I've noticed more than a few threads about shedding on here recently, so I thought I'd write this as a guide to shedding for those with any questions. All the snakes in the pictures are my own; I run a rescue and see lots of things with the snakes I take in; I'm not flaunting sick snakes, I don't have ill snakes - Just so you know. lol.
Normal Shedding in Stages
Stage One - Pinking Out
This can be much more prominent in some snakes than others, so don't be alarmed if you skip this stage and go straight to stage two.
The first day or two into a good slough you should notice that the underbelly scales (and oftentimes the side scales, depending on how light they are) go a pale pink colour. I call this ‘pinking out’.
More often than not people will come on here concerned that their beloved snake has the starts of a burn when they notice this for the first time.
Here’s a picture of what this can look like:
![Image]()
This stage can last two to three days.
Stage Two - In Blue
This is much harder to miss. The scales along the belly of the snake will go a dull blue/grey colour, the overall colour on the snake will dull out considerably and the snake’s eyes will look ‘clouded’ – for anyone who is witnessing this for the first time, this is when the eyes go grey/blue and look almost like the snake has developed cataracts.
Again, we see a lot of concern on here from first time snake owners thinking their snakes are going/have gone blind. Be reassured, they can still see.
Here are a few pictures of a snake in Blue:
![Image]()
![Image]()
This can last anywhere from three to ten days in my experience, but don’t be surprised if it is less or more than this; although I will say, if it takes more than 14 days try raising the humidity and temps (most effectively, by adding sphagnum moss).
Stage Three – The Clear
By far the most confusing of sloughing stages, ‘the clear’ is when your snake suddenly becomes quite normal looking again, but there is no sign of a shed. You get a lot of ‘wtf?!’ posts about this, as some snakes can look very clear and clean, as though they have shed but there is no proof (could my snake have ate its own shed?! – No...), and concerns that the shedding snake has decided not to shed after all.
Here are some pictures of snakes in ‘the clear’.
![Image]()
![Image]()
This stage can last between a half-day to three days, but rarely goes over that time. Make sure the snake has something hard to rub itself on to get started.
Stage Four – The Shed
This is the final stage of the shedding process. If you are lucky enough to witness this you may see your snake rubbing itself up against everything it can with its nose or the sides of its head. This is the way they start off the sloughing process; starting a small tear so they can then move around and, effectively, roll the old shed straight off in one piece.
This is always a good indicator of how well your snake is; always give the snake a quick check over to make sure there’s no stuck shed remaining. If the snake is in good health then the shed should come off in one solid piece; bare in mind, however, that sometimes a shed can snap if it’s stuck to the interior of the set up (whatever the snake is rubbing on), or in some cases, if the snake has moved over the shed while manoeuvring the rest of it off, it can tear its own shed. So if there is a nice shed in there, and the snake has no retained shed, but it’s snapped into two pieces, or has a tear down a side etc, chances are it’s just been damaged in the process and it’s nothing to worry about.
Here are some healthy sheds:
![Image]()
![Image]()
Guide to a Bad Shed
Stuck Shed
The main issue you will face with shedding is when the snake has problems getting it all off. This can occur in small areas or, in more severe cases, in full.
The best thing you can do for a snake with a stuck shed is bath it in warm water (think baby bath temps – not too hot but not cold) for 5/10 minutes twice a day to keep the snake hydrated and help the skin stay moist – this means the skin won’t dry out and crisp, making it harder for the snake to rub it off.
However, other things you can try include:
- Putting a damp towel in a pillowcase and placing the snake in with it. Leave the pillowcase (tied so it can’t get out) in a RUB half over a heat mat at appropriate temps for that snake to keep it warm. Leave it there for an hour every night.
- Place a handful of sphagnum moss in the snake’s hide, over the hot end of its set-up. More often than not this is all that’s really needed to put up the humidity in the snakes set-up, but if you feel it’s not enough then a light misting once daily won’t hurt as well.
NEVER try to peel or pick at your snakes stuck shed, this will only cause the snake stress, pain and, on occasion, more serious skin issues (infection, scarring etc).
Here's what a full stuck shed can look like:
![Image]()
Retained Tail Tip
This can be a huge cause of concern for many snake owners as, more often than not, you don’t notice this until it looks pretty bad. Retained shed around the tail tip can cause ‘deadtip’ – when the end of the tail is pinched by the stuck shed and the blood supply is cut off. This can leave the tail tip looking black and ‘dead’ as the blood can’t circulate – in very severe cases the tail tip will fall off and leave the snake with a stumpy tail. This won’t grow back, despite what you may have heard down the pet shop.
Techniques for helping retained tail tip are the same as the techniques for retained or stuck shed. One difference I’d say here is that a snake with retained tail tip would benefit from a spray of F10 antibacterial solution; this is to prevent any infections occurring, as dying tissue is much more prone to causing bacterial infection due to rotting.
Here's a picture of a tail tip that has healed up after the tip fell off due to a retained tail shed:
![Image]()
Retained Eye Caps
Retained eye caps are noticeable due to the dimpling or/and clouding effect they have over the eye. Mostly, retained eye caps are a result of poor humidity levels.
You can do a few things to aid the removal of eye caps.
- Use Viscotears; apply directly on to the eye in question. This is said to be the best way of treating stubborn retained eye caps. (Thank you commenters ;p)
- Brush them very (and I mean very) gently with a wet cotton bud. (WARNING; if you are not confident using this method then please DO NOT do it. Rubbing the eye lense with cotton wool etc can cause blindness and/or infections, oedema and panophthalmitis as the eye lens or palpebral membrane are more susceptible to infection.)
