skinny shed

[SnakeFather]

so 4 weeks prior to shedding, my ball python went on a hunger strike. after the 3rd week i assist fed her(she is still a baby). 3 days after i noticed the beginning signs of shed so i followed instructions keeping humidity in the high 60's and leaving her alone. she is currently on her darkening phase right before skin peeling, so i take her to a nice bath and i notice she is abnormally skinny. im extremely worried because i have never seen her this skinny before. what do i do?

[Hlow87]

One a bath when not needed can stress your snake, if the shed doesn't come off on its own you can help with letting them rub through a damp towel..but if she's skinny make sure you have alarge enough water bowl so she can get in and soak (they'll fatten up after soaking) also when you feed try wetting your prey first if shes looking skinny...these are all things I've picked up from this fabulous site 😊

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[SnakeFather]

she actually really enjoys bath time to time and its obvious when she does not

[Craiga 01453]

I have found that bumping the humidity and leaving the snake alone from when he/she turns opaque has worked best for my snakes when it's time for them to shed. I always make sure the water bowl is filled appropriately so the snake can fit and soak when/if THEY CHOOSE to do so. I don't handle them or stress them any further than the shedding process already stresses them. Just think, if your body was going through something like that, and your eyes were clouded over and you were more or less blind, would you want to be bothered and dropped into a pool? I wouldn't want that done to me. The only time my snakes seem a little scared or defensive is while they are in shed and I'm cleaning/watering their enclosures. Otherwise they tend to be absolute sweethearts. This leads me to believe they prefer to be left alone during sheds. Since they aren't able to speak, I "listen" to their body language, and it seems to be working well for me, and primarily, the animals.

[Aste88]

There's absolutely no need to assist feed for a three weeks long fast, they can go much longer without food even as newborn.

Bathing or other shed helping actions are only to be used AFTER a bad shed, and even then you solve most of the cases with a bump in humidity.