[nino_rojo]

I've only had my Royal 9 or 10 days and he started off by hiding in the day, as expected, but peaking his head out every now and then. At night I would hear him burrowing and in the morning his substrate would be all moved around, so he was clearly at least a little active.

The past 5 or 6 days he has been VERY inactive, staying as far back in his hide as he can get and I havent heard him moving around at all. I took him out on the weekend to handle and to position some digital thermometer probes, and when I lifted his hide he stayed completely still. Didnt hide his head or anything. Once he was out he got fairly active and was flicking his tongue etc, climbing out of the tub I had placed him in.

His skin is becoming a little milky which I presume is a sign he is about to shed, so my question is this; is this change in behaviour normal, and is it related to the ever-nearing shed? He is due to feed tonight and I am aware that shedding Royals often refuse to feed, so I am prepared for this.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[hayes63]

sounds fairly normal for a pre-shed royal, ours tend to act in a similar fashion :2thumb: i wouldn't expect him to eat but then again some of ours are surprisingly amenable to a meal even when they're blued up completely. mork, our pastel, couldn't see a thing his eyes were so cloudy but the old heat pits came into play and he didn't come close to missing his nice warm rat last time hehe

 

[RicDerby]

Yeah that's completely normal, most will hide while they're going through the shedding process.

 

[nino_rojo]

Thanks guys, I assumed as much but just thought I'd double check as I know people here are almost always helpful, even in the face of dumbass questions

Yeah, I'm not holding out much hope for his feed tonight, and am fully expecting him to refuse it. Although saying that, the reptile store I bought him from said he was an excellent strike feeder, and the one time I have fed him he devoured the mouse as soon as he caught a glimpse of it.... so here's hoping! :whistling2:

I've also ordered some sphagnum which I'm hoping will aid/quicken the shedding process. One last question - if/when he refuses to eat, should I leave it until he sheds or just try again in a few days, even if he hasnt shed by that time?

 

[hayes63]

probably best to leave until he's shed, we do with ours. the good thing with snakes is that withholding food for a short while isn't a major issue to them.

also, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. better to seek help when you're unsure than to upset or injure an animal. there are a few on here who'll give you grief, but on the whole people are more interested in helping out and making sure animals are happy, healthy and safe

if there are any questions you daren't ask for fear of getting a mouthful off people feel free to pm me and i'll try to help out. i may not know the answer but i'm always happy to help look for info as it adds to my knowledge too.

 

[nino_rojo]

probably best to leave until he's shed, we do with ours. the good thing with snakes is that withholding food for a short while isn't a major issue to them.

also, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. better to seek help when you're unsure than to upset or injure an animal. there are a few on here who'll give you grief, but on the whole people are more interested in helping out and making sure animals are happy, healthy and safe

if there are any questions you daren't ask for fear of getting a mouthful off people feel free to pm me and i'll try to help out. i may not know the answer but i'm always happy to help look for info as it adds to my knowledge too.

Thanks very much, thats really very kind! :blush: And thanks again for the advice!

 

[RicDerby]

If you haven't got the sphagnum moss yet make sure you give the enclosure a bit of a spray to add some humidity which will also aid shedding.