My first ball python

[D4NKYD4NK]

By the way, it does seem silly to buy hides for a snake that will out-grow them very soon, so to give them the cozy feel they like, you can make a larger hide seem more snug by putting a wad of paper inside it while your snake "grows into it". (Like when kids get new shoes that are a little too big, so they stuff paper in the toes, lol.)

Hhaha actually a great idea, the hide connected to the his little branch he hangs in is pretty big so maybe i could help him with that !!


Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[D4NKYD4NK]

I think he's starting to be in shed but his eyes didnt become cloudy at all yet ! His skin has gradually started to become cloudy for like 4-5 days and his behavior has started to change a bit too, he's coming out less and staying under his water bowl.I try to keep his humidity between 55 and 65. Is it normal his eyes didnt change yet ?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[Bogertophis]

I think he's starting to be in shed but his eyes didnt become cloudy at all yet ! His skin has gradually started to become cloudy for like 4-5 days and his behavior has started to change a bit too, he's coming out less and staying under his water bowl.I try to keep his humidity between 55 and 65. Is it normal his eyes didnt change yet ?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

You just have to be patient- some just take longer than others to shed. One thing that makes a difference is if they recently ate- that slows down the shed process. You might increase his humidity some (to about 70%) for the next days until he sheds.

[D4NKYD4NK]

You just have to be patient- some just take longer than others to shed. One thing that makes a difference is if they recently ate- that slows down the shed process. You might increase his humidity some (to about 70%) for the next days until he sheds.

Yes I fed him this saturday, I wasnt sur if he was going into shed since his skin was like only slightly cloudy ! Would you recommend to not feed him as soon as I see signs of shedding ? And perfect for the humidity, should I up the temperature a bit too to be safe for respiratory infections or since it isn't that long it shouldnt change anything ?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[Bogertophis]

Yes I fed him this saturday, I wasnt sur if he was going into shed since his skin was like only slightly cloudy ! Would you recommend to not feed him as soon as I see signs of shedding ? And perfect for the humidity, should I up the temperature a bit too to be safe for respiratory infections or since it isn't that long it shouldnt change anything ?

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

From now on, I'd recommend that if you see any signs he's going into shed, hold off on feeding until after he sheds. Some snakes have no problem with multi-tasking, but with others it can really mess up their shed (where it sticks- they need help- & it comes off in tiny pieces- trust me, it's not fun).

The reason is simple: digestion uses more water in their body, & so does shedding -they actually secrete some moisture between the old & new skin right before they shed to facilitate the process. So if their body is digesting, they may not have enough hydration to do both easily: some snakes may upchuck their meal (because without proper hydration they cannot digest it) while others may digest but get stuck in the shed process. Neither scenario is good. And that's why, in the wild, most snakes instinctively don't hunt to eat when they feel a shed coming. But as pets, it's often hard to resist "room service".

No, don't raise the temperatures- actually, when snakes are in shed, you'll notice they usually gravitate to the cool part of their homes. Trust your snake to figure out where he needs to be now.

[D4NKYD4NK]

From now on, I'd recommend that if you see any signs he's going into shed, hold off on feeding until after he sheds. Some snakes have no problem with multi-tasking, but with others it can really mess up their shed (where it sticks- they need help- & it comes off in tiny pieces- trust me, it's not fun).

The reason is simple: digestion uses more water in their body, & so does shedding -they actually secrete some moisture between the old & new skin right before they shed to facilitate the process. So if their body is digesting, they may not have enough hydration to do both easily: some snakes may upchuck their meal (because without proper hydration they cannot digest it) while others may digest but get stuck in the shed process. Neither scenario is good. And that's why, in the wild, most snakes instinctively don't hunt to eat when they feel a shed coming. But as pets, it's often hard to resist "room service".

No, don't raise the temperatures- actually, when snakes are in shed, you'll notice they usually gravitate to the cool part of their homes. Trust your snake to figure out where he needs to be now.

Thanks a lot, really good explanation, I'll defenitely hold on feeding as soon as I see signs. I'll try to up the humidity as soon as I get home and hope he will still have a good shed even if he has a meal inside him. I'll probably ask you for advice if he has trouble shedding

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[Zincubus]

Thanks a lot, really good explanation, I'll defenitely hold on feeding as soon as I see signs. I'll try to up the humidity as soon as I get home and hope he will still have a good shed even if he has a meal inside him. I'll probably ask you for advice if he has trouble shedding

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

Sheds are easy to sort out ..

As soon as he/she gets cloudy eyes and it loses its color or simply disappears out of sight for days ( even refusing food) I just give the viv a good spray each day and then when the eyes have cleared I spray a couple of times each day until you find the discarded skin .. it’s usually in a messy lump under one of the hides ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[D4NKYD4NK]

Sheds are easy to sort out ..

As soon as he/she gets cloudy eyes and it loses its color or simply disappears out of sight for days ( even refusing food) I just give the viv a good spray each day and then when the eyes have cleared I spray a couple of times each day until you find the discarded skin .. it’s usually in a messy lump under one of the hides ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Perfect, I sprayed the tank and I'll try to keep it between 60 and 70% humidity ! Just saw that his eyes are starting to be cloudy !

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[D4NKYD4NK]

A little question for yall.
Since my snake shed, i saw that his tail is really pointy, before shedding i never felt it that pointy and im wondering if he shed the tip completely. I don't know if their tail is supposed to be like that.

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[plateOfFlan]

That looks normal to me, sometimes the very tip of their tail just looks kind of weird, because it's just scales hanging off the end of them. If you're really worried you can just hold a damp towel on it for a bit, anything left from the shed should pop right off.