hatchling spotted shedding

[Brianp]

Hi i was just wondering roughly how often hatchling spotteds should shed, my one was born aound mid december. and i picked him up just over a week ago and the breeder said he should shed in the next week or so, he isn't showing any signs of shedding yet. my question is are they like adults and shed around every 6 weeks and should i be concerned that he hasn't shed yet?
Thanks in advance

 

[thomasssss]

shedding is entirely dependant on growth , ive had a hatchy shed in just 2 weeks from only 2 reasonable feeds and do it all over again 4 times in a row , then stop , but this isnt overly common most are around 5-7 weeks , but as said this is entirely dependant on food intake

they do slow down as they grow , and an adult will shed less frequently than 6 weeks at times , my coastal goes anywhere between a few weeks to 2 months in the warmer months to 3-4 through winter although he is slightly under sized and being fed back up again

dont worry about your little guy , he will shed when he is ready , they go through the blue phase where the oils are released to separate the old skin from the new , then they re absorb the oil , alot of newbies think that they've suddenly shed and the skins disappeared or that theres something wrong , this isnt the case
after they have re absorbed the oil it can take anywhere from a day to a week for them to shed their skin , as i said they will do it in their own time , just keep their water bowl full

 

[Brianp]

Thanks heaps for the info, i guess im just being a newby and stressing a little bit. he fed on the sunday i picked him up and then again on the sunday just gone, i did notice he looked a bit bluey when i had him out in the sun on saturday. but tonight is the first time he has come out of his hide since feeding sunday night. i just didnt know if something was wrong for him not to shed, with him being in a new home and all.

 

[andynic07]

I find that my spotted has usually got a blue tinge to her in the sun but it might be a bit more blue before shed. Here is a picture one day after shed and then about 3 days before shed.

 

[thomasssss]

keep handling to a absolute minimum when they are shedding , so only handle if you really need to for some reason like their on paper towel and have pooed in a small click clack
also is the water bowl big enough for him to submerge in if he feels the need

 

[andynic07]

I find that I wrote everything into a diary with my snakes. Length , weight , when it feeds , how many grams the food is , when i notice the cloudy eyes and when it sheds. Usually the time between the cloudy eyes and when it sheds is fairly constant but time between sheds can vary. I think record keeping and research are a keepers best tools.

 

[Brianp]

Yeah my blonde has that bluey tinge to him.

 

[Brianp]

I havent handled him since i fed him late sunday night, tonight was the first time he came out of his rock which im assuming is the normal amount of time after eating. ( its the first time i've fed him at my house) but im thinking there will be a poo to clean up tomorrow cause thats what day he pood last week. i have a good size water bowl in the corner on the cool side, he has crawled over it a couple times but i have never seen him dip into it at all. although today it was down a little bit...

 

[Brianp]

andy thats exactly what i plan on doing, i have a book which i am noting everything down. but i have only had him a week and a bit so its all first times for me at this stage lol

 

[andynic07]

andy thats exactly what i plan on doing, i have a book which i am noting everything down. but i have only had him a week and a bit so its all first times for me at this stage lol

Very true it can be a bit daunting at first and asking questions is the safest way to approach things, best to be over cautious than careless.

 

[thomasssss]

but im thinking there will be a poo to clean up tomorrow cause thats what day he pood last week. .

he might but dont worry if he doesn't its much the same as shedding , their is no set timetable that says they eat that day and poo that day , if he is shedding he might do what alot of snakes do and hold it until he does shed so dont be alarmed

 

[Brianp]

Thanks for all the info guys, really appreciate it