Snakes shed their skin because they literally outgrow it, and because their skin doesn’t stretch the way ours does.

It’s called ecdysis, and it happens for a few main reasons:

1. Growth
A snake’s outer skin is made of keratin, the same tough material as your fingernails. It’s protective, but it doesn’t grow with the snake. As the snake gets bigger, the old outer layer gets too tight and has to come off to make room for a new, larger one underneath.

Young, fast-growing snakes shed every few weeks. Adults might only shed 2-4 times a year.

2. Repair and cleaning
Shedding gets rid of old, worn-out scales, parasites like mites and ticks, and any damaged skin. It’s basically a full-body reset.

3. Reproduction and health
Hormones can trigger a shed before breeding season, and snakes will also shed more often if they have a skin infection or injury to heal.

Process:

It’s not like peeling off a sock in one pull. The process takes about 1-2 weeks:

• First, a new layer of skin forms underneath the old one, and fluid builds up between the two layers to separate them.
• That’s why a snake’s eyes turn cloudy blue, called being “in blue.” It’s the fluid over the eye caps. During this time they can’t see well, so they often hide and get grumpy.
• Then the old skin dries out, the snake rubs its nose on something rough to start a tear, and crawls out of the old skin inside-out, like taking off a tight sleeve. Ideally it comes off in one perfect piece, including the eye caps.

Is it painful?

Not in the way we think of pain, no. It’s not like ripping off a bandage.

For a healthy snake, shedding is a natural, normal process. It can be uncomfortable and stressful, especially when their vision is cloudy and they’re more vulnerable, and they often refuse food during that time. They might be more defensive and want to be left alone.

It can become painful if something goes wrong, like:

• Retained shed: pieces get stuck, especially around the tail tip or eyes, which can cut off circulation or cause infection
• Low humidity: the old skin dries too much and sticks
• Illness or injury: shedding over a wound can be irritating

That’s why in captivity, keepers help by keeping humidity up and providing rough surfaces to rub against, but they shouldn’t peel the skin off for the snake.

So think of it less like pain, and more like that itchy, awkward feeling of outgrowing a favorite pair of jeans, except the jeans are your entire skin.

Hena’s Blog For Paws © 2019 by Hena Osman is licensed under CC BY 4.0