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A Corn Snake's Shed

Wylie

Wylie

Meet Sparkle... :D
How many of you keep all of your corn snakes' sheds? And if so, how do you store/preserve them?

Flash just shed yesterday and I am thinking about keeping his shed but I don't know how best to do this.

Thanks in advance for any help/tips. :)
 
I'm not sure about long term, but I've had my baby's first shed for the last 2 months and its fine, it dried out in the first few days and it's been the same ever since, I don't think they degrade or anything not sure long term........I'll be interested to see what someone more experienced says on the matter :) hope I could help.
 
I'm new to all of this too...but after Cleo shed, my son started a "shed book" and used glossy tape to hold down the shed and then labeled it. The shed actually still looks really cool and the scales look perfect. I don't know if it will stay looking good or not....
 

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yeah I'm going to start a shed book too lol, well from my knowledge anything dried out doesn't really degrade but again I haven't got solid evidence on that.
 
I haven''t tried this so I'm just talking off the top of my head. The sheds get really fragile as they dry out. More and more with time. I think if I were going to try and keep a book, I would moisten or rehydrate the skin so that it is plyable. I'd then arrange it on a page the way I wanted it, and then press it between stacks of news paper with some added weight (like a stack of books). If you have ever seen a botanist press plant tissue, this is what I am thinking of.

Let it dry completely before you try to do anything with it. It will still be fragile but being flat, you can now close it in a book without smashing it.

Just my thoughts.
 
I have kept snake sheds from when I was really little and begged for them from the local nature center! If you keep them dry, they last a while, but may start to stink.

I kept mine unlaminated in a box in a dry dark closet. I bet if you went to a copy center, they'd be able to laminate it really well. It would be cool to keep neat looking shed in a frame, huh?

...or am I just weird?.....:crazy02:
 
wade said:
I haven''t tried this so I'm just talking off the top of my head. The sheds get really fragile as they dry out. More and more with time. I think if I were going to try and keep a book, I would moisten or rehydrate the skin so that it is plyable. I'd then arrange it on a page the way I wanted it, and then press it between stacks of news paper with some added weight (like a stack of books). If you have ever seen a botanist press plant tissue, this is what I am thinking of.

Let it dry completely before you try to do anything with it. It will still be fragile but being flat, you can now close it in a book without smashing it.
Click to expand...

If a moistened skin is placed between two objects it is going to stick to both objects. Try to pull the two objects apart, after the skin has dried, and you will tear the skin.

I no longer do it (nowadays, shed skins are just collected and may, or may not, be tossed out) but I used to save skins (and still have those).
They were placed between plastic sheet covers. 'Course, this may not work for adult, or very large, snakes.;)

Laminating sounds like it may be a good idea.
 
It may stick, that is a point. But I know that when Botanists press and dry plants, they want to draw off the moisture as quickly as possible to prevent mold growth. They use a blotting paper against the plants, but I think paper towels would work in the same way.
 
I've got all my Corn snakes first ever sheds, some of which are over five years old!

I leave them laid out flat in the shape I want for a few days to dry, then put them into an airtight bag, like those self-sealing freezer bags or the ones with the press to close strip, making sure I remove all the air I can. They all still look perfect!

I then put a label on the bag stating whose shed it is and when they shed the skin!

I think laminating might be a good idea too!
 
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