Out with the Old, In with the New: Shedding

This was the second time Jolene had shed since getting her. I had a better idea of what was going on this time around instead of wondering why she was sleeping all the time!

For ball pythons, the shedding process may take anywhere from 9-14 days. Most of that time is the pre-shed process, and the actual shedding of the skin doesn't take long at all. The outermost layer of a snake's skin is a continuous sheet of keratin that must be shed to allow for growth. A snake will shed every 4-6 weeks depending on its age.

Fun fact: Keratin can be found in reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, and mammals. Humans' outer layer of skin, fingernails, and hair are made up of keratin. Many animal features are made of keratin as well, including scales, turtle shells, beaks, horns, hooves, feathers, claws, porcupine quills, and baleen plates in filter feeder whales.

As far as ball pythons are concerned, one of the first signs of the shed cycle is a pink belly. At this first stage, the python can be given a bath, or more of a soak, in warm water. This will help them with shedding by hydrating their skin. So I gave that a shot.

Here is a close up of Jolene's pink belly.

 Jolene soaking in the tub.

 Another shot of her pink belly.

Another thing I've noticed when Jolene is going into shed mode is that she will sleep non-stop. It is not uncommon for a python to sleep for the entire week before shedding. Pythons do sleep a lot in general, but when they are in the pre-shed process, they won't even come out for their usual midnight stroll.

Dull skin is another physical sign a snake is about to shed. I've noticed this happens about 5 days into the shed cycle. The dull skin is due to the secretion of a lubricant beneath the upper layer of skin about to be shed. Anywhere between day 3-7 the snake will get cloudy eyes, a stage commonly called "in blue." This is caused by the same fluid build up between the new and old skin layers. Snakes have a scale over their eyes instead of an eyelid so the fluid is very noticeable in their eyes before shedding. Handling and feeding is not recommended at this stage. They usually don't have an appetite at this point, and they are visually impaired so it's best to leave them alone.

Notice her skin color at the beginning of the shed cycle.

 Dull skin color near end of shed cycle.

"In Blue"

At day 7-10 the eyes will clear up, and within another couple days the snake will molt or slough (pronounced sluff) which means to get rid of old skin. Healthy snakes usually shed in a single piece. Poor nutrition and improper environmental conditions such as humidity can result in an incomplete shed.

Twelve days after I noticed her pink belly, Jolene finally shed. Prior to shedding I kept a close eye on humidity levels and misted her cage or put a towel over the enclosure to trap heat and moisture. She successfully shed in one piece!

Head shed, notice the eye scales.

For perspective, I'm 5'6". The shed measured a little over 4 feet when laid out.

Now that she had shed, I found her out and about, (the first time I saw her out of her hide in over 10 days!) so I got her out to take some pictures.

 New shiny skin.

 She may not be done growing. Female ball pythons can reach 5 feet.

The above pictures make her seem more brown than she actually is. Her dark patterns are more close to black and her new dark skin looks almost iridescent in the light. Here's a better example:

Snakes in the Fall

Fall is a great time of year to find snakes in the wild. As temperatures drop snakes will come out to sun themselves on warm rocks or pavements. Snakes are of course ectothermic, or cold-blooded, animals and have to rely on their surroundings to control their body temperature. So, if you see a snake out in the open it is likely just basking in the sun.

Snakes are also on the move to get to the location where they hibernate for the winter, called a hibernacula. This can be a cave, deep crevice, or old building foundation that is below the frost line. Snakes use the same site year after year, and there may be thousands over-wintering together in the same hibernacula.



Ball pythons are native to Africa so there is no need for them to hibernate. They are also nocturnal so you wouldn't usually find them basking in the sun. Jolene spends most of her time sleeping on top of the under tank heater mat to stay warm.

Rat Snack Fever

It has been weeks between feedings, 5 weeks and 5 days to be exact.

Jolene repeatedly refused my offerings of juicy rats, which wasted us $20! (that was 2 large rats). I recently got her a medium sized rat at Hoffer's for $7.00, which I suppose isn't bad if she only gets hungry every 5 weeks or so.

The last time she ate was after shedding. I figured she'd be hungry once she slept for a week and used all her energy to shed. I was right, she ate right away. So three weeks later I tried feeding her and she ignored it. Then a week later she did the same thing. I guess she wasn't hungry, she was however getting very active at night which I thought that meant she was on the prowl.

Then one day I noticed something different about her. She looked hungry. How does a snake look hungry? I've read that a sign that a snake is hungry is that they will stare at you with a tight "S" shaped neck. That's exactly what I saw.

She was also awake in the middle of the day which is unusual because ball pythons are nocturnal. I was in her room so I checked on her. I figured she'd be curled up sleeping, but she wasn't. She was in her hide with her head poking out. Her body was definitely S shaped, her head was hovering, and she was staring me down.

I got the rat out of the freezer and thawed it. Of course the bag leaked and the rat got all wet. I set it on the floor and propped her emitter heater in front of it to dry it a little. When I stood up, Jolene was halfway out of her hide watching me, it was kind of spooky! Maybe she could already smell the rat.

I'll definitely pay more attention to her body language next time to tell if she's hungry. She was real jerky watching my every move, and her head was constantly hovering. So I plopped the rat in her cage. She stared at it for probably 5 minutes before approaching it. She'd then back off and go towards it a few times. Finally she striked, and slowly pulled it into her hide to devour it.

WARNING: graphic pictures of predation ahead!

A nice shot of her hovering. She usually has a long relaxed body.

Locked in on the kill.

Another good example of a tight "S" shaped neck.

Strike!

Slowly dragging it away...

 ...while eating.

 Brought it into her hide, maybe for privacy. I wasn't having any of that!

 Down the hatch.

 All done.

Pythons in the News

About a month before getting Jolene there was an incident in Canada where a python killed two young boys. So of course I heard all about it once people learned I had a pet snake.

The snake in question was an African Rock Python that was 13 feet and around 100 pounds. Apparently it escaped from its enclosure kept inside the apartment. It then traveled through a vent and fell through the ceiling into the room where the 4 and 6 year old brothers were sleeping.

The boys died of asphyxiation. Investigators thought the snake may have been frightened after falling and had clung to the boys. It could have also been attracted to the boys scent since they had handled many other animals earlier that day. The snake's weight alone could easily suffocate a small child even without constriction. The snake was then euthanized.

African Rock Python     http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/10_16_2009_h40Of66eey_10_16_2009_0

In other news, pythons in Florida have been in the headlines for the past 20 years. Burmese Pythons have been a major invasive species problem mainly in the Florida Everglades. These pythons which can grow up to 23 feet long are native to Southeast Asia. The problem likely started by irresponsible pet owners releasing their snakes and from snakes escaping their homes. 

Like all invasive species, these snakes have established a breeding population, and there are now thousands of Burmese Pythons residing in the Everglades. Sadly, because of habitat destruction and their demand in the pet trade they are a threatened species in their native habitat. 

Burmese Python struggling with an American Alligator Photo by Lori Oberhofer, National Park Service