Using complete skin for measurement ??

[tman]

My female BP just did another Great shed, all one piece. So I decided to try and measure the skin, I got a measurement of 42 inches(3.5 feet ). Well to me she really does not look that long. She is only 9 months old and to me she looks to be around 2.5 feet. Question is, does the skin strech when they are shedding ??

[TokenLs]

well im not sure but heres a pic of Vito hes 3.5 feet you can compare.

[Schlyne]

Yes, the skin stretches when they are shedding, so you can't really use it as a size estimate

However, if you get a good picture of the entire snake with something of known size, you can use the snake measurer software to get a really good idea of the length of your snake...it's kinda hard to get your snake to line up with a piece of string.

[Kara]

Yes. During shedding, the old skin is very soft & pliable due to the fluid layer underneath. This is why a freshly shed skin often feels damp. The old skin is usually stretched several inches over the snake's actual length due to all the pulling & rubbing involved in the process. They're not a reliable way to accurately measure your snake.

K

[sk8er4life]

yea the skin does strech when its shedded thats why some people that own these "giant" snake skins say they have a huge snake when its probably just a regular burm or retic!

[Brandon.O]

Well, even a "regular" burm or retic is still huge.

Anyway.....

Its not a very acurtate way to measure a snake at all, i didnt know any better and i measured my corn like that and it seemed like over night she had grown into a twenty inch snake! :o When really she hadnt grown that much at all.I put the shed next to her and of course it was alot longer/thicker. Needless to say i felt pretty stupid.I think i even posted somthing on here asking if a growth rate like that was normal. sheesh, i felt dumb.

[sk8er4life]

well i guess a regular burm or retic is pretty huge when full grown, just a tad bit!lol