Clicking and not eating

[kimbosaur]

Ive also read elsewhere that they will sometimes make a clicking/popping noise right before a shed because the skin is loosening or something. Anybody witness this?

[guidofatherof5]

Ive also read elsewhere that they will sometimes make a clicking/popping noise right before a shed because the skin is loosening or something. Anybody witness this?

Interesting. I've never heard that but would like to know more.

[Light of Dae]

That would be neat, Hope that is so, my baby has doubled n size n hasn't shed yet (2months old) but I have noticed her clicking lately.

[RedSidedSPR]

Never heard that either......

[chris-uk]

An update on Bethan, who wasnt eating and was clicking.
She shed on Wednesday, it wasnt an easy shed and I ended up helping her. I'd spotted her with really tattered skin and it was clearly not going to come off in one piece as it was loose in some places, had holes in some places, and had several splits. I took her out and into a bowl of warm water where I held the loose ends and let her pull against me, then I ended up gently rubbing the tail end to remove the last piece.
She did stop clicking. The last time I heard her click was a day or so before the shed on Wednesday. So the clicking could well have been associated with an early stage of this difficult shed.

[kimbosaur]

Interesting that she actually shed! What I read was that sometimes, as the skin is loosening, there are air pockets that can develop near the mouth/nose area so that when they breathe, it makes a kind of popping sound as the loose skin moves? I can't remember exactly, I'll try to find the link.

[kimbosaur]

Found it! Link here:
Respiratory Problems in Reptiles

Some snakes may have an audible sound when they breathe, during or right before the shedding process, from the skin expanding and contracting when it inhales and exhales

There are actually a few threads from different forums that mention a correlation between the clicking/popping sound and shedding too. Here's one:
baby making clicking noise - CornSnakes.com Forums

I've certainly seen posts from folks who have heard this clicking noise just before a shed. Theory is that it's the skin around the nostrils/mouth being loosened by the process.

I heard the exact same clicking sound on one of my baby corns. What I learned happened was that the skin hadn't shed off completely or just right around the the nostral area. The good news is after the next shed the problem was fixed and I never heard the clicking sound again.