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Shed before she was ready???

Shelliebear

Shelliebear

Team Snug
Went to check on Cheesecake today, she's still blue in her eyes. Her colors have somewhat gone back to normal but not her eyes.
She had an open spot in her old skin she was about to shed in a few days, like a break in the complete shed part, so I gently rolled it down her tail (it was just below her cloaca). The area smells....odd, kind of like dirt, and is kind of wet and sticky. It looks fine, maybe a little redder than usual, but....Did I hurt her? :( I am worried I did, but I thought if there was a big break in the skin like there was, that part should come off. :(
I really hope I didn't hurt my baby! Please help!
Why did the skin break and did I do wrong?
Shellie :nope::nope:
 
They usually go back to their normal colour before shedding, so what you saw there was the usual thing.

When they first shed, they do feel slightly sticky, because a layer of lubricating fluid forms between the old and new skin to help the process. So the wet and sticky aspect is also normal and thy dry out after a few minutes. Can't comment on the smell as I've never sniffed a freshly-shed Corn!

The old skin probably broke because she was due to shed and had brushed past something that caused the old skin to tear. Again, just part of the normal process.

By taking off a bit of the old skin, you've probably done it before she was quite ready to shed. It's never a good idea to assist unless they really need it. However, unless you can see any patches of bleeding or bits where scales actually seem to be missing, you shouldn't have done any damage.

Next time, the best idea is just to leave her to it. If she has trouble shedding then there are techniques to try, but they don't involve taking the skin off yourself without any preparation.
 
I live in a very dry climate, so I find myself assisting the snakes with their sheds. The key is to watch their eyes, I give them three days after their eyes clear, cover the tanks loosely with plastic and mist with water a few times a day. If they still don't shed, or it's a partial shed, then I use a damp washcloth or towel and let the snake squirm through and exfoliate the old skin. I never peel a stuck skin off forcibly.

To me a newly shed snake smells a bit musty and natural, I've always liked the way a clean snake smells. I think the substrate may have an effect on the sent, since I switched to Carefreash the snakes smell more like recycled paper than wood fiber.
 
:O
No, I didn't force it off--it came off really loosely. When I said "peeled it down" I meant the top band, I always let them wiggle out of the rest, which is what she did. :(
I'm not abusing my snakies by ripping their skin off, I promise. :p I let them wiggle it out.
 
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