of wood bedding that turn going through and won't pass. Once it was a poor choice in bark to go on top of a soil mixed. I use only solid, large chunks or flexible, "soft" bark in my bioactive.

akane · 05-15-17, 05:11 AM

I'm on my phone so it's easier to answer in parts.. if his humidity is 68 you don't need moss and definitely not wetting anything. We did say corn snake right? They are a lower humidity snake. I'd be trying to get closer to a more constant 40% but if local conditions make that not possible at least don't add anything to increase it with more moisture. Very short term for shedding is fine and they are hardy but you increase the risk of respiratory infection at 70+ all the time and more is only worse.

emwilly90 · 05-15-17, 06:01 AM

Yes he is a corn

Maybe I shall save the moss then and just see how it goes? It will be his first shed with me, so I have no idea what to expect (hence all the questions). If he doesn't manage to get it off all in one go I know there are things you can do to help them so I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't go well.

akane · 05-15-17, 09:16 AM

Does he have a hard object to get started on? The only lower humidity snake I had stuck was wandering a new incompletely setup tank with smooth plastic items looking for something and after dropping a small rougher rock in he shed completely by morning and calmed down. Usually they are easy snakes.

I've only had to step in for my blood python so far. If he has some left, check the tail, or feels sort of crinkly which is old dry skin bending away from the new get a damp towel of some kind that best matches snake size, just paper towel may work, and fold it around them with slight pressure. They should wriggle through and the skin comes off. I had to press corners of damp towel to some of my python for a min where really stuck before letting him do it again but it worked and he started with a full stuck shed. It doesn't risk damage as much as forcing it off since they are mostly controlling the rubbing themselves.

emwilly90 · 05-15-17, 10:43 AM

He has A couple of hard objects. He has a branch, a tunnel and his water bowl is kind of rough around the outside. Thank you for the advice!

emwilly90 · 05-17-17, 10:48 AM

I came home from work today and he had shed, all in one go! I must be doing something right

Spitts · 05-19-17, 05:06 PM

They can smell when they shed