Serpentes Species Basic Info (Shedding)

Every few months every subspecies of Serpentes will go through what is called a ‘shed’. Shedding is a process where the thin layer of skin on top of their scales will peel off in large pieces leaving a fresh, new layer underneath. Doing this helps to clean off any marks or old blemishes as well as causing them to feel fresh and clean. Some species even think that the shedding process is a time of rebirth and when they come out of it they are a new Animalian. Right before shedding the Serpentes’s top layer of skin will become cloudy as it starts to peal away from their new skin. This process is sometimes referred to as ‘going into blue’. During this every part of their body will become dull in color and even the thin layer of skin on their eyes, known as their eye caps, will cloud up making it hard to see. After their old layer has fully detached their whole body will start to itch to promote the Serpentes to peal off their old skin. This itching can often cause even the most sane of Serpentes to become irritable and unpredictable due to the vast amount of discomfort they find themselves in. The itching will only subside once they have fully removed their old shed, doing so often in two to four large pieces, however some can remove their shed in a single piece causing the shed to become an inverted image of themselves. Serpentes peel off their shed in this manner in order to make sure that all of it is removed. If any piece of their old skin remains on their body then there is a high chance it will start to cut off their circulation without them realizing causing the part of the body the old skin is wrapped around to become necrotic and die. It is rare for them to have a stuck shed, but if you see a Serpentes missing the tips of their fingers or their tail then this is likely what happened to them. For the most part, as long as the Serpentes is healthy, they should have little issue shedding, but if they are unwell or tired they may struggle to get their shed off successfully. When unwell (and occasionally if they are simply unlucky) their eye caps will become stuck on their eyes when they attempt to shed. If this part of the shed is not removed with the rest it becomes very hard to get off on its own with many Serpentes needing to have someone else remove it with tweezers or another thin instrument. They must be careful though because one wrong move may cause the Serpentes to become permanently blind.