Emmerson James Bader, age 11, of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, for his question:
How does a snake shed his skin?
Not so long ago, Andy explained when and how snakes of the wilds do their shedding. Since then he has received many questions from persons who own pet snakes and wish to make the shedding process easier. As usual, the question from only one pen pal can be selected and answered in the column. So please don't feel neglected if your question was not chosen. Please try again and, this time please clip out the column to be consulted when shedding time arrives for your own pet snake.
A person needs arms to wriggle out of a sweater and hands to peel off his pants. When a snake sheds his skin, the operation is rather like removing a tight one piece garment with no help from hands or arms. Obviously the task is a very difficult one, but from time to time it must be done. In the wilds, shedding is quite risky and many a snake loses his life during the process. However, when you know how it's done, you can help your pet snake safely through his ordeal.
Since a snake lives so close to the ground, naturally his skin gets a lot of wear and tear. His true skin is thick and durable, scaly and usually marked with a handsome pattern. This true skin is protected by a paper thin epidermis of dead cells. His epidermis fits his entire body somewhat like a tight stocking, from his chin to the tip of his tail. It even covers his glassy eyes. As he slides and glides on sandy gravel through rough grasses, this thin tight top coat gets scuffed and scratched. From time to time it must be replaced with a new one.
A pet snake needs to shed less often than his wild kinfolk, who do more crawling over rough terrain. However, he needs a new epidermis about once a year, usually in early spring or late summer. As a rule, you can tell when his shedding time is near. He tends to lose his appetite and become lazier than usual. He also tends to feel a bit cranky.
This miserable mood comes upon him while his body is growing a new epidermis under the old one. You will notice that his old epidermis becomes dry and dull. His eyes are blurred and so is the handsome pattern of his true skin. Actually the epidermis is tight and scratchy which explains why he feels miserable and a bit irritable. But at last, the new epidermis is complete and he is ready to shed the old one.
He starts the difficult operation by rubbing his head against some hard rough object. So make sure to place several stones in his terrarium. As he rubs his head, he manages to loosen the old epidermis from around his lips. With more rubbing and wriggling he gets the dry old skin back over his head. Whew! Now he can see again. After a short rest, he rubs and wriggles the old skin inch by inch toward his tail.
The tricky operation may take half an hour or more and naturally you long to help. However, he must be allowed to do the fob all by himself. All you can do is to provide some big rough stones. A dish of water also may be useful because some snakes like to soak the dry old skin before shedding. When the fob is done he feels fine. His scaly skin shines bright and chances are he's all set to treat his new outfit to a snake¬sized dinner.