HELP!

[louise]

my snake has been in blue and just went out. so before work i put a jumbo rat in the fridge to thaw. when i got home i took it out and made it nice and warm put my snake in her seperate tank and threw the rat in. well she kept seeming to have a hard time eating it then she bit herself!!! then she started rubbing her head on the bottom of the tank. then she went backto the rat. well i noticed she started shedding on her head. so she kept doing all this including biting herself. she was coiled around the rat the whole time. so i took the lid off her big tank and dumped her rat in tank. she wont surrender the rat and she lives on jungle earth. she keeps trying to eat the rat at the wrong end(its tail first) and biting herself and moving to shed! she isnt hurting herself no marks or blood but im scared to death and dont know what to do. please help now!!

[louise]

i just got the rat away!

[louise]

well she shed in one piece and i put newspaper in her cage and put the rat on it. im going to bed and try to figure out why my snakes plot to kill me!

[Shadrach]

I usally as a general rule of thumb never offer any food during shed cycles. I wait until the shed is over and offer it. I just don't think it would feel very good myself to have a full belly and be trying to wiggle and come out of an old skin. Kind of like going to an all you can eat buffett then trying to slip on the tightest pair of pants you have.

[louise]

i was told it is good cause it helps them shed better cause it stretches the sken. i just didnt know she would decide to shed at that exact moment!

[Amiechan]

Originally Posted by louise

i was told it is good cause it helps them shed better cause it stretches the sken. i just didnt know she would decide to shed at that exact moment!

Who told you that? That's really strange.
When our snakes are shedding or in blue most will not eat so we don't bother offering food until they are done.

[Diablo]

I agree with Shadrach. I always wait till they are done shedding to feed them. The snake should shed just fine if the humidity is right.

[eddie]

Some snakes eat fine in shed, others won't..

Sounds like the scent may have confused your snake a bit.. especially with the slight impairment of vision from the shed... eat or defend.. eat or defend.. eat or flee... eat or flee...