When will he shed?

I bought a new ball python at petsmart on 3/14/14. We named him Sampson. I think it's a male. He seems completely healthy and he is eating regularly. This is my first reptile and I'm learning a lot. He is very active day and night and he is completely docile. My bf and I have been preparing for his first shed. I don't know how old he is, but we have had him long enough that he should be shedding soon. He is showing no signs however. His skin isn't becoming dull and his eyes aren't hazy or blue. He's drinking water and his behavior hasn't changed. We have noticed him rubbing his head on his log but nothing else to suggest he will shed soon. Everything I've read says he should shed once a month. I'm just wondering why he hasn't begun this process. Any info on the subject would be very helpful.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/20/asequ5uj.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/20/yqaru5ut.jpg


Corie Dee

A lot depends on his feeding schedule...if he's been feeding consistently (every 4-7 days) and his meals are an appropriate size, he should start going through a shed cycle soon...I would guess in the next week or two you should start seeing signs...

I am not an expert by any means, but I have noticed, based on my readings, it varies from once a month to much longer. My snake just shed and it was 7 plus weeks between sheds. The dead give away was when my normally gregarious BP was now hiding 24/7 in her moss box. She hid for 2 weeks, refused food for 2 weeks and then shed her skin this morning. It felt like a long haul. Look for the hiding, a slightly pink belly(may actually look more tan in my opinion), and crusty scales. In the very beginning stage when she started hiding I noticed those things and only a few scales seemed flaky or crusty.

Here is a link that helped me a lot. My snake did NOT follow these timelines though.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...edding-Process

Good luck!

Just curious to see how many people still offer food during shedding. My snake will come out and seem to be searching for food during her shed cycle. I will continue with my feeding schedule as normal and she will usually eat.

Sampson eats every Friday and he isn't trying to hide at all. Right now he is climbing around and trying to pull a Houdini. He is extremely active almost all the time. His humidity is between 40 and 50 percent and his temp is 82 degrees. He gets fresh water every other day. I might b giving too much info but I don't know what info is relevant to a shed cycle. My bf and I began this journey in complete ignorance. Lol. We are learning as we go. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/21/y4a7urat.jpg


Corie Dee

...I'm assuming ambient temperature and he has a hotspot that's 90? If not, you need one of those STAT (undertank heater WITH a thermostat).

What size prey is he eating?

But shedding just varies. About once a month or so when they're younger is close to right.

He has an under tank heater. There's a thermostat in the tank but the under tank heater itself doesn't have a thermostat. He is eating dead prey. Pinkies. That's what petsmart was feeding him and I figured if its what he grew up on, I should stick with it.


Corie Dee

A thermostat isn't a thermometer. A thermostat will keep the under tank heater from going wonky and burning your snake. I measured the temp on mine before I hooked up a thermostat and it was registering at <130. If it feels hot or warm to you, it's TOO hot.

Pinkies are way, way too small for a BP. They can handle rat pups and adult mice right out of the egg. Prey size goes up as they grow - this is likely the source of him not shedding; he's not getting the amount of food he needs to grow. Prey size should be the same width as the WIDEST part of his body (not his neck). For him, looking? Probably rat pups, maybe even weaned rats. Definitely, definitely, big enough for large adult mice.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/...5a4f8798_o.jpg

This is what my older snake eating looks like - and appropriate sized meal (small rat). It looks LUDICROUS because the snake's neck is a quarter the girth of the rat.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/...cc230b08_o.jpg
They're really stretchy.

And for comparison sake, and in case you find it helpful:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/...7fd4f0d4_o.jpg

My girl looks about the same age and size as your guy. That's an adult mouse and it's too small. She eats 2 a week.

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Originally Posted by CptJack

Pinkies are way, way too small for a BP. They can handle rat pups and adult mice right out of the egg. Prey size goes up as they grow - this is likely the source of him not shedding; he's not getting the amount of food he needs to grow. Prey size should be the same width as the WIDEST part of his body (not his neck). For him, looking? Probably rat pups, maybe even weaned rats. Definitely, definitely, big enough for large adult mice.

They're really stretchy.

