Cal king stuck shedding

Cal king stuck shedding

Postby Unforgiven » Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:11 am

I have this albino stripe cal king. I have had it for about 3 months though and it had not shed during that time. The breeder could not confirm if it had shed either. When I initially got it, it had to be assist fed. It now eats on its own, when left alone in a tub.

I had been noticing its skin looking dry and thought it had a stuck shed. So I left it in a deli cup with wet paper towels over a heat mat for 2 days and no shed. Left it and repeated every week for 2 months with no results. Tried shed ease which did not help. Eventually I got fed up and tried to force the skin off. Which worked. The snakes skin looked new and shinier than before. However a few days after taking its shed off I wanted to feed it and saw that its skin looked loose again. My first thought was that it still had another stuck shedding which is likely or that it was dehydrated. Its not thin, but it does have wrinkles/ folds in its skin until the skin is wettened.

I keep the king in a setup the same for all my baby kings and corns:
2litre ice cream tub, some form of peat, water bowl. 30 to 31 hot spot 25 cool side.
I estimate the king to be around 6 to 7 months old, though it is small as I got it looking like a noodle.

So should I try force the second shedding off, or do you guys think the snake is dehydrated?

PS once I found a spot open in its shed I took off and started sliding it off it it came off pretty easy so I'm not sure what stopped the snake from getting the shedding off
Fear not, forgiveness is in grasp
User avatar
Unforgiven
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 429
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:52 am
Location: East London

Re: Cal king stuck shedding

Postby Bushviper » Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:26 pm

Keep feeding the snake. Give it a box filled with moist sphagnum moss to lie in when it next wants to shed. It should shed even old sheddings. The snake must however have access to a dry area so dont force it into a wet environment all the time. Never pull shedding off because after two days of soaking that means it is not ready to come off yet.
It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Those who are afraid to ask are ashamed of learning.
User avatar
Bushviper
Founder Member
 
Posts: 17358
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:02 am
Location: Pretoria

Re: Cal king stuck shedding

Postby Unforgiven » Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:46 pm

Thanks for the advice bushviper

It was not just after 2 days of soaking though.it was a process of over 3 months when I first suspected it went into the blue. It was only after 3 months that I pulled the shedding off. When I compare the king to the other king I have from the same clutch its eyes still look dull.

Its skin was starting to look bubbly like it was loose from its boddy in the last month and that worried me as it looked similar to a snake I had seen that had multiple stuck sheddings.after removing this shedding it looked normal for a few days and now again it looks bubbly and wrinkly
Fear not, forgiveness is in grasp
User avatar
Unforgiven
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 429
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:52 am
Location: East London

Re: Cal king stuck shedding

Postby Bushviper » Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:37 pm

Snakes will shed far more often when they have undergone stressful situations. Just make sure his diet is good and he will slow down and start to shed properly.
It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Those who are afraid to ask are ashamed of learning.
User avatar
Bushviper
Founder Member
 
Posts: 17358
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:02 am
Location: Pretoria


Return to King snakes and milk snakes (Lampropeltis sp.)

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron