Worried about my ball python

So my ball python Eliot suddenly got super wrinkly and feels very rough, he looks horrible and it scared me to death but my friend who has a ball python said to not worry that he’s just shedding. I’m just looking to see what you all have to say because I’m a new ball owner and he’s been giving me anxiety since the day I got him. He went 9 weeks without eating before I finally switched him to live and now he eats like a champ, then this happens so I guess I’m just a little on edge regarding him. His hot temp is right around 90 and the cool temp is around 80. He has a hot and cold hide and his humidity is at 60%. I have an under tank heat pad and a heat light. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cf1c337d32.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...73402ca1a8.jpg


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that looks like a fully-retained shed.

when your snake first starts the shedding process (pink belly, dull colors and blue eyes) you need to keep the humidity up to about 70% until the snake actually sheds out. go raise your humidity and leave him alone. if he's not done by tomorrow you'll need to assist him with the shed.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

that looks like a fully-retained shed.

when your snake first starts the shedding process (pink belly, dull colors and blue eyes) you need to keep the humidity up to about 70% until the snake actually sheds out. go raise your humidity and leave him alone. if he's not done by tomorrow you'll need to assist him with the shed.

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How do I best assist him with the shed if he doesn’t do it himself by tomorrow?


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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

How do I best assist him with the shed if he doesn’t do it himself by tomorrow?

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get a plastic tub and fill it with enough water to cover the snake's belly but not go over it.

the water should be in the low-mid 80° F range.

put a rough-textured washcloth or towel in there with him and let him be for ~20 minutes.

after that: take the snake out and use the towel to GENTLY, GENTLY start rubbing the snake down and allowing the snake to slither through it. the skin should be soft enough to start coming off. you can GENTLY pull at any loose skin you see to start coming up but BE CAREFUL!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

get a plastic tub and fill it with enough water to cover the snake's belly but not go over it.

the water should be in the low-mid 80° F range.

put a rough-textured washcloth or towel in there with him and let him be for ~20 minutes.

after that: take the snake out and use the towel to GENTLY, GENTLY start rubbing the snake down and allowing the snake to slither through it. the skin should be soft enough to start coming off. you can GENTLY pull at any loose skin you see to start coming up but BE CAREFUL!

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Ok, thank you. I have leopard geckos and I’ve had to help them with sheds b4 but when they shed their skin gets loose and turns completely white, Eliot just seems to have all the excess wrinkled skin, nothing looks loose enough to come off so I’m kind of freaked out. He’s been like this since Saturday evening so I’ll try your suggestion soon.


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Your poor snake looks quite dehydrated...don't be surprised if he needs to soak longer than 20 minutes. This is NOT a normal shed.
If he is still unable to shed after a good soak, you might need to keep him in a very damp towel (inside a smaller plastic "critter cottage")
or well-soaked sphagnum moss (") for much longer.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Your poor snake looks quite dehydrated...don't be surprised if he needs to soak longer than 20 minutes. This is not a normal shed...

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That’s my worry! His humility has been right at 60 and his water dish is full, I’m just at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong. First he wouldn’t eat now he eats but this pops up.


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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

That’s my worry! His humility has been right at 60 and his water dish is full, I’m just at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong. First he wouldn’t eat now he eats but this pops up.

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what are you using to measure temps and humidity?

That’s not a healthy looking animal to say the least. I think there’s a little more wrong than a stuck shed. Has it ever eaten? Because you say it has, but it definitely doesn’t look it. Wow good luck! Sorry man, maybe head to the vet?

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

That’s not a healthy looking animal to say the least. I think there’s a little more wrong than a stuck shed. Has it ever eaten?

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Yes he went 9 weeks without eating but he has been eating perfectly for the last 3. This al happened overnight. He was fine when I went to bed and looked like this when I woke up. He always has a full clean water dish so it’s not good or water. I’ve been expecting a shed for a while but it hasn’t happened, he’s much duller in color too, but I never noticed the cloudy eyes or pink belly phase everyone talks about.


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What size rodent are you feeding, and how often?

This is a fully retained shed, but the snake also looks quite emaciated even though you say he eats well.

No reason for him to give you anxiety ;) You are here now, you will get the help you need and after you tweak a few things, your snake will be completely fine, plump and growing !
The trick is to get the husbandry just right. That includes the heat and humidity, but also the setup (enclosure, hides, privacy, etc)

Diet is also important, esp. for a young BP. Meaning size of rodent and frequency of feeding.

If you have trouble with shedding, put him on a substrate that can hold humidity better. Something like a coco coir. When the shed cycle starts you can mist a bit more then usual, and right before the shed (first they turn dull with blue eyes, a few days later they "clear up" and within a day or two of clearing up they shed) you can mist directly where the snake sits once the day. Just make sure you don't create a swamp either and don't make the entire setup wet, just keep some areas moist to the touch.

He will be fine :)

What size rodent are you feeding, and how often?

