Thoughts

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...t9Ln1q.jpg%3F1


As you see up there, my little 2-month-old has a cinnamon bun for a tail. And I've been told to be careful that it sheds correctly. He hasn't shed yet for me. But I'm a worry wort, so I want to make sure it sheds correctly. His humidity is good in his tank, his bowl is big enough to soak in. His "substrate" is a linoleum liner. Temperatures are 90/82.5 using UTH and ceramic heat emitters. Humidity is 50% And I've seen him drinking. His appetite is great. I just got him to eat a F/T hopper.

I want to "pre-treat" it. I used mineral oil on him and was told not to on here because of the flaking scale thing. (He has the flaking scale thing.) I started soaking in warm water (I'm also doing this because though he has eaten all 4 of the mice I've given him, he hasn't pooped yet.)


So I was wondering if Vitamin E would hurt...just on his cinnabon? Or continue with soaking once a week? Or stop freaking out and let things happen as nature intended?


And about his not pooping yet...I will try and get a picture of it if I can...but his cloaca is right at the beginning of that cinnabon. He did do a little bit of poop when I first got him. My friend who got him for me said he pooped and shed fine. I figured it was fine...the first night I had him he musked me twice. When I take him out, he does open his cloaca a bit and pees a few drops on me.


Again, freaking out for nothing?

Does it have stuck shed on it? Looks like it but it's not very clear. Could it be that tail stuck with stuck shed?

Why did your friend get you such aa snake?

I agree, looks like old shed stuck on the tip of the tail ??

You need to provide proper humidity and stop soaking this animal, it is stressful and soaking prior to a shed will actually not be beneficial quite in the contrary.

If there is an issue (after the shed not before) use a warm damp towel to get rid of any left over shed.

Also avoid any oily substance has it will loosen up the scales.

Again the key is proper humidity.

Finally shed is related to growth and growth is related to food intake so if you feed him right he should shed about once a month at that age, the key here is proper feeding.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Finally shed is related to growth and growth is related to food intake so if you feed him right he should shed about once a month at that age, the key here is proper feeding.

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At two months old?

Can the tail be gently physically unrolled or is it fused?

Honestly I don't think that can be fixed unless cut by a vet but I can be wrong about that but it seems like that tail has stuck sheds on it but I can't zoom in on the picture and it also seems like he is in shed but the last day or soo of shed do to the darkness and color of the skin it looks like it's a day or too from shedding but again I can be wrong but I'd keep the humidity up and bath once a week maybe twice for a few months and see what happens I've honestly never seen this kind of injury besides a tiny tail kink but most breeders cut that

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Thanks. I think it looks like stuck shed in the picture too. That is why I've been doing baths and was thinking vitamin E. The tail is fused and he eats a large fuzzy once a week.

My friend bought him because he was healthy. (He's a biologist and worked as one of the curators for the reptile house at the Bronx Zoo. He breeds a variety of reptiles now.

Actually, he is that dark. His Mom was a normal and his father was a calico, pastel, fire, pinstripe.

Thanks for the advice! I will try and get a closer look at it when he let's me. He's a bit fussy. He seems to love the baths... just coils up and looks around.

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Originally Posted by Carrie Beth

Thanks. I think it looks like stuck shed in the picture too. That is why I've been doing baths and was thinking vitamin E. The tail is fused and he eats a large fuzzy once a week.

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Please stop bathing your animal. You are 1- washing away the oils that a snake produces to shed and 2- adding more stress to the animal than it needs.
Do NOT put any oils on your animal period if you stop the bathing and fix the husbandry it ill produce hat it needs on its own.
Depending on the weight of your animal you should probably be on rat pups by now.

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Originally Posted by KMG

At two months old?

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If fed right absolutely 4 to 6 weeks is the norm the issue is that most people underfeed hatchlings and overfeed adults. Hatchlings are programmed to be voracious eat and grow fast.

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Originally Posted by Carrie Beth

he eats a large fuzzy once a week.

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When you mean large fuzzy you mean mice or rats?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

If fed right absolutely 4 to 6 weeks is the norm the issue is that most people underfeed hatchlings and overfeed adults. Hatchlings are programmed to be voracious eat and grow fast.

When you mean large fuzzy you mean mice or rats?