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I have nothing else to add other than I agree and those are cool pics...:D

Ok. So, should I switch him to live prey also? My heating pad doesn't have a thermostat. I will try to find one soon. Thank u so much for the help. I didn't know any of this.


Corie Dee

It's okay! I learned about this stuff not long ago at all.

You can get a hydrofoam thermostat for about thirty bucks - it's not expensive at all. Check amazon and ebay.

I wouldn't switch to live. My guys are doing just fine on frozen and there's no risk of the snake getting hurt, or getting stuck with a live rodent when the snake refuses its meal. If he is eating mice now, though, I would go larger or more mice, before switching to rats. Get a few proper sized meals into him (2-3) and then go to rats. Let him have some time to get some growth going before applying tough love.

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Originally Posted by sho220

I have nothing else to add other than I agree and those are cool pics...:D

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I get a kick out of feeding - and had fun taking pictures of a couple of feeding sessions. I'll do more later, probably. Ball pythons are such great photography subjects, in general, though.

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Originally Posted by CptJack

I get a kick out of feeding - and had fun taking pictures of a couple of feeding sessions. I'll do more later, probably. Ball pythons are such great photography subjects, in general, though.

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CptJack, do you still offer food during shedding. My female Mojave is a very avid 5th day eater. During her shed cycle she still seems to be in feeding mode on her normal schedule. There's no harm in feeding during shedding is there? She weighs 234 grams and takes down 30-40 gram f/t rats every 5 days like a champ, so I don't think she is underfed, do you?

I have been told that feeding when they're in the clear stage of shedding can be dangerous because the skin that hasn't come off yet can prevent them from being able to stretch as much as needed/it can act as a constriction around the snake. I HAVE fed them then without incident, but now that I'm aware it's a potential problem, I probably won't do it again - but only for the clear stage. Mine are completely willing to eat when they're blue.

Also no, 30 grams or so every 5 days is definitely NOT underfed. (Rule is, if I remember right, 10-15% body weight every 7 or so days, but I'm sure there are slightly different rules for really little/young snakes).

CptJack. I'm grateful for the info you've given. I went to petsmart to get some larger frozen mice. They were $15. I wasn't aware dead mice were so much. Lol. It's ok tho. Have u started breeding yet? I know we aren't ready for it yet, we are still learning the basics in care and feeding, but we hope to start breeding eventually. I was just wondering if breeding was challenging or if it was easy once u got the hang of it.


Corie Dee

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Originally Posted by corie.carpenter3

CptJack. I'm grateful for the info you've given. I went to petsmart to get some larger frozen mice. They were $15. I wasn't aware dead mice were so much. Lol. It's ok tho. Have u started breeding yet? I know we aren't ready for it yet, we are still learning the basics in care and feeding, but we hope to start breeding eventually. I was just wondering if breeding was challenging or if it was easy once u got the hang of it.


Corie Dee

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You can buy from online sites like rodent pro eventually. Lots cheaper in the longrun - just wait until he's established at a size that'll last him for a while/on what you want him to eat.

I have no idea about anything related to breeding, but there are lots and lots of people here who can help when you get there.

Glad I could help!

Ok. So, we have had a successful feeding. We gave Sampson a much larger mouse and it went down beautifully. I think we can even go larger. Thanks everyone for the help!


Corie Dee

I just bought more rats online and actually purchased the next size up as well since I have a deep freezer....saves on shipping and I am set for quite a while!

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Well, our ball python, Sampson, is finally about to shed. His colors are dull and his eyes are changing to a hazy blue. We went ahead and fed him a day early so he could have a good meal in case he quits eating. We are pretty excited because its his first shed with us and we are new at this. 😃😃😃


Corie Dee

My ball python won't eat. The last time he ate was on the 24th of December. He isn't losing weight or acting funny. Any advice or am I just worrying too much?


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Originally Posted by corie.carpenter3

My ball python won't eat. The last time he ate was on the 24th of December. He isn't losing weight or acting funny. Any advice or am I just worrying too much?


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He's fine. They can go much longer than that without eating. Just keep an eye on his weight (not like helicopter-mom-style or anything) and he'll eat when he's ready again. :)