Rescued Male Normal BP

So I did not enter this situation expecting this to be a "rescue". Saw 4 female normals (of breeding age) listed on CL. The price was great so I jumped on it. Met the person and three were females and one turned out to be a male. I did not want a male normal but the shape he was in made me feel compelled to get him. He is over 3' in length but weights less than 400 grams (skin and bones). To top that off he has a badly (worst I have seen) stuck shed. Turns out someone feeding an 3'+ adult ball python one medium mouse ever 2 weeks is not enough...... The females were underweight but no where near as bad as this guy (for the record all four were kept in the same cage...) I soaked him twice last night and once so far today. I am worried I messed up by feeding him today ( I have heard many people say not to feed when is shed as the skin may constrict around the food item and kill the snake..hence why I fed him mice instead of small rats) All I fed him was 2 adult mice today (total weight 67g). If I keep soaking him as he does not finish his shed what should my next step be?

To give an idea of my rack temp / humidity he is in
-Hot spot 91
-Cold side ambient temp 83
-Humidity 95% (his tub is getting misted often to keep up until he sheds)

and to top it off they all had mites...what a surprise...

When you soak him ensure the water is warm - place him in a tub with the lid on, and leave him to soak for about 20 mins you should notice the shed loosen to the point where you can use a towel and a light rubbing motion [rub front to back ONLY] to remove the stuck shed.

I wouldn't worry about the shed just now. Keep his humidity at a normal level, let him settle in and have a few meals, and deal with the mites. He sounds like he is really weak, the stress from constant soaking might be too much for him. He might even be able to work it off himself now that he is in proper husbandry.

buy a can of PAM (Prevent-A-Mite) and treat all the enclosures. Don't worry about his stuck shed just yet. You could be added more stress than doing him any good. With all of the rescues, start out feeding them small meals less often and slowly work up to larger meals more often. You don't want to shock their digestive system with all the changes. Once he's eating for you and you have the mites cleared up, then work on his stuck shed.

As others have mentioned, don't stress too much yet on the skin. Do get the PAM as suggested, and soak for about 15 min daily in warm water to ensure he's hydrated. Treating too heavily for mites while he is weak and stressed can cause more problems than it solves.

I personally would also pick up reptile relief to treat the snakes themselves with as well, but again, would wait on the male until he's in a bit better shape - the females you can probably treat ASAP.

If he is willingly eating, then soaking him once a day in the water should not be too much of an issue for him. It should also help hydrate him, which in the long run will help get the skin off. Give him 5 days, offer him the mice again, then if he takes those go on to small rats. From there, once he poops, offer him what you'd offer him normally if he was at a good weight.
I've rehabbed a few scrawny, skinny, abandoned snakes over the last few years (including an imported male that refused to eat for his owner for almost a year - 4.5' snake that weighed just under 800 grams when I got him)...once you get them going, start with small meals, let them put on a bit of weight, then just go to the size prey item they'd be eating if they weren't so wretchedly skinny. Starting small helps get their gut going, and once that's ready and passing food, you can feed them like a normal healthy snake and you'd be amazed how quick they go back to a good weight.

Good luck with him!!

-Jen

Thanks for the information. I will relax about the shed for now and just keep him eating. I ordered the PAM when I first saw the mites so hopefully as soon as that shows up we can clear up that issue. So I fed him two adult mice on 2/27 and everyone is saying start out small and slow on meals, how long should I wait till the next meal?

Traded him off last week for a big adult king, he was at 1900 grams and healthy as can be...Just figured I would update the thread a little bit