Why does "pink belly" even happen?

I notice it, and it's really true that the ball python's belly gets a pinkish hue in the beginning of the shed cycle.

Does anyone know why? Is the belly skin being irritated or something? I think it would be pretty interesting to find out.

I'm sure that it is irritation. I would guess that it is caused by the old skin becoming lose and rubbing the new skin when the snake moves. (like a carpet burn)

interesting thread to say the least

My understanding is that it is increased blood flow to the scales as the new skin is made. I want to say that the belly scales have less pigment naturally and that's why the belly scales turn pink, but I'm not 100% sure. Entirely white snakes do not turn completely pink - but then, I am also pretty sure that the way the color white works as far as pigment/ structure within the scales is not entirely understood. In fish (which are similar, pigment wise) white isn't necessarily the absence of color...It's confusing. People have melanin and that's pretty much it - if I am remembering this right, snakes have xanthopores (produce yellow pigment), melanin (dark/black), and one for red pigment that I can't remember... While I was still in college I researched this for a while - it'd be a neat project for someone doing grad work, I just never went that far with it. But the point of all that is that white snakes do not usually turn entirely pink likely because they're not white due to the absence of color, but white due to a malfunctioning pigment... I think. Maybe. I need to dig back through my research!

In any case, to actually answer your question, the belly scales turn pink because of increased blood flow to the scales.

-Jen

For what it's worth my leopard ball has a huge ringer on her tail, and when she's in shed the entire ringer turns pink, not just the bottom. I think we notice the pinkness on the bellies because they tend to be more pale.

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

My understanding is that it is increased blood flow to the scales as the new skin is made. I want to say that the belly scales have less pigment naturally and that's why the belly scales turn pink, but I'm not 100% sure. Entirely white snakes do not turn completely pink - but then, I am also pretty sure that the way the color white works as far as pigment/ structure within the scales is not entirely understood. In fish (which are similar, pigment wise) white isn't necessarily the absence of color...It's confusing. People have melanin and that's pretty much it - if I am remembering this right, snakes have xanthopores (produce yellow pigment), melanin (dark/black), and one for red pigment that I can't remember... While I was still in college I researched this for a while - it'd be a neat project for someone doing grad work, I just never went that far with it. But the point of all that is that white snakes do not usually turn entirely pink likely because they're not white due to the absence of color, but white due to a malfunctioning pigment... I think. Maybe. I need to dig back through my research!

In any case, to actually answer your question, the belly scales turn pink because of increased blood flow to the scales.

-Jen

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Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

For what it's worth my leopard ball has a huge ringer on her tail, and when she's in shed the entire ringer turns pink, not just the bottom. I think we notice the pinkness on the bellies because they tend to be more pale.

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I noticed something similar on a white diamond (it may have been a pied or something else in the BEL complex...I can't remember) at a show. it was BRIGHT pink and I determined that the snake was probably in shed.

Hah, so maybe I just don't see enough white snakes in shed. :)

-Jen

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

Hah, so maybe I just don't see enough white snakes in shed. :)

-Jen

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At first we thought the snake had dye on it (from the colored bedding it was on) but the bedding was blue and the snake was pink! There was another snake in there with it that was also an all white snake and it was not bright pink, thus why we thought the snake might be in shed. That's not very scientific, but it's what I can remember.

Seconding blood flow My albino gets really pink when in shed. It goes up his sides too. The pinking plus dull color makes him a very rosy orange when he's usually highlighter yellow.

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

Hah, so maybe I just don't see enough white snakes in shed. :)

-Jen

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My Lucy ratsnake would get a lovely pink hue when she was shedding. My Pied girl Fia gets pink on all her white areas. It's pretty cute :3

im not 100% sure, but i think white exists as a pigment in BPs, and when you get high skin transparency with low pigmentation of any kind you get into these light lavender and pinkish hues. that with increased bloodflow.... pink.

but im not entirely sure, and cannot be without pictures of the belly in question.

for an example of what i mean with white pigment, take a look at the second and third image for this morph:
http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/leche/ and look at the head, how the darkness of the eyes shines through around and on top of the eyes.