One thing you can’t escape as a snake owner is SNAKE SHED. All snakes shed their outer skin layer and their shedding process is amusing.
Ball pythons are no different. Since shedding is the same for ball pythons as most other snakes I will describe it for snakes in general.
In this post I will tell you the hows and whys of snake molting, what you can do to help a snake shed and what to do if a snake has a bad shed.
Why Do Snakes Molt?
Snakes shed for various reasons. Here are 3 that are most important.
Growth
First let’s talk about why snakes molt. Snakes molt because they outgrow their skin. Instead of their skin flaking off in pieces it all comes off as a whole layer. Their outer layer of skin can’t grow with them so…they take it off.
Protection
Growing is one reason why a snake sheds but it also has health reasons. Snakes can get parasites but shedding can rid them of these parasites. I see it as a snake cleaning itself. The snake peels off the outer layer of skin that touches everything they crawl on.
Healing
Snakes also need to shed to survive. If a snake gets injured the outer layer of skin will protect the wound until it heals. Over time the snake will have a scar where the injury happened.
Snake Shedding Signs – How to Tell When a Snake Will Shed
The process of a snake shedding happens in stages. The first sign of a snake in the shedding process is the dull color of its skin. In some snakes you’ll see the belly get a pinkish hue. The dulling color of the snake is the snake’s outer layer starting to separate from the snake.
Blue Phase
During this stage you’ll see your snake’s eyes turn a blue-ish color which is why it’s been coined the BLUE phase.
It’s important not to bother the snake too much during this time since they have a hard time seeing especially your ball python since they’re already half blind!
It’s common for snakes to be in this phase for a few days or even a week. They will even stop eating if they are too uncomfortable. Not to worry. After they shed their appetite should be back to normal.
White Phase
After they dull out they’ll actually go back to looking normal! This doesn’t mean the snake has shed yet. It’s a part of the snake shedding process where the snake has produced natural oils to help the outer layer come off.
Final Phase
A few days later you’ll see the snake start to rub its nose on EVERYTHING.
This marks the start of the actual shed. It is very important to leave them alone during this process. Handling or touching them will stress them out since they are in a very vulnerable state.
The snake skin will then start rolling off scale by scale. If you’ve ever seen this process it is amusing and kind of relaxing to watch.
How Often Do Snakes Shed Skin
Snakes will shed their whole lives. How often they do depends on how fast they are growing. Younger snakes will shed every week. Soon they will shed every two weeks and so on. As they get older they won’t need to shed as much so they will go a month to six weeks between sheds.
THERE IS NO SET SCHEDULE FOR SNAKES TO SHED. They’ll know when it’s time. Adults should shed once a month but if it takes longer that’s ok, it just means they’re not growing as fast as they were when they were the itty bitty babies
What to Do if Your Snake Has Shedding Problems – Snakes Shedding in Pieces
A snakeowner’s dream is for their snake to have a perfect shed every time. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Even if your humidity is perfect there could still be factors that cause a snake to have a bad shed.
One thing you can do to avoid this is soak your snake. Snake’s don’t always appreciate it but a good warm soak will do them good.
You can soak your snake in a bathtub but from my experience it’s hard to keep them from exploring and the water gets cold quickly.
My best advice is to use a lockable tub. A storage tub works best for this. You’ll need to poke holes in the tub for ventilation, just make sure they are at the top of the tub and not the bottom where they water can leak out. Using a drill or a soldering iron are the easiest methods I’ve found.
Just the soak alone should work beautifully for your snake to shed in one piece, but sometimes they’ll still need a little help.
If your snake has shed but has some pieces that are stuck gently rub the snake from front to back with a warm paper towel should take care of any straggling pieces.
If for any reason those two methods don’t work you can try using vitamin E. Vitamin E can be purchased in liquid form that can be rubbed onto the snake if they need it. Make sure there are no additives in the liquid as most have them.
I’ve found that supplements like this one have the purest form of vitamin e if you don’t mind cutting open the capsules. After all, if it’s safe enough for us to eat, it’s safe for the snake’s skin, right?
Please note that long term effects of using vitamin E on snakes have not been determined so use it sparingly if at all.
Do’s and Dont’s When a Snake is In Shed
DO NOT
- Lather snake in cooking oil
- Pick up and handle the snake while going through a shed
- Peel the shed from the snake, snake skin is very stretchy! Peeling the shed can cause scales to come off which should never happen
DO
- Soak them every once in a while – weekly or monthly
- Add humidity to their enclosure, spraying with water bumps humidity up immediately and helps loosen the skin.
- Have something for them to rub against. Not necessary but it helps them during the process.
- Make sure their eye-caps come off too!
Conclusion
Snake shedding is a PROCESSSS. With good husbandry it shouldn’t be a problem for a snake but anything can cause a bad shed to happen even with perfect humidity. Watching your snake and paying attention to their behavior and color will tell you when it’s time for a shed. Let them tell you.
Soaks are good! Who doesn’t love a good bath? Ok snakes don’t love it but it’s good for them in the long run. A bad shed every once in a while isn’t going to harm your snake so don’t worry so much when it happens. Remember to enjoy that slithering companion! Having a snake is fun and they can be calming, make the most of it and good luck!
