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...)
How to know whether my bp is in the process of skin shedding?
simple, these signs will appear (may slightly differ depending on individuals) :-
No. 1...
Skin colour turns dull an cloudy. Cloudiness increases from the first till the 6th day will turn to normal colour again once it is about to shed.
No. 2...
The belly turns slightly pinkish for the first few days of the process.
It will resolve within a day or two before shedding. (sorry poor quality...)
It will resolve within a day or two before shedding. (sorry poor quality...)
No.3...
Eyes turns cloudy...Looks a lot like cataract!
A closer look...
*the eye changes will lead to short term vision loss that will aggravate the next sign....
No. 4...
Behavioral changes:
- prefers dark, secure places
- roll itself into a ball & reduced movement
A ball python being a ball... not so dull coloured because she's about to shed.
- dislikes company. *minimize handling
- nervous n skittish
- P.E.A.C.E.!!! don't handle them too much.
- humidity, especially during the last days of the shedding period. high humidity will make the shedding process smoother and less time consuming (& less messy too). This is how I do it...
Use a moist (NOT WET) towels/ paper towel and line it as the flooring of the cage/ terrarium
What happened was...
My bp sheds on her own. i did'nt have the chance to take a picture of the whole process. this is what happened...
Saw my bp chillin' in the middle of the terrarium. She was more active and brightly coloured than before.
There was a shedded skin at the corner of the terrarium.
YES, THIS IS HOW A PYTHON SKIN SHEDDING LOOKS LIKE!!!
A Closer look... at the SKIN~~~
It was whitish and pale coloured, moist (due to the paper towel that I prepared earlier), slightly stretchable.
The length, with a pen for real life comparison.
It is longer than the actual length of the bp because it was stretched
during the process of shedding itself...
during the process of shedding itself...
This is used to be the dorsal part of my bp. You can really see the patterns!
( the same skin before shedding...)
( the same skin before shedding...)
The belly part of the skin. geli!~~~
THE FINAL RESULT...
Ta-daaa!!!~~~ The re-birth of a beauty... nice shinny, brighter colours!^^
Not so shy and grumpy anymore...
Started getting hungry and active. she was fed the next day
THE FINAL RESULT...
Till now, be sure to wait for my next post more about my bp and other random stuffs!!!...
No comments:
Post a Comment