I'm At A Loss

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Originally Posted by Caali

I thought of that too because he is always like that when he is in shed.
But don't snakes only shed when they grow? How can he grow when he hasn't eaten in 1.5 months?
Or is there something I'm missing.

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Yellow didn't eat from this past October until about March (though he's still finicky to this day) and he had a shed for me in early January; he lost about 100g. they absolutely can go into shed if they're not eating, but this is just my one experience.

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Originally Posted by Caali

How can he grow when he hasn't eaten in 1.5 months?

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I've had a female shed twice during an 8 month hunger strike.

Are the snakes eyes opaque or blue?

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Digestive juices can irritate the lining of the lungs and allow an infection to set in.

It is very possible that the true issue was prior to the regurgitation and remains unknown.

Either way you should see a Vet if the snake is continuing to deteriorate.

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I will, for sure. He means a lot to me. I won't let him get any worse.
I was just asking cause I work as a paramedic (part time; and only as a Rettungssanitäter) and I know the issue since human and reptile lungs are not that different. But from my experience you can see the symptoms shortly afterwards (earlier than 1.5 months) but that is with humans so that might be the issue.

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Originally Posted by Caali

since human and reptile lungs are not that different

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They function similarly-very true. I wouldn't say that they aren't that different. :)
http://sksundstrom.wixsite.com/madag...ng-the-Systems

If your snake is in shed and not actually pale: I wouldn't spend the money on a Vet.
If you can't decide: you could post some pics and we could give you our opinion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

They function similarly-very true. I wouldn't say that they aren't that different. :)
http://sksundstrom.wixsite.com/madag...ng-the-Systems

If your snake is in shed and not actually pale: I wouldn't spend the money on a Vet.
If you can't decide: you could post some pics and we could give you our opinion.

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Thanks. It's a really interesting website :D

I don't want to bother him again by taking him out, so I can only give you some pics of him in his cave. By the way I've had him for a year now and I've never been able to spot a difference in his eye colour. He has green eyes and they never looked foggy or blue to me.


What he looks like now:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/img_2906.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/img_2907.jpg



What he usually looks like:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/img_2307.jpg

If his eyes never looked "foggy" when in shed, it's probably because you looked at the wrong time. Snakes cloud up for a shed, their whole body, eyes
included, but before they shed, they secrete some fluid between the old & new skin that makes them almost appear like normal. (it's similar to the way
some kinds of paper look when you drop some water on it...you can sorta see thru it when it's wet...almost clear, which is why we say a snake has gone
"clear" right before they shed)

A good way to check the eyes is by using a small bright flashlight (you need a narrow beam) in a darkened room. Shine the beam across the arc of his
eye from the side...if they're "cloudy" it will be obvious. And since you are having trouble telling if your snake is sick or just in shed, this is something you should become familiar with doing, so you can accurately read the signs & know for sure what's going on.

On the ventral side of a snake in shed, you can often also see a little "halo" on the scutes, a second "edge" on each of the scales before the outer skin comes off. There are other giveaways too...I can tell visually by the texture of the skin, the way their skin folds on the neck area. But the eyes are the easiest to describe.... I have a feeling your snake is in shed, but the pictures show too little for me to be sure. It should be easy for you though.

Short update:

I decided to wait until the end of this week. If he didn't get any better, I would've taken him to the vet BUT this night he left his cold hide again and crawled around. This morning I found him in his warm hide so I decided to check if the cold side was dirty. To my (half) surprise I actually found his shed (one big piece). I'm sorry for troubling you since I know that you guys were worried about him as well but it seems that his bad mood and absolute refusal to move and come out were due to him being in shed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caali

Short update:

I decided to wait until the end of this week. If he didn't get any better, I would've taken him to the vet BUT this night he left his cold hide again and crawled around. This morning I found him in his warm hide so I decided to check if the cold side was dirty. To my (half) surprise I actually found his shed (one big piece). I'm sorry for troubling you since I know that you guys were worried about him as well but it seems that his bad mood and absolute refusal to move and come out were due to him being in shed.

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The regurgitation issue is probably unrelated. When they start to go "blue" they often will skip a few meals, they can't see as well when they start a shed phase. He may eat for you now that he has shed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caali

Short update:

I decided to wait until the end of this week. If he didn't get any better, I would've taken him to the vet BUT this night he left his cold hide again and crawled around. This morning I found him in his warm hide so I decided to check if the cold side was dirty. To my (half) surprise I actually found his shed (one big piece). I'm sorry for troubling you since I know that you guys were worried about him as well but it seems that his bad mood and absolute refusal to move and come out were due to him being in shed.

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All's good that ends well. Thanks for the update :)

My last update on this matter:

Today at 2 o'clock in the morning when I offered him a rat (like every week), he finally went for it. He is eating the rat right now :D
It's been 2 months since his last meal but he didn't lose a lot of weight (about 40g). He was probably just fasting :)
Thanks for all the help!