How Does a Snake Shed Its Skin?

Many Times Per Year

Snakes grow, but their skin doesn't! For this reason, snakes have to shed their skin every so often. How often depends on the species of snake, but on average, healthy snakes shed their skin 6 to 8 times every year, with younger, faster growing snakes shedding their skin 8 or more times per year.

Snakes try to shed their skin in one piece, unlike lizards and some other reptiles. They shed from nose (including eye caps) to tail. It can take up to 14 days to complete the shedding, during which time the snake does not eat.

Snakes are referred to as "in the blue" when they are about to shed. This is because snakes exhibit certain signs about 1 to 2 weeks before they begin to shed their skin. They become listless and inactive. Their eyes and skin become dull and take on a bluish-white color. In fact, a snake's vision becomes impaired when shedding, which can make them aggressive.

Once a snake is ready to shed, he will look for a rough surface, particularly one he can squeeze through, such as a fork in a branch or a pathway between two rocks. The snake will begin by loosening the skin around his mouth and nose by rubbing it along the rough surface. Then, he will pass between the rough surfaces, catching and trapping the loose skin along the rough edges. These rough edge catch hold of the loose skin, allowing the snake to simply crawl out of his old skin, although again, the process takes many days. The old skin will appear like a ghostly snake-shaped tube. It is common for snakes to defecate and consume a large amount of water directly after shedding.

If a snake has injuries or scars or lives in an environment that is not suitable for the snake, it may have difficulty shedding. This can cause as great amount of stress in a snake, causing it to become sick or malnourished. Such snakes usually cannot successfully shed their skin in one piece, and end up shedding their skin in many pieces, with some pieces remaining stuck to the new skin. Sometimes pieces even remain on the eye cap, which can lead to very aggressive behavior on the part of the snake. If a pet snake has such issues, the skin pieces need to be removed by an experienced snake handler for the snake's health.