whats up with this?

i noticed this on rex today. on his head it looks like he hasnt shed the skin. his last shed wasnt perfect but the head came off. the really shiny part is what im talking about.

https://ball-pythons.net/modules/cop...l_000_0211.JPG

also, its not peeling up, its flat with the head

Maybe try soaking him? It could be a partial shed that dried onto the head area. Just be careful not to touch it, snakes don't have braincases and you can give him a headache if you try to "rub" it off.

what do you mean brain case? like a skull top? is it soft skull like a baby or something?

Ball Pythons do not have any bones on top of their heads. If you push too hard, which isnt very hard at all, you can hit brain.

I had a hard time finding a good image of a Ball skull, so I found an Eastern Hognose. This is looking up from the belly of the snake (ventral view):
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/s...es/hnskull.jpg
As you can see, there's little protection on the snake's head to prevent it from much brain trauma. Some protection covers it, and it varies from species to species ("hot" or venomous snakes having the most protection, I've found) but for the most part, snakes don't have much to keep their heads safe.

is that part of the reason why bps tend to hide their heads--like when they "ball" up and stuff? it seems like that would make them pretty vulnerable. makes sense that they are head shy though i guess--they are just being protective of their little exposed brains. :)

they just need little helmets, thats all.

awww.. helmets... how incredably cute would that be?? *thinks about Pandora in a helmet* hehe!