Cleopatra - the 1, 2, 3s of shedding.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

EVERYONE:

I have been thinking a long time to do a lenghty post on boas shedding. I got lucky today to catch Cleopatra in her shed from start to finish in under 17 minutes, this was her fastest shed I can remember and it even came out as a 1 piece which is normal for her. Being she is matting with an Albino this season and already gave be a 2004 litter of 24 consisting of 23 live and 1 slug she is on schedule with this shed.

Below you will see the different stages of shedding and a size comparision from her last shed about months back. Yes wet shed do stretch but so did the last one before so even though you will see the size with a tape measure she is still at 7 feet herself. Once I notice the shed time frame is about to happen she got misted more often in last 3 days and she gave a solid 1 piece shed. Ripped around the belly but still 1 piece.

:D

And yes the cage is a little messy but I don' t want to disturb her in breeding season.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa149.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa151.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa152.jpg

Shed here is at mid body could not get a great photo to shoe till next photo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa153.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa154.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa155.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa159.jpg

And finally after the shed a light colored Colombian Boa - just glowing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa160.jpg

Thank you all for viewing.

:D

Tony Pharosx

[homebrewed]

:thumbsup:

[Manitoban Herps]

Awesome!!!

Nice stages a beauty!

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

TIM and KEV:

Thank you very much, always great to catch them in the act of coming out with a new skin. :D

Tony

[Bartman]

Great pics, I love seeing my animals after they shed..its the greatest! :D

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

ADAM:

Thank you :D

Tony

[greenman1867]

Tony, or any other of you old pro's,

Do the boas need something rough in the enclosure to get the shed going? Or to help along the way?

Thanks

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

GREENMAN:

Thanks, but I am just a evolving newbie, give me 20 years in this than I will accept the higher title :D

As for your question:

From my experience if your snakes have something (anything) like a hide box, water dish, soaking dish, decorative branches and rocks they will use these to help with shedding. If you observe your snakes when in blue stage then its only days after the shedding process with come into play. I like to mist them each day to soften up the skin for them creating more humidity than not being in shed. 3 - 5 days after the blue I noticed most will shed and if you keep records on this over time you can almost predict the day and time frame give or take 5 or so hours. Here I see this and then mist more, not drown them just misting with fine spray. I noticed so far that with this misting and estimating the right day within a few minutes the shedding will start. Snakes will use anything to assist in shed even their own bodies. The hard part is the face and head region after that they with compress there bodies on the ground and slowly peel their full shed or use anything in the cage to help that process. The main key is to provide them some humidity with misting or a humid box or a large soaking tub, all work and the snake will use what ever to help this process. The humidity is the main key to a successful shed :D

Goodluck.

Tony

[wizbit13]

Great pics as usual tony. Still making me want a Boa more and more though!!!

Adam

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

ADAM:

:D ...... You have to get a boa, what is life without a boa :D

Tony

[SnakeyeZ]

Nice 9 foot 5 inche peice of shed skin :P

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

RICH:

Yeah another few couple years she might be a 9 footer but I am very happy with her at 7 feet for now, wish I kept her baby skin and took a photo of that with this new shed :D

Tony

[hbwright]

Hello, newbie to the site here or at least first time posting. Thanks for the pics. I am lucky to have a new baby boa and she loves to share her shedding. She has shed twice for us now, both times 2 days after her eyes clear and both times during dinner so we could watch the whole thing. She hasn't used anything yet to help her shed and only wipes her face against the side of her cage, even when she is shedding the tail. Maybe it is a baby thing. It is a great process for us to watch and my kids are thrilled by it.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

HBWRIGHT:

Exactly its a really neat thing to watch and if all in 1 piece its great to examine it after before you decide to discard or save the skin. I always examine mine to make sure the eyes and tip of the tail come off perfect :D

Tony

[hbwright]

She has had perfect sheds each time. The humidity doesn't go below 50 and when she sheds I try to keep it around 70. Just this last time I started misting her and she seemed to like it. I wanted to keep her first one but my oldest daughter was so excited that she shed on Wed and she has Science lab on Thurs and wanted to bring in the shed. Needless to say it wasn't savable after that. I did keep the second one though.