Retics....Do they normally shed in pieces?

So my female dwarf almost always seems to shed in pieces (humidity on point). When she’s done I have confetti (pieces of shed) all over her enclosure. Is it true that this is normal in retics (and other larger type snakes) since they have such thin skin. If you feel their shed it tends to feel way more delicate then that of other snakes. Just curious as this gal is my 1st retic.

1 Like

It is normal for larger retics to shed in pieces. I don’t know if this is about having thin skin though. I always thought it was because they are so active that the skin gets shredded as they move around.

3 Likes

I kinda feel like it’s a little over normalized that retics shed in pieces. For very large individuals I can see how it might never turn out whole. I have two dwarfs both in identical setups. Before putting them on cypress mulch the female always had terrible sheds, but the male would almost always shed in one complete piece. Now with cypress mulch they both usually shed in mostly one piece. They have lots of wood and rough things to help them shed in their enclosures. I also mist the enclosure thoroughly before a shed. The times I miss doing this it definitely affects the wholeness of the shed.

At the end of the day I think every snake is an individual when it comes to shedding, some just don’t have nice sheds.

2 Likes

Thanks for the replies…I was curious as all my other snakes tend to shed in one piece. This gal is super busy and like Westridge thats also probably why she tears her shed up so badly.

Depending on the size of the tic, it’s usually very common for them to shed in pieces. Once they get large enough they almost never give a complete shed. Perfectly normal and to be expected.

4 Likes

My female always sheds in pieces. My male will shed whole but also sometimes sheds in pieces. This is my first pair so don’t have a lot of experiences but that’s what my pair does. My pair are super dwarfs male is about 6 foot female is around 9 foot both will be 5 in may.

3 Likes

She normally manages to get it all off on her own but occasionally I soak her to help it out a bit. I guess as long as she ends up getting it all off it don’t matter if its in pieces or whole…No harm no foul :slight_smile: Oh and is it just me or does their shed not feel super thin/delicate compared to others? Thanks guys.

1 Like

Small sidenote, do you have a picture of your Retic? I think all the retic lovers would like to see a picture

1 Like

The only picture of her I currently have on my phone is this one of her chilling on her perch:

3 Likes

She is a normal coloration. If I had to choose probably my first Retic would be a normal coloration, because they are just so beautiful in nature. She looks like a lovely girl :grin:

2 Likes

Love the hell out of her…Super sweet disposition.

1 Like

If you can give me that, then I don’t care if it’s a female that gets over 16 feet

1 Like

My female 50% SD amel used to always shed in pieces, even with 100% humidity. Now she’s around 1,500 grams and almost 2 years old and always sheds in a single piece.

Try using a big rubbermade tub for water so your snake can completely submerge from time to time.

2 Likes

But your back in 20 years tho…

1 Like

I would only be 37 LOL
Personally I would want something with super dwarf percentage hopefully staying underneath 13 feet

2 Likes

Honestly, if interstate transport remains legal we’re going to have greater access to quality blood lines in the next 3 years or so when this next wave of mom & pop breeders start producing SD’s from Garrets stock.

2 Likes

One issue for me is I live in Florida…maybe one day they’ll lift the ban. But Florida has good weather to take snakes out in the sun all year long :sunny::snake:

1 Like