When will he shed?

[corie.carpenter3]

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.


Corie Dee

[sho220]

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...

[kir.davis]

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!

[Morris Reese]

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.

[corie.carpenter3]

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.


Corie Dee

[CptJack]

...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.

[corie.carpenter3]

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

[CptJack]

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.



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.


They're really stretchy.

[CptJack]

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



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.

[sho220]

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.

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