Sometimes, you just have to feel for your snakes!

Why? Because sometimes, they just look miserable, especially
when a shed is imminent.

When a snake is due to shed, you will see their skin become
dark and dull, and they will become rather listless. If fed
recently, they won’t defecate until they have sloughed.

At this time, snakes become almost blind, and the scales over
their eyes are white. They’ll also hide away. This is a
normal reaction, as they are more vulnerable at this time.

Don’t handle your snake when it is due to shed, as this may
damage the new skin which is underneath, protected by a
coat of oil. This is why the old skin looks dull and dark.

If you have a snake, when it has completed its slough, check
the old skin, particularly the eye area, to see that the skin
is complete. Health problems can be caused by pieces of
old skin being left on the snake.

If you find any old pieces, or the snake is having difficulty
in shedding, dampen an old pillowslip, and put the snake
inside for about thirty minutes. This will moisten the old
skin, and hopefully, bring about a successful shed. A bath
in warm water may sometimes help.

If the snake seems to be distressed, or having difficulty in
the slough, take it to the vet’s as soon as possible. Here
is a list of Australian Herp Vets. Hopefully, you’ll never
have to use it.

Milky Eyed Snake, Due To Shed

Well, one snake really!

Just went out into the lounge to check if he’d come out of his
cage, as when the cat’s outside we leave the door open so
he can get some exercise. This is what I found:-

It's my couch, alright?

He’s a very gentle snake, so no problem putting him back into his
cage, but I left him where he was for another hour or so, and he
just went to sleep stretched out with his head hanging over the
edge of the couch. Looked very comfortable too.

Well, as I’ve just changed servers, and left all the old blog posts
behind, it’s time to fill up this site again. What to write about
is a very serious topic in itself.

Although the main site is mostly about animals, the blog will
take in anything in my day to day life, which usually includes
them anyway. I can’t imagine a life without pets or nature.

Inspiration is what is needed, that, and the time to really think
about the topic I’m writing about. I’d like to have some readers,
not a blog sitting here doing absolutely nothing!

Most people shudder when they discover that I have pet snakes;
pythons, to be exact.   There are three Antaresia stimsoni,
otherwise known as stimson’s pythons or large-blotched pythons,
and a Morelia bredli, which is sometimes called a Centralian Carpet
Python, or bredl’s python.

They are great pets, and I wouldn’t be without them.    Check out
my reptile pages for more information about keeping reptiles.

Here’s a photo of my big boy, the bredli – he’s about eight feet
long and is about ten years old.

Simbi In The Fig Tree

I’ve had him since he was about eight months old, and his mother
was wild bred, but captive born, so he’s only two generations from
wild. He is a very gentle snake, and is easy to handle – except
for his weight! Keeping him well fed can sometimes be a
problem, as on occasions, supplies are hard to find. Fortunately,
he only needs feeding on a monthly basis as an adult.

The only problem I have with him, is that he really, really, wants
to eat my cat!