Shedded skins

[Fishandsnakelov]

I was wondering... Do any of you collect the skins after shedding or do you throw them away?

I keep them. Why, I don't know I just do.

[guapote's gape]

ok, Goldmember!
Good souvenir of when the kids were small, kinda like saving a lock of a childs hair in a somewhat more creepy fasion. Can watch growth spurts if you keep track of dates they shed etc...

[Lrptls]

i have a bag full of skins, there just crambed in there from old boas, garter snakes and other sorts of snakes iv had. i have some nice skins up the wall of the herp room, nice skins also came in handy when i did reports on snakes/reptiles. usually if the skin is ripped up or whatever i just toss it away. my uncle use to tell me to throw them away or you get mites, i imageine if the skin was kept in the cage it would be more possible but up on the wall or something like that, i see no problem there.

[gonesnakee]

First you CAN NOT get mites from shed skins UNLESS the snakes that shed them had Mites to begin with LOL I would suggest that if you keep or plan on keeping snakes that you read up on Mites to get the facts straight. Seems like you've heard some "Old Wives Tales" & may want to check out some actual facts.

I usually throw mine away mostly. I used to have a bucket that I would stuff them into & give them all away to kids etc. when they visited. Now I just keep the bigger sheds from the larger Colubrids (VBBs) or from my Carpet Pythons. I usually have a large # hanging on the back of the snake room door & still give a handfull away everytime kids are by. Just about every kid I know has a bag full at home or school already. I find that most Colubrids have a big crap during or right after sheds anyhow so 9/10 are tossed ASAP due to nastiness LOL. Mark

[Simon]

I throw all mine away...
too much to keep if I were to keep all of them....

Besides if people want shed skin I can basically get a fresh shed skin every day.....lol......

[sapphire_moon]

I TRY to keep some of the sheds, like abnormally good ones that aren't ripped or such. But usually the cat finds that they are so darned interesting to play with that they end up in the garbage.

So far though I have one from my male bp that shed about 2 wks ago and hadn't shed in a LONG time, then one from my female bp that took a long time to shed, and one from my w.hognose, it was his first shed with me.

Our red blood is in shed now, out blue finally, so I can't wait till he sheds.

Now what kind of cage would you all reccommend for a yearling, a smallish one, or one he can stretch out in? I think by the time we leave we are going to have to get him a different cage, he is growing! (They had him on adult mice! He can easily take a 3-4wk old rat!)