Corn snakes shedding?

Question
Hi, I recently acquired two corn snakes who have not been well taken care of.  In the research that I've done, I haven't seen anything about a corn who turns extremely ashy, and doesn't respond when I open the cage.  Is she just shedding?  She was fine on Friday, then Monday (I'm a teacher) when I came to school, she had lightened considerably in her color and wasn't moving.  She was still alive (she responded a little after prodding) but she's been like this for the last couple of days.  Help please!  I don't know how old she is since I don't know when they were purchased.

Answer
It sounds like it is just shedding. They often become quite active when they are "in the blue" as it's called. Then one day they will appear almost normal in color. When you see this they will shed in about 24 hours.

It's hard to say what kind of shape the snake is in without seeing it. After it sheds offer it a meal. The meal should be large enough to make a slight but noticeable bulge in the snake after it eats it. The bulge should disappear in about 48 hours or so. If the snake is malnourished though, you want want to start out with slightly smaller meals.