shedding question

dansrockin · #1 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 07:44 PM

hi, my baby boa is coming along nicely, eating well and being pretty good when handled.
about a week ago i noticed its eyes starting to cloud over and the skin lost its color, so i assumed a shed was imminent. but its still sat in the water dish with cloudy eyes and no new skin.
i didnt think it should take this long for a young snake to shed. she is about 20" long and is on one fuzzy a week.
do i just leave her be until it happens or is there a chance its something else? i dont like the idea of not handling her for this long!!!
cheers
dan

mpgt · #2 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 08:45 PM

Believe me, I know the feeling! It can take a while but it'll be worth the wait. She'll be fine.

dansrockin · #3 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 08:50 PM

thanks mate. i thought it was normal but it just seemed to be taking forever! am i best to not handle her at all or will it be ok with mild handling? if i dont handle her for another week or so, will it affect her temperament?
ta
dan

mpgt · #4 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 09:00 PM

I wouldn't handle her. Her eyes are clear now right? If she has a good temperament, she'll be fine. You might break up the shed. I never handle mine while in shed unless it's unavoidable. It doesn't guarantee a shed problem if you do, but I don't want to risk it.

dansrockin · #5 (**permalink**) 05-15-2007, 09:04 PM

the eyes are still cloudy. thats what was worrying me. on the other snakes ive had in the past they would only go cloudy for a couple of days and then clear, but this has been a week now and they havent cleared up.
i havent been handling her so i guess i'll have to keep on waiting!
dan

Demona · #6 (**permalink**) 05-16-2007, 05:54 PM

my little boa usually takes like 3 wwks to shed from start to finish.
she gets really dark and moody, she'll eat that week, but then the next week and a half she's in blue and you can't even go near her cage without her gettin upset. she clears up for a few days, then it can take her almost a week to actually shed.

just be patient

oh and post pics when its all done

dansrockin · #7 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 10:31 PM

well she shed today, but it was incomplete.
the front half had come off ok but in pieces, and the eyecaps were complete. the back half of the body was still on though, so after a good soak and some gentle persuasion the rest came off in lots of little bits. she seemed happy enough for me to help her though, just sitting there and crawling through my fingers while i gently pulled away the skin.
now she looks much nicer, the colors are rich and deep.

im assuming that it was down to incorrect humidity but could it be anything else? the ambient humidity in the room is around 60%, there is a water dish in the tank and its been sprayed every day this last week. i would have thought that the humidity would be ok with that sort of routine?
cheers
dan

X-Factor · #8 (**permalink**) 05-21-2007, 07:23 AM

You need a humidity guage in the cage. 60% is ok, I usually go for a little bit higher personally, especially during shed. As far as "pulling" I would caution you against doing that, rather gently rubbing and massaging. The crucial bit was the eyecaps, the rest will just come off naturally. Good luck, she looks great!

dansrockin · #9 (**permalink**) 05-21-2007, 09:57 AM

cheers mate, im getting a digital humidity gauge on weds for the tank. ive got one next to it to cover the ambient humidity for my spiders but i know it could be slightly lower in the tank due to the screen top.
i didnt really pull it off, it was more a rolling movement, but the belly scales area was a little tougher so i held the skin while she moved around and it came off easy enough.
just as an aside, any idea how long it should be til she sheds again? she is about 20" long at the min and on one fuzzy a week.
cheers
dan

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