help! its my snake's first shed!

[Lillian]

I just got a ball python on Feb. 10. Its my first snake so i read up about it a lot before getting it and set up the cage completely to make sure that i could regulate the temperature/humidity.
Once i got the snake i waited two weeks to feed try and feed it. The guy at the petstore said that it was eating 2-3 small mice, so i bought 2 mice to start with. First i tried feeding him in a separate tank because i heard you dont want them to associate feeding with their tank, and minimize the likeliness of getting bit at. He killed the mouse and squeezed him for about 40 mins. but then didn't eat it. I thought it might be because its in a different tank, so i tried to feed him the other mouse in a closed brown bag in his tank. He killed that one too, but also failed to eat it.
About 3 days later on Feb. 25-26 i first noticed him getting opaque eyes and a pink belly. Ever since i've been waiting for him to shed. His eyes have cleared up, but his skin is still pale and i can see faint cracks on the top of his head and over his eyes. Its been about 2 weeks and there's no sign of shed. He rubs his head on his hides which are rough but cant seem to get the shed started. I've been keeping the humidity around 60-70, but this doesnt seem to be helping.
I'm starting to get worried that there's something else wrong. Help! Is it normal to be taking this long to shed?
~Lillian~

[NotAnotherHonda]

read the sticky about shedding...very helpful

bump the humidity up as well...to about 80%, i think

[Lillian]

yeah i'm trying that right now.
oh yeah, he also has little wrinkles and his skin looks loose on him. i'm worried that i should feed him, but i've heard that its not good to feed a snake while they're in their shed cycle.
~Lillian~

[NotAnotherHonda]

that true? my bp is starting to begin his shedding and i threw a rat in there today. he hasnt eaten it in 4 hours!

[JLC]

Some BP's will eat while in the shedding process. Some will not. Mine won't touch food anywhere near her shedding time.


Lillian...I think maybe your snake may be in for a rough shed cycle this time around...most likely due to living in less than ideal conditions before you bought it. (Just guessing on that, as I have NO idea where you got it.) If I were you, I would hold off on trying to feed, because you may need to get a little more proactive in helping it shed.

Normally, I don't recommend soaking a BP before they begin their shed because that usually makes it worse, rather than easier. But it seems to me as if the poor thing is already having a very hard time of it.

Get a smallish (big enough for your snake to move around in a bit) rubbermaid-type dish with a lid...fill it with barely luke-warm water....just enough to come up about 1/2 of the snake's body width....then place the snake in there...put the lid on...and place the whole thing back in the snake's cage on the warm side. Leave it there for about an hour....then take the snake out and let it slither through a warm, damp towel in your hands. Hopefully that old skin will start to slough off. If not...repeat the process once each day until it does.

[Chase13]

that true? my bp is starting to begin his shedding and i threw a rat in there today. he hasnt eaten it in 4 hours!

You put a live rat in and left it for 4 hours?

[Lillian]

Some BP's will eat while in the shedding process. Some will not. Mine won't touch food anywhere near her shedding time.


Lillian...I think maybe your snake may be in for a rough shed cycle this time around...most likely due to living in less than ideal conditions before you bought it. (Just guessing on that, as I have NO idea where you got it.) If I were you, I would hold off on trying to feed, because you may need to get a little more proactive in helping it shed.

Normally, I don't recommend soaking a BP before they begin their shed because that usually makes it worse, rather than easier. But it seems to me as if the poor thing is already having a very hard time of it.

Get a smallish (big enough for your snake to move around in a bit) rubbermaid-type dish with a lid...fill it with barely luke-warm water....just enough to come up about 1/2 of the snake's body width....then place the snake in there...put the lid on...and place the whole thing back in the snake's cage on the warm side. Leave it there for about an hour....then take the snake out and let it slither through a warm, damp towel in your hands. Hopefully that old skin will start to slough off. If not...repeat the process once each day until it does.

I got my snake at the pet store in town. It seemed like they had a good set up, but i dont remember seeing thermometers/hygrometer, so i dont really know.
I'm gonna try giving him another 24 hours to see if he'll shed. And if he doesn't then i'm gonna try your suggestion.
Thanks for all the tips guys!

~Lillian~

[JLC]

I'm gonna try giving him another 24 hours to see if he'll shed. And if he doesn't then i'm gonna try your suggestion.
Thanks for all the tips guys!

~Lillian~

Sounds like a plan...good luck with it!

[NotAnotherHonda]

You put a live rat in and left it for 4 hours?

nooo....frozen/thawed