Shedding is a common nature of all the reptile creatures, well, almost all of them. Now when you take home a corn snake, be ready to bear with the odd behaviors and also do not be tensed when you see it refusing to eat all of the sudden.
If you are a first-time corn snake owner, then take care, and be aware of the several facts and symptoms that you would see in its life.
Contents
What is the blue phase of corn snake?
The blue phase starts when it is time to shed for the corn snake. Their eyes become dull and cloudy. The color of the eye also becomes bluish, to justify the name of this stage. Also, it cannot see much clear at this phase and until the shedding is over this dullness of eyes stays intact.
What shall you feed to your corn snake when it is shedding?
Feeding is not very important when the corn snake is shedding. Check if the corn snake is having the blue phase when it does not eat properly and usually the food that you offer once in a week is left untouched. Be careful as most of the time the food is live mice, which, if not eaten, can attack the snake itself.
So keep an eye on the food and do not leave the corn snake until it eats the food. Take the mice away if the snake is moving away from the food.
Can I handle the corn snake when it is shedding?
Touching the body or holding the snake is strictly not allowed when your corn snake is shedding. Remember, the shedding stage is not a comfortable stage for the snake, so you should give it some space.
How long the shedding process takes to complete?
The whole process usually takes two to three weeks to get completed. Just remember, this is a natural process. You may get tempted to touch it or take the loose skin off its body, but that will be vicious for the corn snake. The process will be completed on its own and it will not hamper unless you intervene in it.
How can you help the corn snake in the process of shedding?
Allowing it to have enough alone time and also keeping the atmosphere well hydrated is the way to help the corn snake to shed. Shedding is the time when the corn snakes get stressed easily. If you try to put your hand into its tank, again and again, try to feed it or try to touch it, it will never be good for the corn snake.
How much does the corn snake shed?
Shedding happens up to six times a year in the life of a corn snake. Though the number may increase or decrease with the age and size of the corn snake. When the corn snake is young, they shed more frequently but after two years, when they get fully matured, they started shedding lesser numbers. One shedding session takes 10 days approximately to get completed. Within this time limit, you should not harass, touch, or bother your pet snake into its tank.
When the corn snake shed more and when they shed less?
As we have already mentioned, shedding is frequent in number when the corn snake is young and lessens when the corn snake is growing up. Now there is more to it. When the corn snake is just hatched from its egg, it does not shed too many times. But after two weeks they started regular shedding. The number becomes more and more frequent until it reaches the age of one and a half to two years. And then you will see that time of shedding decreases.
Why shedding is important for corn snakes?
Shedding is part of the growth process for corn snakes and other snakes and reptiles. When they grow in size, their body skin gets loosened and gradually it comes out. The new skin is grown and that skin also shed after a few months or weeks. if your snake is not shedding at the regular rate and process, check the snake with the herp vet, as this may indicate a serious growth-related issue in your pet.
How can you help the corn snake while shedding?
Shedding is a natural process, but since you have kept the corn snake as your pet, you need to take some extra care of the condition of the pet when it is the time for shedding. To begin with, you need to know when the snake is going to shed. You will see the below-mentioned characteristics to know that the corn snake is about to shed.
Symptoms of shedding:
The eyes will become dull and so will be the skin. The skin also becomes loose just when the shedding process is about to start.
Arranging for humid atmosphere:
You must arrange for a humid corner in the tank of the corn snake where the snake can go and rub its body. Humidity is an essential part of the shedding process so you can take a tissue box and keep some moist paper towels inside it. Do not forget to sprinkle some water on the paper towels so that the towels do not get dried up. Also, remember to keep a few holes in the wall or top of the tank so some air can pass and the extra moisture can come out.
Sprinkling or misting water:
When the equipment inside the tank is all wet, the environment inside the tank will naturally become moist and humid. Use a sprayer to sprinkle water mist on the false or original plants that you have kept inside the tank, the hammock or the hide, anything that is there. All the equipment should be moist so the humidity evaporated from the items by the heat of the basking lamp keeps the interior ready for the basking process.
Use a hygrometer:
Unless you use a hygrometer, you cannot tell that the humidity level is right for the corn snake’s basking or not. Usually, the humidity level should never exceed 55%. But if misting, moist hide and various other options increase the humidity level and the snake feels claustrophobic then it will be harmful to it. Measuring humidity with a hygrometer is a crucial part of looking after of corn snake.
Adding large water bowl:
The freshwater bowl present in the cage will allow the corn snake to get drenched when it feels like it. Corn snakes do not drink much water but they absorb the water with their hide. So allowing them to get drenched once in a while will make the shedding process easy. The moist skin will easily come out.
Using orchid bark substrate:
Orchid bark substrate is a nice way to hold the moisture amount in the tank. The moisture retention power of the bark is amazing when it comes to shedding. Holding the moisture will help the corn snake to shed comfortably.
Conclusion:
When the flakes of the skin are seen to get loosened from the body of the corn snake, you may feel like pulling the loose ends. But that will be painful and terrible for the snake. So do not dare to do that. Rather offer a warm bowl of water which will be a nice place for the snake to dip into. The dry flakes will get moist and will come out on their own.
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