Please help calm my nerves about my boy's wrinkles...

Welcome!

Did you buy him at a pet store or through a private breeder? Do you know if he was WC (wild caught) or CB (captive bread)?

If Wild Caught (or if previously raised in sub-par conditions) there is a chance he has a parasite. Many big-chain pet stores sell WC ball pythons they buy in bulk because it is very cheap. Breeders have to charge a bit more due to their own time, care, feeding, housing, electric bills (etc) in raising the animals themselves. Personally, I think its money well spent.

If these 'wrinkles' continue to develop and you are concerned he might be ill, a trip to the nearest herp vet is always a good precaution.

Here is a list of some. Hopefully one will be in your area:
CLICK HERE

Thanks!

I know he's captive bred, I got him at Port Credit Pets (a reputable dealer who supplies most of the major pet stores in Mississauga and surrounding)...

I'm worried...:(

Heat lamps are notorious for sucking humidity out of the tank. What's his humidity being measured with and what is it at mostly? If he's going into shed, his humdity should be around 70%.

Just to say:

My youngin has 70-75% humidity all the time. Summer is killer here where I live. And i watch him after every meal, he always drinks. 2 exact hides on either side, water furthest from heat lamp.

He too has some wrinkles...

Without good pictures, I think it will be very hard to give you a definite answer over the net. It does sound like the beginning stages of shed to me. If you take him out and look at his belly, does it appear to have a pink-ish tint to it? If so, your bp is getting ready to shed. I know there's a thread or a sticky on the shedding process, but I'm too lazy to go find the link. But basically, pink belly for a few days, cloudy eyes for a day or two, then the eyes will clear up, but the skin and colors will look dull. With appropriate humidity (around 70% during the shed process) you will most likely wake up one morning to a rolled up snake skin and a shiny freshly shed snake... :gj:

A few weeks after I got my ball python, I lifted his hide one day to find him feeling really wrinkly and dry. I freaked and immediately took him to the vet. It turned out he was just going into his first shed with me (and I hadn't known what to expect at all, apparently... haha). So it may be just that, after all. :)

Everyone has been so attentive to this issue...thanks. Feels like a PTA meeting....lol....

Anyhoo...temp gradient is perfect (I know that lights zap humidity and UTH are the preferred, but the one I bought and installed may have been the culprit as I believe it was too hot)...humidity was dropping often until I put a plexi-glass sheet over half the tank top and now it is a consistent 60-70. He has a humid hide with sphagnum (but I don't think he knows about it yet...lol). I'm hesitant to stress him out anymore so I'm not handling him at all until I see some improvement. I'm hoping it's just a shed or minor dehydration (both of which are easily taken care of) but I haven't seen any clouding of the eyes or pink belly. I may have missed it but I spy on him obsessively.

I'm going to set up a vivarium this weekend a la Cassandra's suggestion on this forum. His current enclosure is pretty pimp but I'm going to totally pimp it out with overkill...lol...just cause I love him.