Why is my corn snake turning grey?
Bought her as an adult in the spring, sold to me as an amel, nice bright orange. Over the last few days she has gone dull and washed out, almost milky, and her eyes have gone a cloudy blue. She is hiding constantly and turned down a mouse on Tuesday, which she has never done.
I assume shed, but she came with no history so I have nothing to compare it to, and the eyes are what is unnerving me. How long does this phase last and what should I be doing in the meantime?
@blue_eyes_phase · 19h ago · 3 replies
That is the pre-shed, and the cloudy eyes are the clearest evidence you could have asked for. Fluid builds up between the old skin and the new one, which dulls the whole animal and clouds the spectacle, the clear scale over each eye, because that sheds too.
Usually several days. Then the eyes clear, the colour comes back a bit and people think it is over, and she sheds a few days after that. Hiding and refusing food in this window is standard. She can barely see, so being defensive is rational.
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@went_dull_tuesday · 19h ago
Do I try feeding again when the eyes clear, or wait until the skin is actually off?
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@blue_eyes_phase · 14h ago
Wait for the skin. The clearing is a stage in the process, not the end of it, and most of us skip feeding entirely until the shed is out. She will be hungry afterwards. Leave her alone and keep handling to nothing until then.
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