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7384 Posts |
 Posted - 17/10/2010 : 12:52:44
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Shahi's going to shed tonight. I check him every hour or so. Since going blue he's had a moss hide and his water bowl on his hot side; then I added another moss hide and removed his usual boxes. He spent a couple of hours in the moss and then went to sleep on a climbing branch. Typical.
This is his third shed with me, and the other two were scruffy. A bath worked well, but I want to get conditions right for him this time.
Well, it's midnight. One last look. Still there on his branch, but this time he's staring at me.
'What kept you?' A gigantic yawn. 'Take a seat. Now you're here we can get on with it.'
I do as he says and he starts rubbing his face against the viv wall. The skin on his lower jaw pops off straight away and hangs from his chin like a bib, but it takes him half an hour to get his 'mask' to peel. While he's working on this he's constricting the branch. Round and round and round and round. His body skin starts to shred. It looks like that fine plastic netting you buy garlic in, and sounds like it too; I can hear it tearing. Oh boy, another scruffy shed.
I'm used to corn snakes, removing their facial skin and gliding out of the rest, leaving a perfect 'body stocking' behind them. Apart from Spooky's tailtip sometimes, they shed cleanly. Royals seem to be different.
If you've read my other posts you will know I suffer from 'proud parent syndrome.' Shahi is easily the most beautiful, talented and charismatic python ever to have hatched. But I have to admit he's a bit thick. Organisation doesn't seem to be his strong point. Look at him now, his mask and eyecaps standing off the back of his head like a bonnet, while the rest of him sheds in several different places. Bits of skin drift to the floor; the rest is mashed up like used clingfilm. I hope he knows what he's doing, because I don't.
Just after one am he's finished, still on the branch, sitting on a wadded up mass of damp grey skin. Well. No use interfering. I'll leave his water bowl beneath the light but I'll remove the damp hides and replace his usual ones, in the hope that he'll get in one and make it easy for me to lift him out and check him in the morning.
'About time too,' says Shahi, zooming straight down and into his seagrass box. 'Getting cramp up there.' In the red light I can see him, all lovely and new, like a tiger eye jewel, sliding into the box. And his tailtip, about .5 cm, still unshed. I damp the corner of a towel and lift his box out. He's very pleased with himself - and, apart from his tail, completely, cleanly shed! I put him on the towel and finger the tailtip. He braces himself, clearly seeing me as a convenient snag on which to remove the skin, I hold it, and it slides straight off. Job done!
'Clever lad!'
''Course I am! We having armchair walkies now?' It's half past one but if you're a teenage python who's just got his tight kit off, I suppose the night is young.
'No. I'm cream crackered!'
'Party pooper. Can't keep up the pace at your age!'
'Too right I can't. Goodnight.'
'Night night.' |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 14:25:16
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lol - fool :)
He may be a python that requires a moss hide throughtout his cycle to give him some extra humidity. Raising the humidty after they've gone blue doesn't help as their skin is now waterproof. |
 
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 14:40:47
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And you're fool of good ideas, BE!
It shall be done. Honestly, though, that shed was a vast improvement on his last two. But I'd love him to be able to slide out of a perfect skin. I thought he might be a bit exhausted but he ate well today as usual.
Right, going to put damp hide back in viv. Cheers! |
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Twi
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 14:42:09
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| Lol that made me giggle :D I want a book of BATS stories XD |
0.0.1 Royal Python
2.3.0 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 Pueblan Milk Snake
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
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0.2.0 Chinese Crested Dogs
0.2.0 Cats
0.0.1 Fish |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 15:12:17
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We could just try to get a copy of her psychologist's notes, should make interesting reading  |
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Twi
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 15:14:19
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| hahaha that would make for interesting reading. |
0.0.1 Royal Python
2.3.0 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 Pueblan Milk Snake
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
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0.2.0 Chinese Crested Dogs
0.2.0 Cats
0.0.1 Fish |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2010 : 15:18:30
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LOL However did you guess?
Frankly, I gave up on the psychologists.
They were much crazier than I am! |
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fiestastlou
Yearling
United Kingdom
201 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2010 : 14:15:01
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| i still want them notes :D HAHA |
  
09 Royal Python normal - Cecil
10 Royal Python Spider - Skye
09 Amel Corn - Syd
10 Snow Corn - Jenny
10 Butter Motley Corn - Philip |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2010 : 16:02:02
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| LOL! No you don't - they're X-rated! |
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Robert
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
957 Posts |
Posted - 19/10/2010 : 21:52:40
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| It's the time of year in warm moist summer my pythons shed completely but as the winter comes they sometimes shed in pieces and I always leave a damp box in their cool side, so long as they shed and eye caps and tail are clear I am happy :) |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 19/10/2010 : 23:22:40
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Yeah, I've put him a damp hide in now on his cool side, hoping it will help.
I couldn't believe he woke up at midnight and decided to shed then and there for me! (Told you he was clever!)
Thanks for the comments, guys - including the wacky ones!
Twi, I'll write the book if you can tell me of an agent who'll look at a volume of strange snakey stories ...
Ummm ... Wuthering Pythons? Jekyll and Hide ...? Bleak Mouse?? Woma on the Edge of Time??? (Shurrup Lil!)
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reptiledanny
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2106 Posts |
Posted - 20/10/2010 : 18:38:21
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Good to here that he is getting better. That was a very amusing story lol, I love reading your stories
I was worried about my new girl shedding but she shed in one piece this morning although I missed it :( |
1.2 royal pythons 0.1 hog island boa 1.0 corn snake
sig made by stapey |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 20/10/2010 : 18:49:54
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quote:
Originally posted by reptiledanny
Good to here that he is getting better. That was a very amusing story lol, I love reading your stories
I was worried about my new girl shedding but she shed in one piece this morning although I missed it :(
Aw thanks. And congrats about your girl, that's great, pity you missed it. |
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Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin ...
