Shed Stages

[guidofatherof5]

How about a thread for the different stages of the shed process.
Here is Tourette starting another shed. She's looking very dull and her eyes are beginning to cloud over.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed4.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed12.jpg

[gregmonsta]

Full blown cloudy stage -

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed.JPG

[guidofatherof5]

I love that photo, Greg.;)

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/erysed201101.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Pretty, even in shed.;)

[guidofatherof5]

Dark phase radix(Shade) in deep shed.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/dark_shed.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

My Big Bertha looked like Greg's snake for the last two or three days' very blue eyes. She's right on time since fully grown concinnus' shed about twice a year. Been 5 months or so since she shed. She's clear today. I expect her to shed sometime during the next couple of days.

I'll try to remember to post pics after she sheds and show you the massive skin that she sheds off, with something of known size for reference.;)

She's such a sweetheart though. In spite of being cloudy and in shed, she isn't grouchy at all and still comes to my hand and/or comes out of her hide to watch me from her enclosure when she's aware that I'm there.:D

[zooplan]

She's clear today.

so she´s in a vrey interesting stage of shedding now, don´t wait for the photo!

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/eryshed201101.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

so she´s in a vrey interesting stage of shedding now, don´t wait for the photo!

OK, I'll get a pic now while she's in the clear, and one after she sheds. I missed out on the opaque phase. I've been busy and it didn't last long so I missed my chance.

[ConcinusMan]

so she´s in a vrey interesting stage of shedding now, don´t wait for the photo!

OK, I got the pic. With my concinnus' I usually notice the underside turning milky first. Then over a couple of days time, the eyes go milky. Sometimes they go as milky as gregs picture, sometimes only slightly milky. Big mama had those creepy blue eyes for about two days, then suddenly went clear yesterday. She hasn't shed yet in this pic but I expect she will any time now, maybe as soon as this evening.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/383/shed002large.jpg

And here's a male that had very cloudy eyes yesterday, but is now beginning to clear up. You can also see how milky his underside looks. On a side note, he's hypoerythristic so his yellow looking spots is a normal thing for him, not because he's in shed. After he sheds, that milky underside will be jet black.

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/8679/shed003large.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

OK, my big girl shed today, two days after her eyes cleared up. It went smoothly, was over in about 5 min, and came off in one piece. Here's a shot of her skin on her enclosure for size comparison. The tank is 4 feet long (48 inches) or for the rest of the world, the tank is roughly 122cm long.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/3087/shed008large.jpg

And here she is after shedding. Nice and shiny, and really slippery trying to handle her!
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5310/shed011large.jpg

It's worth noting that my snakes almost never do any soaking even in pre-shed but this girl has spent the last few hours soaking in the water dish after she shed.:rolleyes:

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/5396/shed017large.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

A little post-shed action going on right now. That hypoery male pictured above is courting her. The way she's acting, she just might let him. I'll post a video to my youtube channel later.

EDIT: We have a lock up. I guess big bertha will be having a litter this year after all.:D

[guidofatherof5]

Here's one of my T.s.parietalis (Red Sided Garter Snakes) girls just starting her shed.
She's got the lower jaw and some of the neck done.
You can see the top is ready also.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed41.jpg

[kibakiba]

She's trying to control your mind like the radixes, Steve. She wants you to help her with it so she doesn't have to do any of the work! :D

[guidofatherof5]

She's trying to control your mind like the radixes, Steve. She wants you to help her with it so she doesn't have to do any of the work! :D

It took me about two minutes to make that earlier post.
When I was done I checked on her progress and found she was done.
Makes me wish I had the video camera running at the time.:mad:

[zooplan]

When I was done I checked on her progress and found she was done.
I have my camera prepared close to the enclosures and look frequently to get one caught in the act.
So I find their sheds allmost still wet.:o

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_01.jpg
caught in the act! more pics may follow...

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_02.jpg
Do you like more?:rolleyes:

[gregmonsta]

Of course we would ;) .... very cute parietalis.

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_03.jpg
she went on...

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_04.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

And then what happened?

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_05.jpg
She found a place to fix the old skin...

[zooplan]

and pulled her self out of it.
http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_06.jpg

[zooplan]

http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_07.jpg
She had a look at the old skin...

