If you own a snake in captivity, you may be wondering if they eat its shed skin. Fortunately, the answer to this common query is no!
Snakes shed their skin to maintain healthy and robust scales. This process typically lasts several days or weeks.
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How do snakes shed their skin?
Escdysis, or snake skin shedding, is an instinctive behavior of snakes that helps them grow, repair damaged areas and get rid of parasites that might attach themselves to them.
Shedding can be a stressful and unpleasant experience for snakes, but it is necessary for their health. After the process is complete, snakes have fresh skin that appears smoother and brighter than before.
Snakes use rough surfaces to tear their skin away, creating a tear in both layers. This creates an interpenetrating layer of fluid between the old skin and newly developed one.
After the snake has created a tear and layer of fluid, it rubs against the rough surface to loosen scales and then peels them away.
Similar to how we would peel our skin away if exposed to hot sun or got a burn, this step is important because any remaining layers can harbor parasites, bacteria and disease; they could even cause blindness or restrict blood flow.
Do snakes eat while shedding?
Snakes generally avoid eating while they are shedding, as this leaves them vulnerable to predators during that period. Furthermore, snakes don’t want to risk eating something which could potentially injure them.
Snakes in the wild only feed during colder months of the year when they brumate (hibernate). To stay warm, snakes will seek out a warm hide and hibernate for several days until entering a period of inactivity that could last weeks depending on temperature.
At this stage, the eye caps that protect their eyes will begin to peel away and their pupils will turn milky blue – known as “in blue”. This indicates that a snake is prepping to shed its skin.
The milky blue color of your snake’s scales is temporary and will harden over time. If you’re worried about its health, have your veterinarian examine it to rule out any medically treatable issues affecting appetite or shed.
Do snakes regurgitate?
Snakes often regurgitate their food when feeling threatened by prey or eating too much for their size.
Snakes possess an efficient digestive system that breaks down prey into small enough pieces to be digested by their stomach, dissolving everything but hairs and claws before entering its belly. This enables snakes to consume large animals for several months without needing to hunt for food.
However, temperature can affect digestion rate. If temperatures are too cold or the snake feels stressed, it could overheat and regurgitate its food.
Reptiles that regurgitate their food should not be handled or fed immediately after being disturbed. Furthermore, these pets should be maintained at a comfortable temperature with access to clean water.
When a snake’s condition deteriorates significantly (more than two days), or they appear to be losing significant weight and body condition, it is time for a vet’s advice. Diagnostic tests such as X-rays, blood work (hematology), and specialized faecal analysis may be required in order to accurately evaluate their wellbeing.
Do snakes eat their shed?
Snake owners often wonder if their pet snakes consume their shed. This behavior is both intriguing and bizarre for any animal.
Lizards typically consume their own shed skin, while snakes don’t. This is because snakes do not regrow an outer layer like lizards do.
When a snake is ready to shed its skin, it will wriggle around and use its mouth to scrape away at the old skin. This can be tricky for young snakes who may not know how to do it correctly their first time around.
Eating the shed skins of snakes doesn’t provide them with any additional advantages; in fact, it could actually do harm to their health!
That is why you should remove a snake’s shed from its cage as soon as it finishes shedding. Leaving an unattended shed can attract mites that are toxic to snakes.
