was eating for 3 straight weeks, then refused

Deac, my Royal Python, was hatched in December 2020; I received him in March. The note from the breeder said that Friday was his feeding day. I skipped the first Friday that I had him, figuring that he might be stressed after being shipped by FedEx. The next 3 Fridays I offered a small/medium mouse that he quickly gobbled up. Yesterday, I offered a mouse not much bigger than the others, but he didn't want anything to do with it. I inspected him, looking for signs of being 'blue'. The only thing I noticed was that his eyes had gone from jet black to grayish blue; is this the first sign that he is indeed getting ready to shed and won't be interested in food until he finishes the shed, or is it something else? I should also note that he pooped on Thursday, one day before I offered the mouse.

Yes, he has obviously gone into a shed cycle & it's fine to wait until he actually sheds before offering food again- all this is quite normal. In the wild, he'd lay low & not eat- there's no "room service" ;) & snakes that try to catch prey when their vision is impaired don't tend to survive & pass on their genes. So your pal is just following his instincts, & so must you.

Make sure his humidity is where it should be during this time (or just a bit higher)- you can offer a humid hide also. FYI- your snake will appear normal (we call it "clear") BEFORE he sheds, so if he looks as if he's already shed but he's still hiding & you don't find his old skin, leave him alone because he's not done yet. A snake's body will secrete a bit of fluid between the old & new skin to facilitate it's removal- that moisture tends to make the old skin look "clear", as if it's already the new skin when in fact, it's not. :cool: So be patient. He knows what he's doing. :snake:

Once he's done shedding- DO check him over to make sure none of the old skin is stuck on- ALWAYS check that eye-caps have come off, and also the tail tip- these can cause damage (harm) if left on, so make sure, & help gently with water if need be. If that happens, we can give you more tips for "how to help"- just ask.

Now that you know he doesn't want to eat in shed, next time don't bother wasting food trying to feed him- just wait.