[zooplan]

and displayed herself!
http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_08.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Gorgeous;)

Great photos. Thanks.

[zooplan]

there´s still one left:cool:

[guidofatherof5]

Drum roll, please.

[zooplan]

:D
http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_10.jpg (http://www.zooplan.net/images/pari_shed_09.jpg)


Click it!

[guidofatherof5]

Niiiiiice ;)

Great progression photos, Udo.

Now we need a complete shed video.
Anyone, please.

[BUSHSNAKE]

i thought that was pretty cool Udo

[Mommy2many]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[ConcinusMan]

Niiiiiice ;)

Great progression photos, Udo.

Now we need a complete shed video.
Anyone, please.

Assisted is the closest thing I have:cool:

Jxix_Ftm2Lc

[gregmonsta]

Caught on camera today :D

OEdpvXKLJ7s

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks, Richard.

Thanks, Greg.
Loved the video. You can hear the scales peeling off. They know and can feel every part of the process. Very tactile creatures.;)
Typical kids. Always getting in the way of the footage.
Very nice.

[ConcinusMan]

Caught on camera today :D


Perfect timing!

[gregmonsta]

Perfect timing!

Only just :D .... I had four of my charges shed this week this was the only one I was about for.

[zooplan]

Only just :D .... I had four of my charges shed this week this was the only one I was about for.

Perfect timing!:cool:

I find 3 or more sheds per day once in a while, but have still no shedding video:rolleyes:

[zooplan]

The mom of my ery babies is preparing for the first shed after brumation:
http://www.zooplan.net/images/erymom_grey.jpg
It´s a little bit blurry, but very true colour, because i took the picture without flashlight.

[guidofatherof5]

That is a big, beautiful girl.

[guidofatherof5]

Here's Daisy just starting her shed. The last photo is where the shed broke. I did have to assist her with this area.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Daisy_shed.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/daisy_shed1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/daisy_shed2.jpg

[Odie]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Daisy_shed.jpg

I call this "Hat" phase :o

[Stefan-A]

I suppose you could say that it looks like a poke bonnet. ;)

[guidofatherof5]

I had to look that one up. Good call.:D

[sawmane 1]

Mines eye never got that cloudy and his eyes were only cloudy over nite then the next mourning he was shiny and clean. Is that a problem?

[Stefan-A]

No, it's normal.

[ConcinusMan]

Plains garter snake shedding. I knew she was ready but nothing was happening yet. I turned my back for 5 minutes. Unfortunately that was long enough to miss most of the process. Just caught the "tail end". Pun intended.

FsF_5r7_oGE

[guidofatherof5]

In opaque but still hungry.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shed_hungry.jpg

[kibakiba]

Those are some really buggy eyes! :D

[ConcinusMan]

http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/9043/shed040large.jpg
bNSQRfGXdKI

[nitrogen15]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shed_Croppier.JPG

Cloudy stage.

[guidofatherof5]

Very unusual cloudy scales on the head and body or is that a flash issue.

[ConcinusMan]

Hey Steve, my Big Bertha above had the same thing going on right before she shed today. The skin seemed to be separating in places forming little pockets. I actually started noticing it when she was cloudy. I had never noticed that happen before but then again, she had never shed 4 weeks apart before. She needed a little help this time. She's bloated and due to her condition, it seemed like too much effort for her to get it done on her own.

[nitrogen15]

Very unusual cloudy scales on the head and body or is that a flash issue.

It's not a flash issue. Her scales always get cloudy but more so this time. Her shed was prolonged this time so it may be an indication that her skin was too dry. A bath and an increase in humidity based on Jeff's tips cleared her up and the shed completed soon after. Unfortunately no pics of the shed in progress. She always sheds at night.


I had never noticed that happen before but then again, she had never shed 4 weeks apart before. She needed a little help this time. She's bloated and due to her condition, it seemed like too much effort for her to get it done on her own.

This has been her longest stretch between sheds so far. Maybe that's also a factor.

[ConcinusMan]

I will take this opportunity to point out the importance of getting to know your snakes as individuals and checking on them frequently, even if "checking" means disturbing them and seeing how they react. Knowing their habits, their behaviors, their shedding frequencies, etc. can help you to detect sooner when something is wrong.

With that said, I knew that the situation with Big Bertha is unusual. First off, she normally sheds about twice a year. Second, she just shed a month ago and immediately got gravid. OK so fast forward 3 weeks and she went all cloudy again... because I know her, it seemed way to early to be going into shed again. So I'm on alert.

So, I've been keeping a close eye on her. She went clear some days ago. I decided that she should have shed by now. So, I rustled her out of her hide to pick her up and make sure she's OK. She felt strange. Her skin felt "crinkled and crunchy". Somethings not right.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8774/shed022large.jpg

When I saw that ^^^ I know she needs to shed and is overdue. Normally her belly would be glossy black. When she's in the cloudy stage, her belly looks milky blue. But she's way beyond that and overdue to shed. I can see that the skin is already separating in places and feels "crunchy".

I put her in a lukewarm bath for over an hour until her belly began to look normal. I knew then that she had soaked long enough for water to get under the old skin. By then, the shed had begun near her vent and under her chin. I had to assist her shed but all is well now and she seems relieved. Right now she is resting;) but I'll get shots of her belly tomorrow for comparison.

My point is, you see that ^^^ then time to give your snake a good long soak whether he/she wants to or not!

[ConcinusMan]

It's not a flash issue. Her scales always get cloudy but more so this time. Her shed was prolonged this time so it may be an indication that her skin was too dry. A bath and an increase in humidity based on Jeff's tips cleared her up and the shed completed soon after. Unfortunately no pics of the shed in progress. She always sheds at night.



This has been her longest stretch between sheds so far. Maybe that's also a factor.

That's good to note what is normal and what is not. Every snake goes through growth spurts and maybe the shedding frequency varies according to the time of year, and other rhythmic variances. The better you know your snake's rhythms and behavior.. well, you know. You know when she tends to shed, how long it's been, etc. and that's good. Keep getting to know her normal rhythms.

We all know that snakes go cloudy, then clear up. Then after they go clear, they should shed very soon. If that doesn't happen within a day to a week,(depends on the individual snake) then we know somethings wrong and they may need a soak and/or assist shed, before they get into a dangerous situation of "stuck" shed, or "failure to shed".;)

Crinkled skin, labored breathing, abnormal behavior.. these are things to watch for especially during the clear that comes after a cloudy time.

[guidofatherof5]

This is Dark Girl. You can clearly see a retained eye cap.
I used a wet micro cloth to simply wipe the cap off. In this incident it was an easy task since there was a clear edge to work with.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/retained.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/retain1.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Here is The Enforcer. Even though she was feeling blue she had time for a few pinkies.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed5.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/shed6.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Here's my Boom, deep into opaque phase.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/boom_eye.jpg

[indigoman]

Outstanding closeup Steve!

[guidofatherof5]

Outstanding closeup Steve!

It better be at the price I paid for the macro lens.:D
I've been without a digital Canon EOS for over a year.
Plenty of lenes but no body.
Then a good friend dropped off a EOS body.
I'm back in business.

[ConcinusMan]

Outstanding closeup Steve!

It is. Now work your magic and make a shot like that where every scale and everything in the picture is in focus and I would be extremely impressed.

I have to say, with the cost of some macro lenses, (and the cameras that go with them) if I paid that much, they darn well be able do do that! I realize you focused on the eye, but just wondered if your equipment could do what I described, where the whole head is in focus. That would be awesome.

[guidofatherof5]

Looks like the flurry of shedding has slowed down at the Ranch.

[ConcinusMan]

Seems like one snake or another is always in shed at my house and yet every once in a while it seems like all of them are.

Blue towel, blue eyes. March 2011 concinnus baby. In shed for the third time in two months.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/372/shedbabies005large.jpg

[snakehill]

I've read that baby garters shed for the first time when they are born. When do they usually have their second shed?

[guidofatherof5]

Depends on their food intake and growth rate.
Each snake is different.

[guidofatherof5]

Just had a three hour ordeal with on of my baby albino het T.s.parietalis'.
Notice an incomplete shed so I used a shed box. After three hours of changing cold towels for warm towels I could see it was getting me nowhere.
The next 30 minutes was spent at the kitchen sink running warm water over this little scrub. The old shed seems to have fused with the new skin.
After much work I was able to get this little one back with its family.
Never had that much trouble before.

[RedSidedSPR]

Dang... glad it worked out