Many people are familiar with shedding but usually associate it with dogs and cats. Since reptiles do not have hair, their shedding is quite different.All reptiles shed their skin as they grow, and they will continue to shed periodically throughout their life. As the new skin forms, a separation occurs between the new skin cells and the old skin cells that migrate outward. As the shed begins, the skin appears slightly dull as the separation between old and new skin begins. Over the course of the next few days the skin becomes opaque and the eyes turn a whitish blue. This whitish blue color change to the eyes is due to lymph-like fluid between the old eye covering layer and newly formed layer. The frequency of shedding varies from species to species, temperature, humidity, nutrition and growth rate. The medical term for shedding is ecdysis.
The healthy snake is a sleek, symmetrical, well muscled animal, covered in smooth scales from the nose to the tail tip. The loss of the normal svelte physique and smooth lines often points to health concerns....
Shedding is a normal event and most reptiles have no problems. In snakes, the shedded skin is often removed in a single piece. In many lizards, skin is shed is pieces. Turtles and tortoises intermittently...
By the time even the most experienced keeper suspects illness in a reptile, there is a very good chance that the animal is more ill and has been sick for longer than either owner or veterinarian can know....
Reptiles are ectothermic animals, which means their metabolism does not generate enough heat byproducts to maintain body temperature above air or surface temperatures. They regulate their body temperatures...
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