Snakes shedding at the same time...

[AviculariaLover]

Coincidence?

My two eastern milk snakes, kenyan sand boa, corn snake, and ball python are all in pre shed. This happens every time, they shed within a week or so of each other. I don't see how it could be anything other than a coincidence, but its still pretty neat. :?

Does this happen to anyone else?

 

[AneesasMuse]

Maybe it's environmental or ..can't think of the right term for it... but similar to a group of women that are always around each other... it has some effect on their "cycles", as well. Just pondering... it is interesting.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Mine (2 corns, in the same tank) seem to shed in two different cycles - ofcourse those will coincide every now and then (in regular intervalls) so I'm also thinking about coincidence. The third one in a different tank also sheds when it want's to...

 

[Avic_Addict]

Maybe it's environmental or ..can't think of the right term for it... but similar to a group of women that are always around each other... it has some effect on their "cycles", as well. Just pondering... it is interesting.

Its a phenomenon that evolved in many animals as a safty mechanism. For example, womens' (and other mammalian females') cycles will start to synchronise after they've spent a certain amount of time together due to the pheremones they give off - it is within the species best interest if all the females have their unfertile days of their cycles at the same time, as they are then more likely to ovulate simultaneously, and be impregnated and give birth at the same time. This helps to promote the survival of the offspring by providing safety in numbers - a single baby in a groups will always be targeted by predators, and so having lots of babies together reduces each individual baby's chances of being singled out and killed.

In the same way, snakes housed in close proximity to each other will often synchronise their shedding cycles even if they're different species. The pheromones associated with the hormonal changes that induce shedding are essentially the same between the majority of species (cobras and some vipers seem to be the exceptions) and so the broadcasted olfactory message is the same. It is in the snake's own interest to not be the only individual potentially prone to attack while hormonally sensitive and visually impared by their blue/cloudy eyecaps during premoult!

 

[Bear Foot Inc]

Its a phenomenon that evolved in many animals as a safty mechanism. For example, womens' (and other mammalian females') cycles will start to synchronise after they've spent a certain amount of time together due to the pheremones they give off - it is within the species best interest if all the females have their unfertile days of their cycles at the same time, as they are then more likely to ovulate simultaneously, and be impregnated and give birth at the same time. This helps to promote the survival of the offspring by providing safety in numbers - a single baby in a groups will always be targeted by predators, and so having lots of babies together reduces each individual baby's chances of being singled out and killed.

In the same way, snakes housed in close proximity to each other will often synchronise their shedding cycles even if they're different species. The pheromones associated with the hormonal changes that induce shedding are essentially the same between the majority of species (cobras and some vipers seem to be the exceptions) and so the broadcasted olfactory message is the same. It is in the snake's own interest to not be the only individual potentially prone to attack while hormonally sensitive and visually impared by their blue/cloudy eyecaps during premoult!

Great post!! Makes sence too! I know all my snakes do it, boas, balls, kings, corns, milks, ect.

 

[AviculariaLover]

Yeah I thought of women matching up their cycles when they live together, but I wasnt sure if the same sort of principle worked with snakes. Thanks for the responses!