Strange Behavior

Ok I had another thread about shedding but I have a funny feeling it's more than just a shed. There is a vid or some of his behavior. Then today he did two corkscrews/roll overs when I went to place the mouse in his cage for feeding. Day 14 of "shed":
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/SSPX0220.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/SSPX0219.jpg

What he used to look like:
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...utch5002-1.jpg

He has been through the ghost stage, blue eyed stage, then the clear up, now he has been looking like this for like 4+ days. Humidity is measured by the Accurite and is reading Hi so it's above 80%.
And like I said his behavior is REALLY weird never seen him or my other guy roll over like that before.
Is it time for a vet a soaking or what? Help is really needed from the experience plz. THANKS!

honestly looks like he just needs to shed. give him another day or two. the rolling your talking about though is a little strange, maybe its just very uncomforatable for him and he doesnt know what to do.

Looks like he needs a few more days. If nothing by then, give him a good soaking. This may trigger the shed.

Good Luck,
Jim Smith

He needs help. that shed is not going to come off on its own. You need to soak him and help as much as possible getting that shed off.

Try tossing him in a wet pillow case tied off for one hour. Put the case back in the cage on warm end and let him slither around. Keep doing this until the shed comes off daily.

I have not been doing this for long and quite frankly I would probably send a message to some of the ppl that have been doing this a while.

Rabernet
Cinderbird
Dr. Del
Bigg Gunns

Just to name a few that I have talked to and trust. To me....he does NOT look good. I have had a couple of bad sheds with my snakes but they don't look like that. Again....it might be just me...but I would contact those individuals to take a look.

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Originally Posted by flameethrower

He needs help. that shed is not going to come off on its own. You need to soak him and help as much as possible getting that shed off.

Try tossing him in a wet pillow case tied off for one hour. Put the case back in the cage on warm end and let him slither around. Keep doing this until the shed comes off daily.

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This is EXACTLY what you need to do. There is a sticky I believe on soaking too. He def needs a soak, or a damp pillow case. His shed is stuck and he's uncomfortable. He will look and feel much better once that miserable old coat is off.

Good Luck

I would soakm With me I prefer to soak in a tupperware. I go buy a tupperware from Walmart for like 4 bucks they are like 8 by 12 inches or so, I put a couple air holes in it and fill it with warm water to about half his thickness, Then I put the lid on and put him in his tank for about an hour. After that his old skin will pretty much fall off with little to no effort. And usually by the time you take him out they will have peeled the shed on his head back to atleast his neck.

Thanks guys glad to hear it's just a bad shed. I contacted my breeder as well and he gave me some good advice, just like this. I switched over to paper towels and will be converting to cypress mulch supposed to hold humidity better. But I might just keep with paper towels. Seems easier and cheaper at that.
I was told to give it another day or two with the new set up and see how it goes but if nothing Friday night I will be taking his skin off. Or should I just do it tom? Would it matter if I did it earlier?

He looks long overdue for a soak, imho. He shouldn't be wrinkled like that.
Looking forward to seeing him out with the old and in the with the new skin!

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Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

He looks long overdue for a soak, imho. He shouldn't be wrinkled like that.
Looking forward to seeing him out with the old and in the with the new skin!

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Yea I think I'm just doing to do it first thing tom morning. Just to clarify this is sorta what I need to do right?
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403
Also any advice on the eye lids? I know a q tip is best to take it off but my snake is a baby and head shy....should it come off with the soak? And from what I can tell his eyes are clear and normal.....did they already shed?

What the others have said about the shedding problem is true but my question is.. Have you weighed him since getting him? I mean did you weigh him when you got him and then weigh him now to see if he has lost weight.

I ask because in the before picture he looks nice and plump.
The after picture he looks like he has lost weight. If this is the case (IF) then he has not been getting enough food. This can also lead to a bad shed.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

What the others have said about the shedding problem is true but my question is.. Have you weighed him since getting him? I mean did you weigh him when you got him and then weigh him now to see if he has lost weight.

I ask because in the before picture he looks nice and plump.
The after picture he looks like he has lost weight. If this is the case (IF) then he has not been getting enough food. This can also lead to a bad shed.

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No I have not. He prob has lost weight. When I first got him he didn't eat for 2 weeks, then the first time he ate a rat pinkie and a mouse fuzzy, then the last time I tried to feed him he only ate 1 fuzzy mouse. So since thanksgiving he has eaten only 1 mouse fuzzies and a rat pinkie. After the soak he will be fed the next day a nice 10 gram mouse.
Also the pic of him before was after he just ate. haha

It's just sooo weird cuz my normal is just pounding down food already on 20 gram mice with no issues and my pastel is on fuzzies (once I got him eating) and now a bad shed. Poor little guy having all the probs.
BTW both in the EXACT same set up in the same room with same temps.

Try giving him something a bit bigger that moves more. I have a little vanilla female that I couldnt get to eat. She was so young I was getting worried. Then I offered her a big mouse hopper which looked almost too big for her and she took it. She just didnt want anything smaller than that. Now she is on rat hoppers.

