Helping Jake shed

[Catherine]

I have talked about Jake Krinkle Snake. He is seriously deformed, but he is doing very well. I always have to help him shed. He can start the shed and get his face clear and that is as far as he can go.

This time he actually got out and was looking for me to help him.

So here he is shedding

If I hold him gently where the old skin is an pull just a little he can slip out of his old skin.

He tries so hard to help

Almost done.

Opps it tore and that can make it harder.

Back on track

Done and looking good.


Jake is such a good little snake. He makes the best of his life and he trusts me to help him.

[LPC]

Amazing photos!

[Catherine]

Thank you. It is amazing how much he lets me help him. He is gentle and he is clever.

[Tobi]

This is amazing and so interesting to see. They are such good pictures too. Do snakes shed at certain times of year? Or just whenever they are ready?
It's lovely that he has such a trusting bond with you that he knows you will help him....(er, I have just remembered...isn't Jake a girl?)

[Catherine]

You are right, we think Jake might be a girl. It is hard to tell with the spine being damaged. He just might be a male that didn't develop right. He could be probed, but I don't like to do that to my healthy snakes. I would never let it be done to Jake.

Snakes shed when they are ready. Females shed before they lay eggs. When snakes grow, they shed. As they get older they shed less because they grow less. Shedding helps them renew their skin and repair any damage. However, if any skin is retained it can cause problems.

I thought Jake would lose the end of his tail when I got him because he had a build up of unshed skin. I soaked him in Shed Ease(special product to help reptiles shed) and helped with his next shed and it all came off. It is critical that the shed come off the eyes or a snake can lose its sight. Snakes do not have eye lids. They have a clear scale over each eye. It must come off. I am glad Jake can do that himself.

We do have an interesting bond of trust. When I first got him, he couldn't poop without help. I had to do that too. It makes shedding seems so easy now.

[Cibach]

How wonderful that he trusts you so much. So much so that he looks to you for that help.
And how wonderful that you can do it for him. What a privilege.

[Catherine]

It was love at first sight with Jake. I wanted him the moment I saw him. Jake trusted me right from the start. The poor little guy just didn't know how to cope and I just trusted my instincts they worked out.
I figured that he had serious mobility problems and could actually tie himself in a knot. I put him in a small space where the walls could give him something to lean against and keep him straight. It worked.
I just can't believe how much he has grown and how well he is doing.