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your snake plenty of time to eat in private.

A live mouse can injure or kill your snake if the snake is not hungry. Do not feed live rodents unless you are watching to make sure the rodent doesn't attack the snake. Mice and rats have very sharp teeth and powerful jaws.

A snake that eats regularly, once a week on average, will shed its skin every eight to twelve weeks. The shedding process is part of the way snakes grow; they never stop. The actual shedding of the skin, the crawling out from within the old skin, is preceded by the snakes eyes turning sky blue in colour for two to three days, clearing for four to seven days, and then the skin being crawled out of which is also known as sloughing, shedding, and ecdysis.

Immediately after shedding, your snake's skin will be bright and shiny with any existing injuries either healed completely or much improved. Your snake will also be hungry after a shed. It most likely hasn't eaten in two to three weeks while in the shedding process. Have food ready.

Once your snake has eaten the appropriate amount of food for its size and type, place it back in the cage, wait two days, play with at will and repeat the previous steps as necessary.

Very specific information on keeping different types of snakes, of reptiles in general, is available at libraries and online. Research must be done prior to acquisition of a snake as a pet.

Learn more about this author, Wes Pollock.
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