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For now, it's mice. I was very limited in what I could get because he was still on live. I got him to eat a F/T last week. At the end of the month, when I go to my herp meeting in Clearwater (I live two hours away,) I will get some high-quality rat pups for him and my sand boa (who is also being trained to eat F/T.) to last me until the February meeting.

Right now he is opaque, so he had no interest in eating. This weekend he will be getting a humid hide and I may place damp towels in there to raise the humidity. His water bowl, to quote my Mom, is really a swimming pool, and he as been soaking in it today.

When you mean hatchlings aren't fed enough, how much should he be getting fed? I feed him once a week - the biggest that Pet Supermarket (I hate that store) has.

Geez, you would think this was my first ball python. My 12-year-old passed away in July and I got him when he was four months old, so I know about humidity, temperatures, etc. And as cute as Earnie's little cinnanon on his bum is, it does concern me.

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Originally Posted by Carrie Beth

For now, it's mice. I was very limited in what I could get because he was still on live. I got him to eat a F/T last week. At the end of the month, when I go to my herp meeting in Clearwater (I live two hours away,) I will get some high-quality rat pups for him and my sand boa (who is also being trained to eat F/T.) to last me until the February meeting.

Right now he is opaque, so he had no interest in eating. This weekend he will be getting a humid hide and I may place damp towels in there to raise the humidity. His water bowl, to quote my Mom, is really a swimming pool, and he as been soaking in it today.

When you mean hatchlings aren't fed enough, how much should he be getting fed? I feed him once a week - the biggest that Pet Supermarket (I hate that store) has.

Geez, you would think this was my first ball python. My 12-year-old passed away in July and I got him when he was four months old, so I know about humidity, temperatures, etc. And as cute as Earnie's little cinnanon on his bum is, it does concern me.

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Hatchlings metabolize their food at a faster rate and can be fed more often. You could easily go every 5 days provided they have the proper heat to aid in digestion. As far as adults being overfed, it the opposite of hatchlings. They don't need as much to maintain and a lot of keepers power feed for faster weight gain. Usually to get them up to breeding weight. You see a lot of pictures where snakes are considered underweight when they really just aren't fat.

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Originally Posted by Carrie Beth

For now, it's mice. I was very limited in what I could get because he was still on live. I got him to eat a F/T last week. At the end of the month, when I go to my herp meeting in Clearwater (I live two hours away,) I will get some high-quality rat pups for him and my sand boa (who is also being trained to eat F/T.) to last me until the February meeting.

Right now he is opaque, so he had no interest in eating. This weekend he will be getting a humid hide and I may place damp towels in there to raise the humidity. His water bowl, to quote my Mom, is really a swimming pool, and he as been soaking in it today.

When you mean hatchlings aren't fed enough, how much should he be getting fed? I feed him once a week - the biggest that Pet Supermarket (I hate that store) has.

Geez, you would think this was my first ball python. My 12-year-old passed away in July and I got him when he was four months old, so I know about humidity, temperatures, etc. And as cute as Earnie's little cinnanon on his bum is, it does concern me.

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What I mean by underfeeding is people feeding too small of a prey like you acyually do right now. Even out of the egg they eat something bigger than a mouse fuzzy.

So under feeding = slow growth = long time between sheds.

When they are young they are programmed to be voracious and grow fast.

So you definitely want to feed more.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

What I mean by underfeeding is people feeding too small of a prey like you acyually do right now. Even out of the egg they eat something bigger than a mouse fuzzy.

So under feeding = slow growth = long time between sheds.

When they are young they are programmed to be voracious and grow fast.

So you definitely want to feed more.

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Thank you for your advice. I assure you that he gets the largest hoppers they have. I have always chosen rodents for my snakes that were larger rather than the smaller. And it is why I'm switching him to rats next month. I never had a question on what size I needed. My question was regarding the number of times a week to feed him. I'm not completely ignorant of ball python husbandry. I am worried about his tail shedding properly. I checked with my friend and he is shedding almost a month about a month apart.

Again, thanks for the advice, but there are some people like me who do know how to feed their animals.

Just an update: He went opaque on Friday. I added a humid hide to his tank and placed wet towels on top of the tank. It brought the humidity up to 65%.

If I could ask your professional opinion: what is a correct meal size in reference to weight? I have my hatchling on a 5 day schedule. Hes an early November 2016...could you give any reference to where his weight should be and meal size? Thank you...

I'm sorry October 2016 hatchling...my Spider bp is November