This is a fully retained shed, but the snake also looks quite emaciated even though you say he eats well.

No reason for him to give you anxiety ;) You are here now, you will get the help you need and after you tweak a few things, your snake will be completely fine, plump and growing !
The trick is to get the husbandry just right. That includes the heat and humidity, but also the setup (enclosure, hides, privacy, etc)

Diet is also important, esp. for a young BP. Meaning size of rodent and frequency of feeding.

If you have trouble with shedding, put him on a substrate that can hold humidity better. Something like a coco coir. When the shed cycle starts you can mist a bit more then usual, and right before the shed (first they turn dull with blue eyes, a few days later they "clear up" and within a day or two of clearing up they shed) you can mist directly where the snake sits once the day. Just make sure you don't create a swamp either and don't make the entire setup wet, just keep some areas moist to the touch.

He will be fine :)



Here is some good advice, I would follow closely what Zina is telling you. Best of luck.

Also, if you going to help with the shed, just do it now.

Once you got a full retained shed, they will not get it off by themselves without help. The oils under the old skin dry out and the old skin adheres to the new skin. Do the soak with a towel in water. Make sure you keep an eye on the snake. Watch out for some older skin separating from the new skin. You may have to help by running a wet wash cloth over the snake while letting it slither through you hands. You need to get some areas started, so that the water gets underneath the old skin and helps get it loose.

The longer you wait the harder this will get.

I've gotten a snake once with a full retained shed, he looked AWFUL !!!!!! I was in shock. After I helped him shed, tada. Beautiful snake.

All that aside, your baby still looks thin, though, might need to adjust the diet some..

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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

That’s my worry! His humility has been right at 60 and his water dish is full, I’m just at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong. First he wouldn’t eat now he eats but this pops up.


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As mentioned earlier, his humidity should be raised to at least 70 when he's in a shed cycle. If your gauge is not accurate, you need one that is. Try never to let a snake get in this condition. Part of his problem is that he also wasn't eating well: growth = shedding, & to do that, a snake needs good nutrition AND enough water (hydration).He appears as one whose body tried to shed but came up short (both on nutrients and water) to finish the job. He needs your help.

And also, just for future reference (& I'm NOT saying this is what happened this time)- when you can tell your snake is going into a shed cycle (gray-bluish eyes, dull colorson body), it's best not to feed them until they complete the shed. Don't worry if they were "due" for a meal, it can wait. The reason is that for some snakes (not all, but from the looks of things, yours may be prone to this situation)- some snakes will have trouble doing "both" (digesting and shedding) at the same time, because both processes require extra hydration from the snake's body to get the job done. The result can be a snake that looks as yours does. When did you last get this snake to eat?

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Originally Posted by zina10

What size rodent are you feeding, and how often?

This is a fully retained shed, but the snake also looks quite emaciated even though you say he eats well.

No reason for him to give you anxiety ;) You are here now, you will get the help you need and after you tweak a few things, your snake will be completely fine, plump and growing !
The trick is to get the husbandry just right. That includes the heat and humidity, but also the setup (enclosure, hides, privacy, etc)

Diet is also important, esp. for a young BP. Meaning size of rodent and frequency of feeding.

If you have trouble with shedding, put him on a substrate that can hold humidity better. Something like a coco coir. When the shed cycle starts you can mist a bit more then usual, and right before the shed (first they turn dull with blue eyes, a few days later they "clear up" and within a day or two of clearing up they shed) you can mist directly where the snake sits once the day. Just make sure you don't create a swamp either and don't make the entire setup wet, just keep some areas moist to the touch.

He will be fine :)

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That was my fear too, but this is him just a week ago eating and as you can see he looks dramatically different. In less then 7 days he went from looking completely healthy, as he has since I got him, to the way he looks now so that’s why I kind of panicked.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4af106b511.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4a6153ec54.jpg


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As long as you have a towel in the tub with the snake, you can raise the water up high enough to almost cover their back.

You want enough towel to have them able to rest their heads or part of their body on it (so they aren't forced to swim to stay above water and stress...) but not so much towel that they just end up sitting on a wet towel. You do need most of their body to be in contact with some water. The water needs to get in between the old skin and new, it will plump up the old skin and that will help pulling it off. So if you see where skin separates, carefully pull some of it away, or roll it off.

You will probably have to do the soak for a good 30 min minimum and STILL have to help with a wet wash clothes.

What I did was stand by the sink after the soak, with luke warm water running and a wet wash clothes. I kept wetting the snake with the wash clothes and then rolling/pulling skin down the body, either with hands or the wash clothes. During all that you have to keep the snake wet, thats where keeping the water running helps..

If you allow the snake to slither around while you do it, they won't stress as much. He will stress SOME, obv., but at this point that skin has to come off...

After you are done with all this, let the baby rest.

