Reading a Shed?

[TraconSnake]

I stopped by a local PetCo today and noticed inside the Ball Python cage was a shed skin. I asked to see it, and the incredulous girl (not old enough to be called lady) let me see it, commenting that she's never had anybody interested in seeing the shed before.

Anyhow, the shed was in one piece, but it was all coiled up, as if Scotty "beamed" the snake out of it's skin. It was a little fragile, but didnt' disintegrate to the touch.

So, I'm wondering - is this a sign that I've found one of the stores in the franchise that is doing something right regarding it's Ball Pythons?

On another note, I didn't see any thermometers in the cage, and the glass didn't feel particularly warm, but then again my hand hasn't been callibrated in quite some time. I wonder if they're actually using thermal probes...?

[jglass38]

Its entirely possible. They aren't all bad but a lot are. More often than not its minimum wage 16 year olds that are left to tend to the wellbeing of live animals.

[Shelby]

I highly doubt they've got an actual thermostat on the cage or anything like that. Typically the large chain stores have standardized equipment that is the same in each store. Just because a snake shed in one piece doesn't mean that everything is perfect. Humidity may be correct, or perhaps the snake just soaked long enough before the shed to get it off in one piece.

Either way, at least it's not shedding in flakes!

[Adam_Wysocki]

A couple of thoughts ...

Some ball pythons are just great shedders ... they will get it all off in a tight little "wad" no matter what the humidity in the cage or even the conditions. Others, are just always bad shedders ... even with perfect environments and humidity, their sheds are always flakey and stuck ... I have a few hypos that can be especially bad at times ... I have a personal theory that some ball pythons have "thinner" sheds than others (from birth, many of my hypos seem to have had thinner sheds in general) and that thinner shedders are usually poorer shedders than thicker shedders.

As far as thermometers go ... I have several hundred cages in my shop and not one of them has a thermometer in it all of the time. On a regular basis, I place thermometers into random cages for 24 - 48 hours and record the high/low temps to make sure everything is working like it should, but for the most part I rely on my thermostats to do their job.

Not sure if this helps, but I felt like posting it anyway.

-adam

[cassandra]

Makes sense that some bps differ slightly in their ability to shed, especially between normals and morphs; their appearance may not be their only difference? =)

[Vomitore]

I stopped by a local PetCo today and noticed inside the Ball Python cage was a shed skin. I asked to see it, and the incredulous girl (not old enough to be called lady) let me see it, commenting that she's never had anybody interested in seeing the shed before.

Anyhow, the shed was in one piece, but it was all coiled up, as if Scotty "beamed" the snake out of it's skin. It was a little fragile, but didnt' disintegrate to the touch.

So, I'm wondering - is this a sign that I've found one of the stores in the franchise that is doing something right regarding it's Ball Pythons?

On another note, I didn't see any thermometers in the cage, and the glass didn't feel particularly warm, but then again my hand hasn't been callibrated in quite some time. I wonder if they're actually using thermal probes...?

You should see the local PetCo out here in L.A. The fish tanks alone are an algie (sp) eaters dream. I don't think they are ever cleaned. And the BP's cages here have no thermometers here either. In fact, I didnt see a heat lamp, or a heating pad. The pad would be hard to see, but who knows.

[TraconSnake]

Some ball pythons are just great shedders ... they will get it all off in a tight little "wad" no matter what the humidity in the cage or even the conditions.

Too bad I'm not in the market now, else it might be good to snatch a good shedder, especially since it's doing well in conditions that are likely less than ideal.

This store seems pretty good. If I can't find anybody locally, I may end up buying from this store. They charge $75, but I figure that's about how much I'd pay to get one shipped to me.


A follow-up question. Is it generally recommended to just leave a BP alone when it's in it's hide, and only handle when they're out and about? I ask because the girl asked if I wanted to see the snake that shed. I didn't for two reasons - It seemed to be happily hiding, and I'm not buying at this time, so I didn't want to cause unnecessary stress.

You should see the local PetCo out here in L.A. The fish tanks alone are an algie (sp) eaters dream. I don't think they are ever cleaned. And the BP's cages here have no thermometers here either. In fact, I didnt see a heat lamp, or a heating pad. The pad would be hard to see, but who knows.

I don't know how much a call to PetCo corporate would help. In my experience, it's not so much the franchise as it is the person who is managing the local store. There's a Carl's Jr in the area that used to be excellent. Then the manager went on to a different store. The new management would give an Oreck XL a run for it's money - the quality of the store went downhill very sharply.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Too bad I'm not in the market now, else it might be good to snatch a good shedder, especially since it's doing well in conditions that are likely less than ideal.

In my humble opinion (for whatever it's worth) the average ball python owner gets way too hung up on complete sheds. If a ball python doesn't shed in all one piece it's really no big deal ... wild ball pythons almost always have some part of their previous shed stuck on them ... it's nothing that a quick soak can't fix and doesn't bother them in the least.

This store seems pretty good. If I can't find anybody locally, I may end up buying from this store. They charge $75, but I figure that's about how much I'd pay to get one shipped to me.

Could be more than that even.

A follow-up question. Is it generally recommended to just leave a BP alone when it's in it's hide, and only handle when they're out and about? I ask because the girl asked if I wanted to see the snake that shed. I didn't for two reasons - It seemed to be happily hiding, and I'm not buying at this time, so I didn't want to cause unnecessary stress.

Doesn't matter ... once they are settled in and eating well, they are amazingly adaptable. We pull them out of hides and cages constantly and they all thrive at my place.

-adam

[Adam_Wysocki]

Makes sense that some bps differ slightly in their ability to shed, especially between normals and morphs; their appearance may not be their only difference? =)

Not just between normals and morphs ... different normals seem to have different thicknesses to their sheds. One year I even noticed it as a locality difference with some CH imports I received.

-adam