Can someone tell me what to expect during shed?

ChristinaM · 12-17-03, 11:24 PM

I've never had a snake shed....well I've never had snakes before LOL.

My BRB has turned the dull colour and her eyes are opaque(for lack of a better description).

When will she shed?
Do I need to do anything diffrent during this time?
Feeding day is Friday....do I offer her food?

Thanks for baring with my novice questions.

foman · 12-17-03, 11:37 PM

Well seeing how it's a rainbow you shouldn't have raise the humidity, the eyes will clear up in a day or two, after that she will shed. You can offer food but you could also wait til she is done.

Derrick · 12-17-03, 11:59 PM

I dont know about BRBs but with my corns and JCP about 7+- days after thier eyes go milky they shed

C.m.pyrrhus · 12-18-03, 12:21 AM

Being it is a BRB, she already has a moist area to aid in shedding. When it comes to feeding, you are fine to hold off until she finishes her shed cycle. You could offer before, either way is fine, but afterwords you pretty much know she would not refuse.

Like the others stated, she will return to a clear color under the shed. The opaque colors are basically a lube job to remove the old skin off the new. After the 'return' of the color, she will shed anywhere from 1-3 days respectively. Then you take pictures and post them for us to see (new skin is awesome picture time).

Linds · 12-23-03, 02:43 AM

What I do with all new snakes, offer food once while they are opaque, if they take it, then I know they are comfortable enough in shed to feed, if they don't, then I know not to offer it again in the future when they are in shed. The only exception to this are live feeders, since snakes need to be dead on and they often aren't when they are foggy-eyed. I give them each one chance to let me know their in shed feeding preference. I'd estimate maybe 70% of my collection will take food while they are in shed.

BRB seem to have fairly lengthy shed cycles compared to most other boids. From the time they are opaque to the time they shed mine average close to a week. Try not to handle your snake as much as possible as you near the final stage of the cycle (after the snake clears up after being opaque) because the skin is now seperating and getting ready to be sloughed off... if it breaks prematurely the fluids will drain out.