Can you post a pic of your setup ? If you use a glass tank it would help to use substrate rather then paper towels. Also, you want to cover the sides and back of the tank with dark paper (stuck on the outside) to give the snake more privacy. Most of the top should be covered too, leaving some uncovered for air exchange.

In the pictures he looks much better, but still a bit thin. You can see the edge where his ribs end in the picture where he wraps around your arm.

Now that he eats well, that will quickly change though :) They can turn plump and healthy rather quick once eating.

Just get everything else tweaked, and all will be well. That looks to be like a hopper mouse, since its not to much bigger then his head is long. You can probably go to young adult mice or try fuzzy rats.

But first things first, get that old dress off of him ;)

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Originally Posted by zina10

In the pictures he looks much better, but still a bit thin. You can see the edge where his ribs end in the picture where he wraps around your arm.

Now that he eats well, that will quickly change though :) They can turn plump and healthy rather quick once eating.

Just get everything else tweaked, and all will be well. That looks to be like a hopper mouse, since its not to much bigger then his head is long. You can probably go to young adult mice or try fuzzy rats.

But first things first, get that old dress off of him ;)

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Yeah it was a fuzzy/young hopper. I wasn’t sure how big to give him, he was getting small mice before I got him but then someone told me that they were too big so when I started offering live I dropped him to smaller hoppers. He refused to eat this weekend but I thought that might be because of the retained shed?


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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

Yeah it was a fuzzy/young hopper. I wasn’t sure how big to give him, he was getting small mice before I got him but then someone told me that they were too big so when I started offering live I dropped him to smaller hoppers. He refused to eat this weekend but I thought that might be because of the retained shed?


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Yes, he was probably in shed. I never even offer food while they are in shed. It takes a lot work for their body to go through shed (and hydration) and the same goes for digestion. So I let them do one at a time. Some eat while in shed, some don't.

He should definitely eat bigger then a mouse fuzzy. Most hatchlings eat mouse hoppers as a first meal. Next couple meals give at least large hoppers or young adults. He will plump up quickly once on the right size food.


Oh, one VERY IMPORTANT thing about the whole retained shed thing.

I can't stress this enough, but be very, very patient. There is no rushing through this. Take your time. Esp. the part where you hold the snake and help it shed. The snake will wriggle around, you will have to adjust your grip, switch hands, adjust again, let it slip through fingers, etc etc. Just stay calm, let the snake move, and do a little at a time. As long as you allow the snake to move it will be less stressed.

Don't be anxious or nervous, expect this to take awhile. Just calmly keep adjusting your hold and go with it :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

So my ball python Eliot suddenly got super wrinkly and feels very rough, he looks horrible and it scared me to death but my friend who has a ball python said to not worry that he’s just shedding. I’m just looking to see what you all have to say because I’m a new ball owner and he’s been giving me anxiety since the day I got him. He went 9 weeks without eating before I finally switched him to live and now he eats like a champ, then this happens so I guess I’m just a little on edge regarding him. His hot temp is right around 90 and the cool temp is around 80. He has a hot and cold hide and his humidity is at 60%. I have an under tank heat pad and a heat light. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cf1c337d32.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...73402ca1a8.jpg


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Update on Eliot! I followed some very good advice and was able to get his skin nice and loose and then it came off pretty easily with him crawling through a wet towel. He still has some shed stuck on the head and an inch or so down the back but 90% of it is off and he looks so much better. Thank you all for the amazing advice.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Samzi1123

Update on Eliot! I followed some very good advice and was able to get his skin nice and loose and then it came off pretty easily with him crawling through a wet towel. He still has some shed stuck on the head and an inch or so down the back but 90% of it is off and he looks so much better. Thank you all for the amazing advice.

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thanks for the update!!! i'm glad you were able to help him!

so a few bits of stuck shed is not a big deal, but you must make sure the following parts are clear: the head/eyes, tail-tip, and any piece of skin that is fully around the body still. however, this lil guys needs some peace and quite. i wouldn't worry about the bit on his head for now. during his next shed you need to be sure your husbandry is correct so this doesn't happen again and any stuck bits will come off with the next shed.

So happy to hear! He looks like a real sweetheart and I LOVE his name. Once he gets some meat on his bones he'll be a total knockout.

I love a happy ending! :buttercup I agree it's time for "TLC" (rest, food & water), hopefully he'll never again have a shed like that one.

Just wondering if he's a tad dehydrated ??


Depends on what the others think but I'd be tempted to give him a 25 minute soak in some snake temp water ..

Sealed tub with some air hike and keep it within sight .

A short soak could work wonders , he'd plump up instantly and the colour would improve ..

Just a thought :)


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Just wondering if he's a tad dehydrated ??


Depends on what the others think but I'd be tempted to give him a 25 minute soak in some snake temp water ..

Sealed tub with some air hike and keep it within sight .

A short soak could work wonders , he'd plump up instantly and the colour would improve ..

Just a thought :)


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I totally agree, that's what I'd do, before sending him off for a nap...