That might be the problem. Help him get this shed off and offer him a live mouse hopper or weanling. Baby balls should have no problem taking these. One that moves alot more than a fuzzy. Only one though. Since he hasnt eaten very regularly you should not stuff him since it may take the digestive system time to catch back up.

After a few weeks of regular feeds he should be doing alot better. Sometimes it just takes something a little bigger and more active to get the baby balls eating. Don't try switching to frozen thawed until you know for sure he has no problems eating.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Yea I think I'm just doing to do it first thing tom morning. Just to clarify this is sorta what I need to do right?
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403
Also any advice on the eye lids? I know a q tip is best to take it off but my snake is a baby and head shy....should it come off with the soak? And from what I can tell his eyes are clear and normal.....did they already shed?

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Hi Mike,

his eyes will always go back to being clear 24 hours before he sheds. So thats 100% normal.When you soak him, hopefully is eye caps will come off with the rest of the shed around his face. (Its much like rolling backwards out of a plastic bag or tube) If you find that he doesn't get all of the head shed off, you have a couple of options. But lets wait and see because once that warm water gets between the two sets of skin, he may get the whole thing off, in once piece, and the point is moot.

He really is a sweet little snake. Keep us posted on his progress.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

Try giving him something a bit bigger that moves more. I have a little vanilla female that I couldnt get to eat. She was so young I was getting worried. Then I offered her a big mouse hopper which looked almost too big for her and she took it. She just didnt want anything smaller than that. Now she is on rat hoppers.

That might be the problem. Help him get this shed off and offer him a live mouse hopper or weanling. Baby balls should have no problem taking these. One that moves alot more than a fuzzy. Only one though. Since he hasnt eaten very regularly you should not stuff him since it may take the digestive system time to catch back up.

After a few weeks of regular feeds he should be doing alot better. Sometimes it just takes something a little bigger and more active to get the baby balls eating. Don't try switching to frozen thawed until you know for sure he has no problems eating.

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Yea I tried a live adult mouse one time and scared the crap outta him but he took the rat pinky no issues. He was started on F/T but I don't mind switching over. I could get a live rat pinkie (large) prob like 10-12 grams. Would that work?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

Hi Mike,

his eyes will always go back to being clear 24 hours before he sheds. So thats 100% normal.When you soak him, hopefully is eye caps will come off with the rest of the shed around his face. (Its much like rolling backwards out of a plastic bag or tube) If you find that he doesn't get all of the head shed off, you have a couple of options. But lets wait and see because once that warm water gets between the two sets of skin, he may get the whole thing off, in once piece, and the point is moot.

He really is a sweet little snake. Keep us posted on his progress.

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Thank you! He is the most calm and friendly one even though he is a scaridy cat. Soaking him right now actually. 10 min left til I take him out. Letting him sit for 40 min.

That shed should mostly just fall off. I also think he's rolling over was shed related. By the pics, it looks bad and very uncomfortable! Keep us posted on how it goes

OK..........he seemed to just be dehydrated. He is plump again and not wrinkley but he is still a dull ghost color. Eye lids seemed to have "cracks" in them. Here are some pics couldn't get the eyes but it has cracks in them for sure.
No skin came off btw. Skin feels normalish again.
Used a 6 qt tub with holes in it. Cover it with a blanket and let the heating lamp bake on top. It was misty in there.
Pictures
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/DSCN0895.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/DSCN0894.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/DSCN0893.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/DSCN0892.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/DSCN0891.jpg

Hi,

The soaking rehydrated the stuck shed and made it look better alright.

But you realy are going to have to get it off him if you want him to get better. :(

Once he is out of a good soak like that it might be worth rubbing at his nose gently with a washcloth to see if you can get the shed started.

Normally I would say putting it in a pillow case would start it but I think you said in the other thread that you had already tried that?

The rolling over has me really concerned - you haven't been treating for mites or anything have you?


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

The soaking rehydrated the stuck shed and made it look better alright.

But you realy are going to have to get it off him if you want him to get better. :(

Once he is out of a good soak like that it might be worth rubbing at his nose gently with a washcloth to see if you can get the shed started.

Normally I would say putting it in a pillow case would start it but I think you said in the other thread that you had already tried that?

The rolling over has me really concerned - you haven't been treating for mites or anything have you?


dr del

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No no mite treatment. I have him on paper towels now and just cleaned the cage no and site of mites.
As for the pillow trick I have not tried it. Sooo what exactly do I do with that?
Also I tried rubbing his nose and body and no skin was coming off.

Hi,

Well you take a nice cheap pillowcase (low thread count lets the air through easily ) and soak it in warmish water (about 86-90f ) then wring it out slightly so it is not completely sodden.

Put the snake in it then twist and tie the top ( make sure not to catch the snake when doing this ;) ) and put it back in the middle of his enclosure to keep it warm but not hot and leave it there for 30-60 minutes.

The idea is that the snake will try to push its way out and loosen any stuck shed on its nose/ head.

