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first time snake shedding in my care.. help!

spiros-momma

New member
Hey guys, like I said this is the first time my baby corn is shedding, I only noticed hes shedding as his colour is dull. I just wanted some advice towards wether I can help, if I can handle him or what? All I know is I cant feed him until the shed is over, so any tips/advice please?
 
just relax and let him shed. And after he is complely done you can handle him and check to see if the tail tip and the eye caps of the shed came off too. And you can feed him.
 
one thing I remember reading somewhere was that if you want to help out the only things you can really do are

a) put in a larger shallow water bowl so the snake has a place to soak

and

b) Lightly mist the viv to help raise humidity.

If you live in a humid area this shouldn't be a problem though, but if you're in a dry area, or you use a dehumidifier for some reason (I have to use one atm due to too much condensation) then misting would probably be a good idea.

Other than that though the snake should be perfectly fine and shed on its own.
 
Sometimes a soak in water can make a perfectly normal shed turn ugly. I would suggest only give him a soak if he has stuck shed. I usually use a wet wash cloth and let them slither through my hands on the cloth to help get off stuck shed.

I would mist the viv tho and other than that I would leave him alone until he is finished. Good Lucky :D
 
I use sphagnum moss and put it in every hidng spot, along with misting 3x daily. Always have had good, whole, sheds so far with my son's snake (the only one we own). Get some of the moss, use about a 1/2 cup (?) size, place it in your hand under running water, soaking it, squeeze it until only a few drops come out, the it should be ready to be placed. Humidity in my house I believe is too low otherwise to produce a proper shed (approximately 40-50%). Have you noticed his eyes becoming "blue"?
 
thanks for all your tips/advice, just thought i'd let you all know he has just successfully shed! :D
i feel like a proud momma!
 
I agree with the suggestion of using damp moss in the hides and lightly misting during shedding. My corn snake also seems to appreciate a slightly rough, uneven surface to rub against (nothing sharp or jagged) to help remove his shed. I use pieces of overlapping cork bark flats (half logs work just as well) to help him get the shedding process started. Cork bark flats can easily be disinfected by soaking them in a Nolvasan solution or 1:10 bleach solution (and rinsing them very thoroughly afterwards).

Dan Szewczyk
 
I agree with the suggestion of using damp moss in the hides and lightly misting during shedding. My corn snake also seems to appreciate a slightly rough, uneven surface to rub against (nothing sharp or jagged) to help remove his shed. I use pieces of overlapping cork bark flats (half logs work just as well) to help him get the shedding process started. Cork bark flats can easily be disinfected by soaking them in a Nolvasan solution or 1:10 bleach solution (and rinsing them very thoroughly afterwards).

Dan Szewczyk
 
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