Being a pet owner is one thing, but truly understanding every aspect of your pet’s life is a whole other level of commitment. Did you ever wonder why your corn snake sheds its skin? How often it happens in their lifetime?  

Baby corn snakes shed their skin once every 4-6 weeks, while adult corn snakes do it every 3 months. The skin shedding frequency can depend on age, diet, and overall health. Younger corn snakes may shed more often than older snakes.

In the rest of this article, I will discuss the shedding process in more detail, including signs to look for that indicate your corn snake is about to shed and how to provide proper care during the shedding process. 

How Often Do Baby Corn Snakes Shed?

The uniqueness of skin shedding in reptiles is in the frequency with which it occurs, often depending on the animal’s age. 

A snake’s skin does not grow in the same way as that of humans and other animals. Instead, they need a new covering as their body changes size. Snakes also shed their old skins to eliminate parasites that are attached to them. 

Snake hatchlings experience a rapid growth rate during their early stages of development. As a result, they will shed their skin with a relatively high frequency, about every 4 to 6 weeks. As the growth rate begins to slow, so will the frequency of shedding. 

However, the shedding rate can vary from one baby snake to the other. Hatchlings that eat high-quality food in adequate amounts will grow faster than an underfed one, causing them to shed more often. That’s why shedding is a sign of health in baby corn snakes.

How to Know When Your Corn Snake Is About to Shed

First-time corn snake owners should know how to determine when their snake is about to shed. Skin shedding occurs in phases:

• First phase: Also called the blue phase, it gets its name from the noticeable changes in eye color. The eye also has a skin covering, which must be shed together with the rest of the skin covering the body. 
• Second phase: The snake demonstrates increased activity and prefers rougher surfaces to rub their noses on. Instinctively, the snake is doing all it can to create an opening in the old skin from where it can peacefully exit. 

If you have ever walked through a forest, you have most likely stumbled upon a snakeskin that looks exactly like a real snake. 

The reason is that snakes tend to slither out of the old skin, leaving behind a perfect replica of themselves. Usually, skin shedding lasts between three to five days. 

However, it is slower for baby corn snakes, who are generally inexperienced. 

In general, snakes find it easy to shed their skin. However, your pet snake may require additional assistance. 

Wild snakes typically seek water sources, such as rivers or streams, to moisten their old skin before shedding. 

As a pet owner, you can assist your corn snake by providing them with water or by increasing the humidity in the snake’s enclosure to a range of 50-70%. Lower humidity levels can make it more difficult for the snake to shed its skin. 

Conclusion

Skin shedding is a natural growth process, and shedding is more frequent in younger corns compared to adult corns. 

Pet owners can help their animals go through the process more comfortably by providing them with rough accessories to rub against and ensuring they stay in environments with high humidity.