Of course of the snake just lies there and sleeps then it's just the same as a soak. :slamhead:

If he hasn't started it himself when you take him back out I would think about a little more vigorous rubbing on the "nose meets upper lip" area to see if you can get it started. They actually shed a little bit of their inside lip as well which is the bit you need to get lifted to start.

Once you have a started section it's relatively easy to remove stuck shed but it is a tricky thing to get that starting point. :(


dr del

^Thanks. I gonna try this tom seeing your supposed to wait 24 hours between soaks.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

^Thanks. I gonna try this tom seeing your supposed to wait 24 hours between soaks.

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Don't wait 24 hours. Do the pillow thing now. You're snake is stressed. The only thing I would add would be to let it stay in the pillow case for a few hours. Give it time to pull the shed off.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

Don't wait 24 hours. Do the pillow thing now. You're snake is stressed. The only thing I would add would be to let it stay in the pillow case for a few hours. Give it time to pull the shed off.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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Done. In a pillow case set in the middle. Ill give him a poke if I check and 30 min he is not moving to make he rub the sides.

Now cross your fingers and toes. Walk counter-clockwise around your dinner table. Then check him and I hope it's just a great big magic trick and you've got a new looking ball python in the pillowcase.

Abra-Cadabra....
Jim Smith

Well I am glad to hear that it is a shed issue and not something worse! Everyone has given you great advice! He looks really really small....I know that they do get some hydration from eating....and not eating well might have also caused the dehydration as well.

I am not sure what you are keeping him in as I did not see that...but if you are keeping him in a tank.....you might want to plexiglass or aluminum foil off the screen top. Also when I notice they are in blue I put in a humid hide full of moss. That seems to help and since I have been doing this I have had great sheds. I also have an acurite and it stated this week that the humidity was high then it went to like 83%. I really think something was wrong with it ....maybe the probe got wet or something because it did not seem like it was even 60% in there....let alone 84%. I also daily .....spray the tank. Now I go a little over and above as we live in AZ and it is very dry.

Just wanted to give you some of the things I do for the future. I hope the pillow case works out. Poor little guy does look like he is just miserable!!

Well got half his body done and half his head but missed the 1 eye. Doing the pillow case trick again so I can get him out and pretty looking again so he can feed tom. Thanks everyone so far its working great I now just need a proceedure for qtiping the eyes? Anyone....

Hi,

I would actually try to remove the rest while you still can and it's nice and moist. I sometimes spritz mine with warm water from a plant sprayer if it is taking too long to do it.

To get the eyecap start at the front of the head if there is any skin in front of the eye and it will naturally come away as long as you peel nose to tail - just slow down and be gentle at the eyecap.

Check out this video;

YouTube - 8 Ball Pythons - Shedding Lessons

Seems a shame to not get it all done today. :)

I'm not certain he will eat tomorrow though - it's been a fairly stressful time for him after all.


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

I'm not certain he will eat tomorrow though - it's been a fairly stressful time for him after all.


dr del

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Agreed. I would give him a day unless you see him responding to you as if you might come bearing food. If he looks interested, try it, but if not, don't because you may just stress him out more.

He looks way better!

I have never done an eyecap, so I won't give you advice there. I have had issues with a corn and retained eyecaps before. In that case, I waited for the next shed cycle, made sure humidity was really up, and it came off with that next shed. I would probably wait until the next cycle myself and once they're in blue, spray or add a humid hide until the snake sheds but I don't know. I have not had an issue with my bps due to the fact I added a humid hide to all their tanks. Hopefully someone came chime in on that one :rolleyes:

Yea I read that. Well got that other cap off with a wet q tip and now he has completely shed. THANK GOD!! Thanks everyone for all the help! He has some spots around his neck that he wouldn't let me get but it is ver minor and should come off by tom by moving. Will check it out tom and get em off if they aren't.

One thing that worked for me in the past for stuck shed was wetting a towel with warm water, gently put the snake in the towel, hold the towel and snake with light pressure and let it kind of crawl out through your hands. I hope you can kind of picture that...

My own little female looked like that only once, a couple months ago. It didn't alarm me, though; I just knew she had to shed, by looking at her. I did feel a little bad, however. She looked so uncomfortable.

That rolling porbably is, and hopefully only, because he really wants to get that old skin off. He's frustrated. Give him regular soakings until it all comes off. If the rolling and corkscrewing continues AFTER the shed, seek a vet, immediately.

:gj:

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Originally Posted by Moofins07

My own little female looked like that only once, a couple months ago. It didn't alarm me, though; I just knew she had to shed, by looking at her. I did feel a little bad, however. She looked so uncomfortable.

That rolling porbably is, and hopefully only, because he really wants to get that old skin off. He's frustrated. Give him regular soakings until it all comes off. If the rolling and corkscrewing continues AFTER the shed, seek a vet, immediately.

:gj:

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Yea I will, but been watching him and he seems happy. He roamed for a bit in his new skin and now just chillin'