So, you want to find out what it means when the eyes of a snake are white.
You’ve come to the right article then as I’ll be answering this question for you.
Also, you should make sure you keep on reading this article after you’ve read the answer to the main question as I’ll also answer a few more closely related questions after.
What does it mean when the eyes of a snake are white?
This indicates the presence of fluid accumulation between the eye and eye cap (the eye cap is made of skin), and this fluid further aids in the separation of the eye and its cap.
For this reason, eyes getting cloudy is no cause for alarm, but rather a sign that the snake is commencing the shedding process.
Only if the cloudy eyes persist after the remainder of the skin has been shed then it becomes a concern.
White eyes might indicate withheld eye caps or a more alarming eye problem.
What does it mean when the eyes of a black snake are white?
Well, the color of the snake lays no new grounds for different explanations, only that the snake is beginning its shedding process, and all is normal.
Cloudy eyes become a concern only if they persist after the rest of the skin has been removed.
White eyes, on the other hand, might indicate a retained eye cap or a more serious eye problem.
What does it mean when the eyes of a corn snake are white?
Corn snakes could also get cloudy or white eyes from time to time during their lifetimes.
This, however, always happens during the beginning of the skin shedding process, just like other snakes.
If the eyes remain cloudy even after the shedding process is complete then it could be a sign of a more serious problem with the snake’s eyes.
If the eye caps are retained after shedding then the eyes could be white as well.
Why are the eyes of my baby hognose white?
These beautiful creatures do not shed skin that frequently and thus the appearance of cloudy or white eyes maybe something strange to see.
Nonetheless, it is just an indication that the snake is starting or is already in the shedding process of its old skin.
The eyes get this coloration from fluid accumulating in their eyes to shield them from the eye cap shedding just adjacent to it.
Cloudy eyes become a concern only if they persist after the rest of the skin has already come off.
White eyes, on the other hand, might indicate a retained eye cap or a more serious eye problem.
What are the most common eye colors of snakes?
The eye colors of the majority of wild snakes are yellow, brown, or black.
Since blue eyes necessitate a drop in the dark pigment (melanin), they are uncommon.
The snake’s eye colors are not limited to those stated above, however.
Occurrences of gold-eyed snakes have been reported by quite a large number of sources.
Coastal colors for the eyes have also been recorded.
Although yellow, brown, or black are the most common eye colors found in snakes, they by no means nullify all the other colors.
What does it mean when the eyes of a white snake are red?
This mostly occurs in dreams of people, and when it happens, it can mean a range of several things.
Red in society has, for example, been seen to signify love, compassion, or passion.
Thus, in such a dream, red could just as easily signify a “passion flame”, and therefore, this person might be in a dream of romance.
But it can also mean that the person who’s dreaming is experiencing compassion for another creature in his/her dream.
What does it mean when the eyes of snakes turn blue?
There are some snake species known to naturally have blue eyes.
Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits and Emerald tree boas, for example, fall in this category of natural blue-eyed snakes.
When you, however, see a snake species with blue eyes that don’t come with blue eyes naturally then this could be an indication that the snake is getting ready to shed its old skin to pave way for a new one.
The loosening of the skin and the accumulation of fluid between the old and new skin layers causes this eye color shift.
The snake’s eyes turn into a milky blue color or a blue-gray color towards the end of its transition.
Why do my snake’s eyes turn cloudy?
This is the old layer of the eye cap being shed off with the rest of the skin.
So, this means that the eyes of the snake receive new skin which is also the case for the rest of the snake’s body.
Corn snakes, for example, most of the time exhibit this a day or two into the skin shedding process.
Why do the eyes of my corn snake look cloudy?
This is a result of scale parts sloughing off with the rest of the skin during the skin shedding process.
They start to look cloudy and blue around a day into the shedding process.
If they, however, remain cloudy after the shed then it can also be that there is a potential problem with the eyes of the snake or that they were unable to shed their eye caps.
Should I feed my snake when the eyes are cloudy?
When snakes are in the shedding process, they tend to get stressed quite easily as compared to other times.
The stress here could mean handling them during this time and also stuffing their environment with food.
So, for as long as the shedding process is not over, there is no need to feed them, as they are likely to just ignore the food.
Neither should you try to offer your assistance by manually peeling its old skin off, you’re instead better off just observing the snake.
Why does my snake look blind?
For one, your snake could be exactly just that, blind, or if not, then it probably is in its skin shedding process.
So, all in all, when a snake looks blind then you shouldn’t assume that the snake is exactly that as a snake’s shed sometimes stays stuck which can result in the snake looking like it’s blind.
Whenever you’re in doubt about whether your snake is either blind or not then you should take your snake to a veterinarian who knows a lot about snakes.
This veterinarian can then most likely take away your concerns or confirm the diagnosis.
How can I tell if a snake is blind?
It could be quite difficult to tell whether a snake is blind or not since these beautiful creatures have highly specialized senses to aid in detecting prey, independent of sight.
It is, however, not impossible to tell if it is blind if it frequently misses its target when you’re offering your snake prey.
A veterinarian will likely be able to give you the information you need about your snake’s health, so make sure you see one when in doubt.
Why does my snake have retained eye caps?
There are various reasons possible for your pet snake to get retained eye caps.
The snake, for example, can get retained eye caps when malnutrition is present in the snake, it can be that the snake in question was dehydrated during its shedding process and therefore was unable to shed fully, it can be that the snake has mites or bacterial infection, or the snake could also have had sustained trauma to its body or even to its eyes.
If your snake, however, has retained eye caps then it is important that you either peel them off yourself by following a detailed video on how to do it, or another option would be to contact your veterinarian and let him/her do it for you instead.
How do I treat my snake’s retained eye caps?
Put the snake in warm water several times a day before treating your snake’s retained eye caps but make sure that the water is not too hot for the snake.
The water should be deep enough for the snake’s whole body to be underwater.
With this procedure, a day or two should be enough to soften the old skin and enable its release.
If the situation does not change after this procedure then be sure to visit the veterinarian.
Although it is uncomfortable to do the job on your own, if you feel capable of getting it done then you could, for example, use a cotton swab by gently removing the retained eye cap with the cotton swab.
The only catch here is that extreme caution is required to avoid harming your pet snake.
How do I treat my ball python’s retained eye caps?
Several times a day, immerse the snake in warm water (not hot, just warm), which should be deep enough to cover the snake’s entire body.
A day or two should be adequate to soften the old skin of the snake which should then be able to be easily removed.
If you, however, are unable to get it done correctly then you should make an appointment with your veterinarian.
Although it is inconvenient to remove the eye cap on your own, if you are confident in your abilities then you could use a cotton swab to remove the retained eye cap slowly.
However, extreme caution is needed to avoid hurting one’s pet.
Check out the video below if you want to see for yourself how you can remove a stuck eye cap from a snake.
Conclusion
Now you know that snakes can get white eyes because of various reasons.
It can, for example, be that fluid has accumulated between the eye and the eye cap of the snake which isn’t a huge reason for concern.
Retained eye caps can also be the reason why the eyes of the snake in question are white which is also not a large concern but you should of course take care of this.
A more alarming reason, however, is when the white eyes of the snake can be linked to a more alarming eye problem which should be identified by your veterinarian.
