This is a follow-up story on Ms Jo-Ann Koh Mei Li’s battle with the python at her housing area. You might remember the incident in February 2025 when Ms Koh literally and physically fought with the python to free her cat, Jerry: https://animalcare.my/2025/02/17/this-lady-fought-off-a-python-to-rescue-her-cat/
The reptile is still at large.
In her own words:
Yes, this one comes out after dark. Last Sunday, it killed one of the neighbourhood cats inside the dry drain right outside my fence line. It was in front of the murraya tree where Sulli sleeps.
If it’s hunting my cats, I’m hunting him. Will be setting snake box traps along its usual routes.
Last month, I pulled snake skin out of the drain and sent it to a local group of herpetologist for identification, the fb group ID Ular Malaysia. It was a match as expected. Earlier last Sunday, I found snake skin again, and was uneasy the whole day.
If I catch it, I will write you a detailed article, incl. hunting strategies, trapping, pictures of the snake box traps, what to expect of this predator. No pictures of actual whole snake unless you ask for it.
Here’s the post with the snake skin only on ID Ular Malaysia.
Two pieces a month apart. Same snake. Pythons are not common around here.
Once I catch it, not if I catch it.
Ms Koh’s determination and bravery are highly admirable. We wish her and all her cats (and other animals in the vicinity) safety.
How often do pythons shed their skin (I asked a friend to help me search for the information below):
A python sheds its skin through a process called *ecdysis, or molting, which allows the s* to grow and remove parasites or damaged skin. Here’s how it happens:
### *1. Pre-Shedding Phase (Preparation)*
– *Skin dulls & eyes turn blue:* A few days before shedding, the python’s skin becomes dull, and its eyes turn milky blue due to fluid buildup between the old and new skin layers (this is called “*going into blue*”).
– *Reduced activity & appetite:* The snake may become less active, hide more, and refuse food.
– *Skin loosens:* Specialized glands secrete oils to help separate the old skin from the new layer underneath.
### *2. Shedding Process*
– *Clearing of eyes:* After a few days, the eyes clear up, signaling that shedding will happen soon.
– *Rubbing to peel skin:* The s** starts rubbing its nose against rough surfaces (like rocks or branches) to create a tear in the old skin.
– *Crawling out of the old skin:* The python then slowly wriggles out of its old skin, often in one complete piece (like pulling off a sock).
### *3. Post-Shedding*
– *Bright, shiny new skin:* The new skin is vibrant and free of scratches or parasites.
– *Discarded skin:* The old skin (called the “slough”) is left behind, often inside out.
### *Factors Affecting Shedding*
– *Humidity:* Low humidity can cause incomplete sheds (stuck skin). Pythons need 50-70% humidity.
– *Health & nutrition:* Poor diet or dehydration can lead to bad sheds.
– *Age:* Young snakes shed more frequently (every few weeks) because they grow faster, while adults shed a few times a year.
If a python has trouble shedding, owners may help by providing a *humid hide* or a warm soak to loosen stuck skin.
It is sad that due to humans’ over-development of the natural world, we have destroyed the natural habitat of so many animals. Some animals are carnivorous, so they have to hunt to survive. While animals like treeshrews (tupai), monkeys, civet cats (musang) are relatively harmless, some reptiles pose a grave and moral danger to us and our pets.
It is definitely our responsibility to protect all our pets. We hope the reptile can be caught by the authorities and safely released in the deepest jungle where it can continue to live out its natural life.
The thing with Bomba and Angkatan Pertahanan Malaysia is that they will only come if you say you can see the reptile. And sometimes by the time they arrive, the reptile has already slithered off elsewhere. The same happened at our guardhouse too when I spoke with the guards.
I was fortunate when the cobra came to our porch last year, both Bomba and APM were willing to come in the dead of the night to look for it, but yet, they could not find it. It was in the next morning that the chief of security of my neighbourhood found it hiding in our pandan bush (yikes!) right there in our garden. He caught the cobra and we called Bomba. Bomba took almost 30 minutes to arrive even though the station is only 3 minutes away. The firemen took it away to release it.
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