If you think a python having a meal is a rare sight, read this...
In this post I will like to share with you guys (& gals?) a bit about my ball python's (bp) shedding routine...
This is the 6th month that I've been keeping her and during that period of time, she had shed her skin trice. the first shedding was after 1 week I bought her from the pet shop. The second shedding was sometime in August and the latest one was on the 3rd of November. This means that my bp have an interval of 2 months before she start shedding again.
So, Why does pythons/ snakes needs to shed their skin???
Well first of all, like almost all living things, it needs to grow. Unfortunately, a snake skin won't grow continuosly as their internal organs does. A matured python skin is durable and tough, but rigid, not elastic and flexible enough to stretch according to their body need, especially the old skin. They have to remove the old ones and it will be replaced with a new, leathery, skin underneath it that will stretch. This will give the internal organ more space to grow, thus increasing the size of the animal. Ultimately, this new, leathery skin will become old and the cycle continues. Without this routine, it is almost impossible for a snake to grow adequately.
the process takes about 7-8 days... (Read more after the jump...)
