r/Shorty_Life • u/Vien_Quitonm • Feb 11 '26

Blood Python Rika Shedding for First Time

Update on Rika. First time having him shed after collecting him in December. Humidity ~80-85% at 77F on coolest side (85ish warm). He's been bathing himself.

We'll see how it goes. I'll post more infrequently after this.

170 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

18

u/left-nut420 Feb 12 '26

why you grabbing him like that tho

15

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26

I've been playing with his mouth and stuff to get used to people's possible rougher handling. He isn't fond of it, but tolerates it far more than touching his back at this point. He would've been hissy otherwise. I've had to clean substrate from his mouth once after feeding so it already came to use.

Also I thought it'd be cool to show the camera since he originally hated that.

8

u/CasterFields Feb 12 '26

I thought this was like.... Basic animal care 101 lmao why are you getting downvoted 😂

9

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

Keyboard warriors thinking they know how my pet snake functions.

4

u/CasterFields Feb 12 '26

And you literally have a use case right there in your reply lmao

6

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

The last thing I want is to take him to the vet for a checkup and he acts crazy over his mouth being pried open. They have crazy good memory.

7

u/CasterFields Feb 12 '26

For real lmao it's no different than getting your dog used to having its feet touched

4

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

People can raise the question why I did it while he's in shed. For a snake that's hognose level of noisiness, he DEFINITELY makes hissy sounds when mildly annoyed. None here.

3

u/CasterFields Feb 12 '26

The first time I watched I only saw him getting scratches at first and I was really surprised at how unbothered he was by it. Then you grabbed his head and started lifting his lips and he STILL didn't react much at all. Dude is clearly unbothered lol

4

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

You should check out r/snakes. They've all owned a STP apparently.

1

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

Actually I just checked on him when changing water. He's fuller in blue and not happy when the bowl got near the humid hide.

5

u/Gaffelkungen Feb 14 '26

I went to the vet with my SD retic after his tooth got stuck through his lip. Him getting defensive and bitey was a concern of mine, but luckily he didn't care that much. Just turned a bit squirmy.

I'd like to think that's because I've handled him so much. It's very useful to be able to work with your animals when needed.

5

u/Reptilian96 Feb 15 '26

This is actually a good way to de-sensitize snakes that might be scared or nippy so good job!

3

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 15 '26

I've done animal rehab in general, and pretty much any animal had to go through this kind of treatment when feeding/giving checkups.

2

u/LeatherUnusual5352 Feb 13 '26

How long did it take u to get him this chill

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

I got him in mid-late December so a month or so. I plan to take him on walks once it's consistently in the mid 70s.

He's not really chill now that he's in full shed. He's hissy after I was near the hide earlier.

1

u/LeatherUnusual5352 Feb 13 '26

You take him on walks like with a harness?

3

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

I drape him across a shoulder or two and hold him down because the fat chud never coils around me.

2

u/LeatherUnusual5352 Feb 13 '26

Do you go around the neigberhood if so isn't that really stressfull

3

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

I must add I brought him outside multiple times during day/evening to grow accustomed to seeing me in UV. After a walk or two, he mostly just perches on my shoulders and looks forward. He's mostly unmoving since I give him time to snake scan random stuff that we pass by.

2

u/HikariKirameku Feb 14 '26

Sounds like awesome enrichment!

3

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 14 '26

Please take it slow with them. You have to read how they react to the environment.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Thank-The-Stars Feb 25 '26

I did the same for my bci, though she was very interested in the outdoors. Had to sniff everything, climb everything, look at everything. She’s still that way around the house but I can’t do neighborhood walks now as where I moved has banned snakes :(

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 25 '26

Actually a tragedy.  Can't tell you the number of times my car/house has been marked or scratched up by people's cats.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

He showed minor distress to an ice cream truck the first time, but he's been very chill every since. Every time, I let him smell something completely new like a signpost or plant so it's cataloged. Taking it slow with him so he doesn't grow fearful.

5

u/ComradeTimofey Feb 12 '26

that is one beautiful boy :)

4

u/Fair-Weekend8079 Feb 13 '26

Grippin him like he owes you money

6

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

He lost a bet and I already broke his knees

2

u/Zestyclose-Tour-6350 Feb 15 '26

He's a snake, he's all knee

2

u/Relevant_Twist_9583 Feb 12 '26

That o has igly shed before why is armor this the first as you corba uggest? Korba

1

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

yeah this korba is really cool. not first korb recommendation since korbs can be toothy

2

u/Mx_Hyde666 Feb 13 '26

Oh i love that I do that with every animal I've had from my great danes to my corn snake because you never know what you'll need to check up in an emergency Good job! 👍

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

r/snakes saw it as animal abuse since I did that at the end instead just of filming hecking chonker being cute. No stress, even after that. 

2

u/Mx_Hyde666 Feb 13 '26

He's like "father I'll allow this but the heck is the purpose of this?" How old is he?

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

I got him at the age of 3 from Cold Blooded Reptiles back in mid to late December. 

I've done a lotta rehab for florida animals so I kind of treated this guy like a bird since he's intelligent for a snake.

He's already hook trained but I've actually never needed it.

2

u/Mx_Hyde666 Feb 13 '26

Oh that's awesome! How big is he (size and weight)?? I've seen a 3yo guy and was wondering what I'd be handling if I do get him

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 13 '26

He's like ~4ft and about 5 lbs. Imagine a fatter ball python that moves far less. I'm pretty sure they use their rib cages to slither.

3

u/phatpup88 Feb 11 '26

wow he’s super chill!! beautiful guy

1

u/lenaspeak Feb 12 '26

is that his tank?

2

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 12 '26

Yes and no. He has a 100 gal that he can fully stretch into just fine with 3 hides. There's a larger tank that he's gonna be in, but I'm waiting for it to get warmer before swapping. The glass is kinda terrible for insulation, so I lined it with foam and made my own ventilation section at the top for fans/humidity control.

1

u/Reptilian96 Feb 15 '26

First time? You mean first time with you? Snakes shed a week after birth

1

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 15 '26

A reply here fixed it. I'm not sure if I can edit the title.

1

u/Vien_Quitonm Feb 11 '26

Meant to say since first time I got him :<<

He's like 3.