Shed with a little blood?

[vjb]

A couple questions about my BP.

He shed the other day and there were two small areas of the substrate (unprinted newspaper) that had some blood on it. I couldn't tell where it came from and there is no obvious injury. Is this normal during a shed??

Also, hopefully I can explain this so it makes sense, but he seems to have some extra skin around the whole length of his body. Almost like hes growing into his skin. Does this make sense?
Hes about 2 and I feed him one sm/med F/T rat weekly. I was wondering if this is normal or if it might be that he is underweight.

[jason79]

The little bit of blood after shed is normal it comes from inside their vent shouldn't be a problem if everything else is ok. If you are seeing skin folds on its side I would say it is under weight.

[SquamishSerpents]

the skin folds could also be a sign of dehydration. is it possible for you to get a couple close-up shots of the folds, and a full body shot of the snake in question?

[loonunit]

Most of my snakes leave a little streak of blood from their vents after shedding. I wish I knew what caused it--I've heard rubbing of the vent area, but it happens even if I pull the skin off before they get to their vents. At any rate, it's pretty normal.

The skin folds sound like the result of mid-winter under-eating. But -What's Wrong With My Snake- also says that sometimes that indicates health problems. Can you take a pic?

[vjb]

Ok, so the small amout of blood is normal.

As far as being underweight/dehydrated, here are a few shots of him.
Like I said, I feed him a Sm/Med rat weekly and I keep a medium sized bowl of fresh water in his tub.
Thanks for any advice!

[jason79]

Looks healthy to me. I dont see any skin folds.

[vjb]

Looks healthy to me. I dont see any skin folds.

Not so much folds it just feels like he has some extra skin. Its almost like his body doesn't fill up his skin. I'm not talking a lot of extra skin but enough that you could pinch some between your thumb and forefinger.
Normal?

[rockhardchick666]

Breathing room skin?

[RichsBallPythons]

Their skin will stretch out a bit in the way they always coil/lay. Nothing to be concerned about at all.

Blood is also normal, as the skin is being pulled off healthy skin, Just like peeling skin from a sun burn thats not ready. It hurts and can cause bleeding.

[vjb]

OK, I wasnt trying to be neurotic, but never having held another BP before I bought mine (a rescue) I wasn't sure. Thanks!