Snake Skill

2. Shed Cycle Tracking

• Pre-shed signs tracking (blue/opaque eyes, dull/milky body color, hiding more, refusing food)
• Shed quality assessment (one complete piece = healthy, pieces = humidity or health issue)
• Shed frequency tracking over time (young snakes shed more often as they grow)
• Humidity management alerts based on shed cycle stage (increase humidity when pre-shed detected)
• Retained shed detection and tracking (eye caps, tail tips — can cause serious problems)
• Shed-to-shed interval tracking (helps predict next shed)
• Growth correlation (frequent shedding in young snakes = healthy growth)

3. Handling Tolerance Profiling

• How the snake reacts to handling (calm and curious, defensive musking, striking, tight wrapping)
• Best time to handle (never right after feeding, usually 48+ hours post-meal)
• Handling duration tolerance (some handle well for minutes, others for an hour)
• How tolerance changes over time with consistent, gentle handling
• Defensive vs predatory strikes (CRITICAL distinction — S-coil with tongue flicking vs food-mode strike)
• Tag/bite incidents log (date, context, what triggered it)
• Handling confidence score per handler (some snakes tolerate one person better than another)
• Seasonal handling changes (more defensive during breeding season)

4. Enclosure Microclimate Management

• Temperature gradient tracking (hot side, cool side, ambient — species-specific requirements)
• Humidity levels tracking per species requirement
• Hide usage patterns (which hide used when — warm hide, cool hide, humid hide)
• Frequency of hide usage as stress indicator (always hiding = stressed, exploring = comfortable)
• Substrate condition and type tracking
• Lighting schedule (most snakes don't need UVB, but day/night cycle matters)
• Seasonal adjustments tracking (brumation for temperate species — cooling period)
• Thermostat and heating equipment log
• Enclosure upgrade history (size increases as snake grows)

5. Behavior Pattern Recognition

• Periscoping (head raised, looking around = curious, exploring, wants out)
• Glass surfing (persistent pacing against glass = stress, too small enclosure, hungry, wants to explore)
• Tongue flicking frequency (higher rate = actively investigating, processing new scents)
• Coiling positions (tight ball = defensive, loose coils = relaxed, spread out = thermoregulating)
• Nocturnal activity patterns (most snakes are more active at night — track when)
• Escape attempt tracking (persistent escape behavior = enclosure issue, environmental stress)
• Climbing behavior (arboreal vs terrestrial tendencies)
• Soaking behavior (sitting in water dish = pre-shed, mites, too warm, or just likes water)
• Yawning (jaw stretching after meals = normal, frequent without feeding = potential respiratory issue)

6. Species Intelligence

Baselines and care requirements for:

• Ball Python: Most popular pet snake. Shy, nocturnal, famous for going off food (can fast months). 20-30 year lifespan. Warm side 88-92°F, cool side 76-80°F. Humidity 60-80%.
• Corn Snake: Great beginner snake. Active, good feeders, handleable. 15-20 year lifespan. Warm side 85°F, cool side 75°F. Humidity 40-50%.
• King Snake: Bold, active, great feeders (eat other snakes in the wild — house alone). 15-20 years. Warm side 85°F, cool side 75°F.
• Boa Constrictor: Large, long-lived (20-30 years), generally calm when socialized. Can reach 6-10 feet. Warm side 85-90°F, cool side 75-80°F. Humidity 60-70%.
• Hognose Snake: Dramatic (plays dead, hood display, false strikes). Usually bluffing. Small and handleable. 15-20 years.
• Garter Snake: Active, diurnal, social (can cohabitate unlike most snakes). Small, eat fish/worms. 10-15 years.
• Reticulated Python: ADVANCED keepers only. Can reach 15-25+ feet. Intelligent, strong, requires experienced handling and massive enclosures.
• Morph and genetics tracking for breeders (dominant, recessive, co-dominant traits)

Snake-Specific Profile Extensions

## Snake-Specific Data
- **Species and Morph:** [species, morph name, genetics if known]
- **Length/Weight:** [with measurement dates]
- **Enclosure Size and Type:** [glass/PVC/tub, dimensions]
- **Hot Side Temp:** [°F/°C]
- **Cool Side Temp:** [°F/°C]
- **Humidity:** [percentage range maintained]
- **Feeding Log:** [date, prey type/size, accepted/refused]
- **Last Shed Date:** [date and quality assessment]
- **Handling Tolerance Score:** [1-10 with notes]
- **Defensive Behaviors:** [musk, strike, ball up, hood, play dead]
- **Brumation Schedule:** [if applicable — dates, temps]
- **Known Health Issues:** [RI, mites, retained shed history]
- **Breeder Info:** [where acquired, genetics, hatch date]

Usage

All paw.skill commands work. Additional snake-specific prompts:

• "Log feeding: [name] took a medium rat, frozen-thawed, struck immediately"
• "[Name]'s eyes are going blue — when should I expect the shed?"
• "Is [name]'s feeding refusal seasonal or should I be concerned?"
• "How has [name]'s handling tolerance improved since I got them?"
• "[Name] has been soaking a lot — what could this mean?"
• "Track [name]'s growth: weighed 450g today"

Emotional Guidelines

Inherits all paw.skill emotional guidelines, plus:

• Snakes are widely misunderstood — never reinforce negative stereotypes
• Snake keepers face social stigma — validate their bond with their animal
• Snakes show affection differently (tongue flicking your hand, relaxing in your grip, choosing to stay)
• A snake that trusts you enough to eat in your presence is showing real comfort
• Loss of a snake hits just as hard — 20-30 year bonds with ball pythons are common

Platforms

OpenClaw · Hermes Agent · Claude Code · Codex · Cursor

Parent Skill

This skill extends paw.skill. Install paw.skill first for core pet distillation capabilities.