Lying in water bowl

[snickersnake]

Hello!
This may not be any big deal but I'm still worried. Last May, Lucy quit eating and skin looked really dull and I assumed she was getting ready to shed. She always quits eating before a shed. But her eyes didn't turn blue, and each time I tried to feed her, she wouldn't eat. This went on all summer (and I came here and asked for help!).

She shed last week, but her eyes never did get cloudy blue. And shedding has never taken so long...that's why I thought her refusal to eat was not related to shedding this time. But I still haven't been able to get her to eat. Today, she is lying in her water bowl and that's something she doesn't do unless she is getting ready to shed. I haven't even turned her light on today because I was afraid she might be too hot...even though it's chilly and I typically turn the light on. Not sure what to do but I'm going to try and feed her again today.

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds like a shed coming on.

You might also check for mites. Off food, soaking, could be mites. Give her a bath. Check the water for those little round, black devils. Let her run though your hands a number of times, checking your hands for mites. Wipe her down with a damp white paper towel, checking for them.
Best of luck, keep us informed.

[jitami]

How long has it been since she's eaten? How big is she? Since she just shed last week, that's not it. What is the temperature in her enclosure? Checking for mites, as Steve said, is a good starting point. She could have internal parasites as well, or she could just be getting ready to brumate. How long have you had her? Is she wild caught or captive born/bred? What part of the country are you in and what's your weather been like for the last couple of weeks?

[guidofatherof5]

How long has it been since she's eaten? How big is she? Since she just shed last week, that's not it. What is the temperature in her enclosure? Checking for mites, as Steve said, is a good starting point. She could have internal parasites as well, or she could just be getting ready to brumate. How long have you had her? Is she wild caught or captive born/bred? What part of the country are you in and what's your weather been like for the last couple of weeks?

Very good group of questions, Tami. Nice job.

[mustang]

i dont know if theese are good but
make sure she shed her eyecaps
check for mites
if its gettn colder maybe shes gettn ready to hibernate
take to vet

[jitami]

Very good group of questions, Tami. Nice job.

haha... thanks Steve. I always feel bad asking a zillion questions, but not all of our more knowledgeable members check the forum constantly so I try to get all the pertinent info out in the open right away so that when they do check in they have something to work with.

[GarterGeek]

Could it be that your snake was too hot? Snakes often go off food when it's too hot, and soaking in a water bowl is a typical way to cool down. Maybe you needed to lower the temperature. Snakes generally stop eating before a shed because they get cloudy and can't see. Since you said your snake didn't get all "blue" and cloudy, going off food may have had nothing to do with shedding. :)

[Didymus20X6]

On a related note, I've noticed that two of my garters seem to prefer sleeping in the water enclosure instead of the land enclosure (see my enclosure thread (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/enclosures/5834-toms-snake-enclosure-5.html#post117895) to clarify if necessary). The brick I have the hide set up on is very porous and is practically always wet, so I think it's because they like the water.

Temperatures vary between 80 and 87F, and I have a 100w incandescent bulb above the land enclosure.