Snakes regularly shed their skin.
This is necessary because the reptiles grow for a lifetime, but the so-called snake shirt does not grow with them.
Young snakes, therefore, moult more often than adult animals.
As a new coat of scales grows, the snake’s eyes become cloudy.
If they lose their milky discolouration, the animal will soon slip out of the old skin.
To do this, the snake rubs itself on rough and pointed objects such as tree trunks until old skin tears and gets stuck somewhere.
Posture errors and diseases can lead to moulting problems
If the moulting of a snake kept in the terrarium does not go smoothly, it is often the fault of a mistake.
On the one hand, of course, there must be rough branches or stones in the terrarium so that the snake can remove its old shirt without any problems.
But many snakes also react to a lack of space or a lack of hiding places with moulting problems.
If the temperature or the air temperature in the terrarium is set too high or too low for the respective species of snake, this can mess up the animals’ metabolism so that they do not have enough energy to change their skin or the old shed coat does not come off properly.
Therefore, it should be a matter of course for every snake keeper to find out about their needs before purchasing the animals.
A veterinarian should be consulted if posture errors are excluded.
Malnutrition and health problems, including kidney and gastrointestinal diseases and pneumonia, can also be triggers for shedding problems.
What to do if the snake is having trouble shedding its skin?
If the snake does not strip off its scaly clothing in its entirety, but in strips or rags, or if the old scales, the “glasses”, or the “anal shields” do not want to loosen, the snake needs help.
If pieces of the old skin get stuck, this can lead to circulatory disorders.
The eye area reduces the reptile‘s ability to see and often makes it quite aggressive.
An extensive water bath at around 25 to 27 degrees can help to loosen old skin easily.
It would be best if you never triy to use force to loosen “unruly” skin.
This is especially true for the eye area, as such a procedure can even make the snake blind in the worst case.
If in doubt, it is better to go to the vet.
