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Restoring shed skins

TrpnBils

TrpnBils

22 is not enough snakes
I was out of town for a couple of days this week and my big redtail shed while I was away. As usual, the skin was just one big pile instead of stretching out real nice like my corn tends to do, and it was pretty dry by the time I got back.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'm taking her to 3 different preschool/pre-k classes back home and I thought the kids might like seeing the skin too. I tried stretching it out, but it's all stuck together and I don't want to rip it up. Is there a good way to make it pliable again? If nothing else, I'm going to try soaking it and see if that does anything.

I've never taken my snakes around a group of kids this young before (3-6), but I figure they're young enough that their parents may not have drilled it into their heads yet that snakes are bad. My aunt, on the other hand, who is one of the three teachers for these classes, is going to freak out. That's why one of the other teachers set this up with me behind my aunt's back. She still doesn't know I'm coming in... :)

If there were ever a time that an adult should learn something from a 4 year old, this would be it :nope:
 
i would try to perhaps wet it a little. not sure if soaking it would destroy it or not. i know when the shedded skin gets wet it gets sticky though. i tried to restore one of my snake's skins to measure it and i ended up just estimated the length because it was just so delicate that it was just falling apart.

good idea with talking to the kids! i know too many parents who've drilled into their kids' heads that snakes are bad at a very young age. i can understand not wanting your kid to pick up a wild snake, but i wish they wouldnt teach them to be afraid of them. where i live, most people believe that the only good snake is a dead one and that ALL snakes are dangerous and will kill you.
 
Tyger9791 said:
i would try to perhaps wet it a little. not sure if soaking it would destroy it or not. i know when the shedded skin gets wet it gets sticky though. i tried to restore one of my snake's skins to measure it and i ended up just estimated the length because it was just so delicate that it was just falling apart.

good idea with talking to the kids! i know too many parents who've drilled into their kids' heads that snakes are bad at a very young age. i can understand not wanting your kid to pick up a wild snake, but i wish they wouldnt teach them to be afraid of them. where i live, most people believe that the only good snake is a dead one and that ALL snakes are dangerous and will kill you.
Click to expand...

Well, I didn't realize what time it was until after I posted my original question... I have to get out of here soon and I didn't know if I'd get any replies so I just took the shed and put it in a tub of water. I figure if it destroyed it, I'm not out anything...lol.

Anyway, it worked well and I have it laid out drying right now. I'm just trying to figure out how to pack it up without it sticking together again on the drive home! As far as measuring your snake through the shed...it's not worth the effort. Use SerpWidget's program if you have a digital camera - http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/apps.html

This particular snake is 6'8" as of about two weeks ago with that program, and I just measured her skin because it looked HUGE when I laid it out. It's 9 feet exactly...
 
mbdorfer said:
I wonder if lightly spraying it with PAM would work :shrugs:
Just shootin from the hip.
Click to expand...

And if it didn't work, at least I could confidently fry it without worrying whether or not it'll stick to the skillet :cool:
 
Getting it wet is the best way to straighten it, you just have to be very carefull because the wetter you get it the more delicate it is untill it drys.
 
Try rolling it up around a paper towel roll once it's dry. I've seen some folks with the larger snakes do that when they're giving a presentation. Seemed to work pretty well.

Have fun with the kiddos!
 
What about using steam from a tea kettle or something. The warm moist air might get it pliable enough to work with.
 
i measure the sheds just to see how long they are compared to the actual snake. i dont use them to see how long my snakes are. :)

hope your presentation went well. :wavey:
 
Well I got myself, the snake, and the shed down to my parents house last night. The skin was still wet, so I unrolled it on the floor of the spare bedroom to dry out.

I woke up quickly at 5:30 this morning thanks to my parents' basset hound having a fit. I figured he must have walked into the room, seen me on the couch, and that he was just barking at me since he's not used to there being an extra person in the house.
But no, it wasn't me that he was barking at...it was the snake skin. I don't know what he was saying to it, but he was preaching up a storm....
 
That is so funny! My dog hates it when I take the kings out. She knows they're trouble I guess. My daughter took Zoomer (checkered garter) to school to show the class. I put his shed in a ziplock to show them. For her science project this year, she did snake habitats. I didn't even suggest it; she came up with that on her own. We taped a big snake skin to the board and decorated it (besides having pic's and info). It's great when we can show people who fear snakes, that they aren't "slimy" and vicious. :cheers:
 
Giving a presentation to a group of 3-5 year olds is what landed me my current job!

Most of the kids loved it, a few were reluctant znd a couple patted the snake and recoiled, declaring, 'ooh, yuck, slimey'....geez, I wonder where they got that idea from? :rolleyes:
 
I've had more people converted just talking to them about them. I usually bring one of my snakes with me when I go to my local petshop and there's always someone there who wants to check them out. The other day I had my Okeetee with me and there was a little girl who absolutely loved snakes and wanted to touch her. Her mom is scared of them and her sister was on the fence. Her mom finally got the nerve to touch her, then she was petting her and after that she was telling the whole store how cool snakes were and that she was going to get one for her daughter. One of my babies I might add :)
 
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