Snake shedding sequence

Ever wonder how a snake sheds its skin? Often it happens out of sight and all you see is the ghostly shed skin draped over viv decor - so how does the shedding of the old skin actually happen?

It begins with the snake developing cloudy eyes and a dull body (a condition called 'in the blue', meaning the snake is going into a shed cycle). This cloudy appearance is the result of fluids appearing within the base layer of skin to separate the outer skin layers from newer skin layers forming beneath. A snake will usually go into the blue around 7-10 days before actually shedding, although this varies according to size, age and type of snake.

After a few days of being in the blue, the snake will seem to revert back to its normal colours again but will appear a little darker / muddier than usual. It will remain like this until the old skin is ready to be shed.

The shedding process is rather like taking off a sock - it comes off inside-out. Rather than having hands to pull off the first piece of skin, a snake has to use whatever is around it - rocks, branches etc. - to loosen the first bit of skin, usually around the jaw area (Jungle carpet python in the photos)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

By continuing to move around the viv and snag the loose skin against branches and rocks, the old skin slowly peels off to reveal the new, brighter skin beneath
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The snake continues doing this until the old skin is unfurled and right down to the tail tip
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The old skin is left draped over the viv decor as a ghostly trace of where the snake has been
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Keeping shed skins can allow you to chart the growth of a given snake, as often you forget how small they start out. Shed skins can't be used to measure the snake as they are flexible and can be stretchd up to a third longer than the snake's actual body length, but by collecting progressive sheds you can still see how a snake has grown over time. Shed skins are also the easiest way to examine the scales and body patterning in detail, in many snakes these are a vital clue in correct identification
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Every time a snake sheds, always look for the presence of 2 things on the shed skin - a tail tip and eye caps.
Snakes have no eyelids but instead have a transparent scale, called the BRILLE, covering each eye and these are shed with the skin; as the eye area is moist this can sometimes result in the eyecaps being retained on the eyes rather than shed (if humidity is too low) so checking these have been shed is important. If eyecaps should be retained, moisten them with water / olive oil and very gently and carefully remove them, edge first, using a small blunt pair of tweezers or a smooth, damp cloth.
The tail tip is delicate and the skin easily breaks off before the very end, this can result in retained old skin around the tail that over time can constrict and cut-off circulation to the tail tip and result in it dropping off. Noticing that some old skin remains here allows you to wet the area and manually peel it off by hand.

cool post cool pics

It's an excuse to show-off his high yellow Phil
All joking aside.....really good post Karl & as Phil said great photos & info
& that is a stunning lookin COASTAL

i like the first pic in the post, it looks realy cool,

a great trick for when you get a perfect 1 peice shed is to soak it in water and dettol to clean it and to make it wet again and then if your very very careful you can push the tail back trough the mouth and get it all "out side in" again (instead of in side out)

then you have a lovely clean snake skin to hang on top of your viv

.....or you can frame it and make it into an art piece :)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I made this bad boy a few years ago to pop some big sheds in from my adult Coastal carpets......and when I'd made it I realised the walls weren't tall enough to hang it, so I attached it to the ceiling!

Perhaps this is the sign that a hobbyist has become an addict?

morelia wrote:.....or you can frame it and make it into an art piece :)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I made this bad boy a few years ago to pop some big sheds in from my adult Coastal carpets......and when I'd made it I realised the walls weren't tall enough to hang it, so I attached it to the ceiling!

Perhaps this is the sign that a hobbyist has become an addict?

wow, very cool
you could proberbly get a few hundred for that