However, most of the time if you just correct the humidity in the snake’s set-up the retained eye caps will come off with no problems in the snakes next shed.
Here's a picture of a retained eye cap:
![Image]()
If I have left anything out, fellow RFUKers, please feel free to mention it below
LuiBlu x
Normal Shedding in Stages
Stage One - Pinking Out
This can be much more prominent in some snakes than others, so don't be alarmed if you skip this stage and go straight to stage two.
The first day or two into a good slough you should notice that the underbelly scales (and oftentimes the side scales, depending on how light they are) go a pale pink colour. I call this ‘pinking out’.
More often than not people will come on here concerned that their beloved snake has the starts of a burn when they notice this for the first time.
Here’s a picture of what this can look like:
This stage can last two to three days.
Stage Two - In Blue
This is much harder to miss. The scales along the belly of the snake will go a dull blue/grey colour, the overall colour on the snake will dull out considerably and the snake’s eyes will look ‘clouded’ – for anyone who is witnessing this for the first time, this is when the eyes go grey/blue and look almost like the snake has developed cataracts.
Again, we see a lot of concern on here from first time snake owners thinking their snakes are going/have gone blind. Be reassured, they can still see.
Here are a few pictures of a snake in Blue:
This can last anywhere from three to ten days in my experience, but don’t be surprised if it is less or more than this; although I will say, if it takes more than 14 days try raising the humidity and temps (most effectively, by adding sphagnum moss).
Stage Three – The Clear
By far the most confusing of sloughing stages, ‘the clear’ is when your snake suddenly becomes quite normal looking again, but there is no sign of a shed. You get a lot of ‘wtf?!’ posts about this, as some snakes can look very clear and clean, as though they have shed but there is no proof (could my snake have ate its own shed?! – No...), and concerns that the shedding snake has decided not to shed after all.
Here are some pictures of snakes in ‘the clear’.
This stage can last between a half-day to three days, but rarely goes over that time. Make sure the snake has something hard to rub itself on to get started.
Stage Four – The Shed
This is the final stage of the shedding process. If you are lucky enough to witness this you may see your snake rubbing itself up against everything it can with its nose or the sides of its head. This is the way they start off the sloughing process; starting a small tear so they can then move around and, effectively, roll the old shed straight off in one piece.
This is always a good indicator of how well your snake is; always give the snake a quick check over to make sure there’s no stuck shed remaining. If the snake is in good health then the shed should come off in one solid piece; bare in mind, however, that sometimes a shed can snap if it’s stuck to the interior of the set up (whatever the snake is rubbing on), or in some cases, if the snake has moved over the shed while manoeuvring the rest of it off, it can tear its own shed. So if there is a nice shed in there, and the snake has no retained shed, but it’s snapped into two pieces, or has a tear down a side etc, chances are it’s just been damaged in the process and it’s nothing to worry about.
Here are some healthy sheds:
Guide to a Bad Shed
Stuck Shed
The main issue you will face with shedding is when the snake has problems getting it all off. This can occur in small areas or, in more severe cases, in full.
The best thing you can do for a snake with a stuck shed is bath it in warm water (think baby bath temps – not too hot but not cold) for 5/10 minutes twice a day to keep the snake hydrated and help the skin stay moist – this means the skin won’t dry out and crisp, making it harder for the snake to rub it off.
However, other things you can try include:
- Putting a damp towel in a pillowcase and placing the snake in with it. Leave the pillowcase (tied so it can’t get out) in a RUB half over a heat mat at appropriate temps for that snake to keep it warm. Leave it there for an hour every night.
- Place a handful of sphagnum moss in the snake’s hide, over the hot end of its set-up. More often than not this is all that’s really needed to put up the humidity in the snakes set-up, but if you feel it’s not enough then a light misting once daily won’t hurt as well.
NEVER try to peel or pick at your snakes stuck shed, this will only cause the snake stress, pain and, on occasion, more serious skin issues (infection, scarring etc).
Here's what a full stuck shed can look like:
Retained Tail Tip
This can be a huge cause of concern for many snake owners as, more often than not, you don’t notice this until it looks pretty bad. Retained shed around the tail tip can cause ‘deadtip’ – when the end of the tail is pinched by the stuck shed and the blood supply is cut off. This can leave the tail tip looking black and ‘dead’ as the blood can’t circulate – in very severe cases the tail tip will fall off and leave the snake with a stumpy tail. This won’t grow back, despite what you may have heard down the pet shop.
Techniques for helping retained tail tip are the same as the techniques for retained or stuck shed. One difference I’d say here is that a snake with retained tail tip would benefit from a spray of F10 antibacterial solution; this is to prevent any infections occurring, as dying tissue is much more prone to causing bacterial infection due to rotting.
Here's a picture of a tail tip that has healed up after the tip fell off due to a retained tail shed:
Retained Eye Caps
Retained eye caps are noticeable due to the dimpling or/and clouding effect they have over the eye. Mostly, retained eye caps are a result of poor humidity levels.
You can do a few things to aid the removal of eye caps.
- Use Viscotears; apply directly on to the eye in question. This is said to be the best way of treating stubborn retained eye caps. (Thank you commenters ;p)
- Brush them very (and I mean very) gently with a wet cotton bud. (WARNING; if you are not confident using this method then please DO NOT do it. Rubbing the eye lense with cotton wool etc can cause blindness and/or infections, oedema and panophthalmitis as the eye lens or palpebral membrane are more susceptible to infection.)
However, most of the time if you just correct the humidity in the snake’s set-up the retained eye caps will come off with no problems in the snakes next shed.
Here's a picture of a retained eye cap:
If I have left anything out, fellow RFUKers, please feel free to mention it below
LuiBlu x
