Shed and Excess skin

I've had my ball python for about 4 months now, and she was born in June. I have been feeding her hoppers and currently she is in shed. She has not been very active but as I see her moving, it looks like she has a lot of excess skin, which I'm not sure if that due to shedding, or if she needs to eat me. I want to try to feed her. Is it okay that they eat during shed?

your snake isn't going to starve if you don't feed it. it'll be fine till it's done shedding.

Is this "excess skin" one big solid piece of shed skin? or is it a very broken up and scattered shed? If it's broken up and scattered, then you need to raise your humidity. It's too low.

How do I raise the humidty? I gave her a humid hide, but she didn't want to use it...

the method i used when i used a tank was to keep a damp towel over the screen top. I wet it down every day. You can also mist the cage on a daily basis. You need something to measure the humidity, such as an accurite. Those stick on analog gauges are worthless.

Are there any adverse effects to misting down the cage?

yes if you mist it too much. mold, scale rot, respiratory infection and a list of things. you're not looking to soak his environment, just dampen it to get some humidity in there.

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Originally Posted by eyeownvango

I've had my ball python for about 4 months now, and she was born in June. I have been feeding her hoppers and currently she is in shed. She has not been very active but as I see her moving, it looks like she has a lot of excess skin, which I'm not sure if that due to shedding, or if she needs to eat me. I want to try to feed her. Is it okay that they eat during shed?

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Yes you can feed during shed, I offer food to mine on the usual schedule regardless of shed and I rarely have a refusal.

To raise humidity you can

Have another water dish above the UTH

Partially cover the top of the enclosure

Mist the enclosure

Switch to a substrate the hold humidity better (Cypress mulch, Repti-bark)

I didn't soak the viv, I just sprayed around the top edges, and I didn't leaving it dripping down, I just left a few water marks.

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Originally Posted by eyeownvango

I didn't soak the viv, I just sprayed around the top edges, and I didn't leaving it dripping down, I just left a few water marks.

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:gj:

now, how are you keeping track of your humidity?

I have a humidity gauge device with a probe.

did the misting help?

definitely, I think it's already jumped 15 or 20 percent

cool deal. GA ball pythons gave some excellent advise as well...keep us updated and fire away at other questions :gj: :D

Thanks so much for helping out so quickly! I'll keep you posted! :D

Actually, I'm sort of surprised no one has asked whether this excess skin is a result of being underweight? Do you mean "shed" skin, or do you mean that the snake has a triangular shape with folds of loose skin?


A picture would really help.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Actually, I'm sort of surprised no one has asked whether this excess skin is a result of being underweight? Do you mean "shed" skin, or do you mean that the snake has a triangular shape with folds of loose skin?


A picture would really help.

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That's exactly what went through my head Robin. A ball born in June should be eating meals larger than hopper mice. Hoppers are great for the first few meals, but after that get something bigger. Heck, most of my 06 holdbacks are now eating weanling rats.

-Evan

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Originally Posted by Evan Jamison

That's exactly what went through my head Robin. A ball born in June should be eating meals larger than hopper mice. Hoppers are great for the first few meals, but after that get something bigger. Heck, most of my 06 holdbacks are now eating weanling rats.

-Evan

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My '06's are eating 3 week old rat pups for the smaller kiddos, and 4 week old weanlings for the bigger kiddos.

A mouse hopper is a VERY small meal - I agree.

Again - a clearer definition to what the OP means by loose skin would help to provide him/her with more specific advice. Loose skin as in stuck shed, or loose skin as in their skin is "saggy" from malnourishment?

We are sharing the same brain again Robin! LOL I'm wondering the same thing myself and completely agree that a hopper mouse for that age of a BP sounds like a very small meal. Heck our 18 month old Milksnake eats mice that size. Our BPs born this year are all on either rat pups or adult mice (and a certain 06 female you sent me eats one or two of those adult mice per week....what a piggie little Cara is LOL).

Well, I tried feeding her an adult mouse, and all she does is wrestle with it for a little while, and then gives up...

Well, I think the shed situation is under control, but any ideas on how to get her to eat. She eats the hoppers fine, but I don't think it's filling enough. Should I try the adult mouse scented or what other ideas you guys have?

What would you scent an adult mouse with if the snake eats hopper mice fine?

You never did post a photo up here, so I doubt anyone can suggest much more without a visual. Have you read the care sheet on this website and do you have your temps and humidity level correct?

try multiple food items. I normally feed as big a mouse as I can get my hands on, but the place I get them was out of big mice, just had hopper mice, so I offered all of my snakes 2 hoppers. worked for me :gj: