I’ve been thinking about this for a bit, so I thought I’d take a chance and see if anyone has any thoughts. My Tanimbar scrub python has the softest, most delicate scales I’ve ever felt/seen on any snake. They are so fragile that I’m constantly worried about damaging them. Equally, they are constantly being damaged and then simply regenerate after the next shed. Usually.
I’ve asked a couple other scrub keepers if they’ve noticed this on their animals and it doesn’t seem to be the norm. It’s almost like his scales can get ruffled...like feathers. He’s constantly grabbing onto something in a weird way and bending a couple scales back here and there. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all, but I’m always worried about it.
For example, tonight he was squeezing his own body so tightly around himself and a chunk of my hair that he left these marks on his freshly shed belly! Really hard to see in the photo, but it looks like he was pulled backwards through a space that was too snug or something.
The pictures are super unclear, but in person it just reminds me of ruffles feathers. If I were to pet my Dumeril’s against the grain of the scales on her sides, it would be the same as petting her with the grain. On my scrub, those scales would likely bend back. Anyone else notice this on their animals? The poor kid just looks like I beat on him or something
I never yank him when he’s coiled in a vice grip; I always unwrap. And luckily, the redness from the photo subsided after about 20 minutes and he doesn’t even seem to notice. Just wondering if this isn’t odd!
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