Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We keep our hatchlings in small dollar store boxes with hinged lids. (maybe 6" square). In with them are alder chips, a paper penny roll (hide), a rough piece of ceramic and a small water bowl (the cut short bottom of a yogurt container).
More often than not, when they shed they somehow manage to move the penny roll so half of it is in the water. I can understand that they do this to provide themselves a wet hide. I'm just not sure at all how they manage to move the roll where they want it. (I've never actually seen them move it, but most of the time the hide in the water means it's time to start feeding). Any ideas?
Corinne
dragonfly@w-link.net

When they are shedding, they wind up rubbing up against things and usually move light objects around in the process. When a penny roll (or toilet paper roll in the case of my snakes) comes into contact with the water while getting pushed around, it gets heavier and harder to move...often coming to rest right there.
It is extremely unlikely that our snakes are intentionally creating a wet hide.

Ive read stories in Pravda that Russian corns have mystical powers and can move things at will.Or maybe they just drink too much Vodka over there.I agree with Duffy.Even after all these years I will drop whatever Im doing to watch my snakes shed.

Thanks for the laugh!
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
I have two pet rats and about 14 breeders
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Plus 3 kittens
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody
Plus whatever animals I am fostering for the local shelter!

n/p

I notice that with a few of the corns and ratsnakes that I take care of they will push a lot of chip/shavings into their water bowl. It is always the same snakes that do this. This is not a small amount of shavings they will usually fill up their waterbowl. I used to clean out the waterbowl everytime this occured, but they would just dump more in them.

I think it might be a behavioral thing. Perhaps it may be creating a wet hide. As an experiment put a deli cup in there with some moistened sphagnum moss and see if this still occurs. That would be interesting.
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14 Leopard Geckos 5.9.0
2 Tokay Geckos 2.0.0
1 Graybanded Kingsnake 1.0.0 (on vacation in my house)
1 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 1.0.0
2 Gray Ratsnakes 0.0.2
2 Dekay's Snake 0.0.2
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum
1.1 Green Tree Frogs (H. cinerea)
1.1 Gray Tree Frog (H versicolor)
Approximately 20 gray treefrog tadpoles

` When your Anaconda gets restless and starts moving a 10 gallon soaking tub, along with everything else, things can get really interesting. Take her out to calm her down, and he starts moving YOU around.
`

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