Just a question

[cba040608]

My BP just shed today. When I was picking it up to take it out of the cage I noticed a small amount of blood where the snake goes to the bathroom, but on the shed skin. Then I looked at the same part on the snake is it looked red. It didn't look like it was bleeding, but like it kinda had. A few hours later the snake went to the bathroom. I looked again and I noticed two little spike looking things on each side of the little slit where it goes to the bathroom. I know the words I used are a little crude but I hope you get the idea I dont see any blood anymore, maybe just a tiny bit irritated . . . Does anyone know why this happened or what those two little spike things are?

[jrosen123]

I'm not sure what the shedding problem is, but the "two spike looking things" sound like spurs, they are normal, and are on all ball pythons. And the "slit where it goes to the bathroom" is it's vent

[SnM_Man]

the bath room end is called a ventrical ... vent for short... and tho i have seen seen itt myself ive read on other posts that sound alot like this one that BPs do sometimes bleed a little after a shed - i could be wrong and if so i hope someone corrects me ASAP... as for the spikey thingies there called spurs and are used for mating

[SnM_Man]

I'm not sure what the shedding problem is, but the "two spike looking things" sound like spurs, they are normal, and are on all ball pythons. And the "slit where it goes to the bathroom" is it's vent

dam ... u beat me

[missi182]

Yep, bleeding around there during shed is totally normal from time to time. Those little spikes are spurs, they are also normal

[cba040608]

the bath room end is called a ventrical ... vent for short... and tho i have seen seen itt myself ive read on other posts that sound alot like this one that BPs do sometimes bleed a little after a shed - i could be wrong and if so i hope someone corrects me ASAP... as for the spikey thingies there called spurs and are used for mating

Does that tell you whether its a boy or girl. They said it was a girl when I bought her but I haven't verified.

[jrosen123]

The spurs I'm pretty sure have no use. They ARE indeed a semi-accurate way of determining the sex as the males' spurs are generally larger. I am pretty sure they are just a remains from legs that snakes had a long, long, long, long time ago

[missi182]

Does that tell you whether its a boy or girl. They said it was a girl when I bought her but I haven't verified.

No it doesn't easily indicate male or female, you can have your vet or someone a little bit more familiar with snakes "pop" or "probe" your snake to find out if she is indeed female. Basically when this is done the sex organs (which are internal) can be shown by applying the proper pressure around the vent in order to have them "pop" out and be identified as male or female. Painless, just a little uncomfortable likely.