8 weeks since last shed

[PecanPied]

Hey all! My BP has started whistling when he breathes again, and since the last whistling was caused by dirt stuck in his nose and went away after he shed, I decided to check and see if he was going to shed again soon. This was how I found out his last shed was 8 weeks ago, and now I’m worried about him for OTHER reasons.

He’s just over a year old and his last vet visit deemed him healthy. He’d been eating just fine (he’s recently started a hunger strike though), his enclosure is cleaned out completely every ~2-3 weeks, his humidity has been consistent, he’s been just as active as usual, and there’s nothing concerning about his waste. All of this said I have no idea why he hasn’t shed, his eyes haven’t even gone white.

Does this warrant a vet visit? Should I be scared for him? I know that BP’s his age should be shedding every 4-6 weeks so this is WAY out of range. Any tips???

[Bogertophis]

Nope, nothing to worry about. There is no magic number of weeks after which snakes are "supposed to shed", so stop worrying. Growth often speeds up at times, or slows down at others. It's natural, it's normal- he'll go into shed when his body is ready, & not before. But DO check his humidity- it might need bumping up. You want 55-65% normally, & about 75% when he's in shed.

And you'd be wasting your money at the vet- though they probably wouldn't complain. I never do routine vet check-ups with my snakes- they only see a vet IF there is an observable issue. Now I know that since I've been keeping many snakes for a long time, I'm more comfortable doing that than maybe you are, but MOST snake-keepers do as I do.

As far as his "hunger strike"- it would help us if you post pics of him- & what he's been eating, & how often- but most likely it's because he's a male, & likely being offered more food than he wants or needs. Remember that these snakes evolved just fine, eating when they can- & normally far less than we're offering them. So if he's not thin, don't worry about that either- Incidentally, how long since he ate?

I'm willing to bet he's on his way (slowly) INTO his next shed- & snakes can feel that BEFORE we can see any signs of them being in shed. So again, I wouldn't rush to the vet- stay cool, wait & see.

[PecanPied]

Thank you so much! I’ll be keeping an eye on him, and I’m upping his humidity slightly to see if that may help. We were told by the vet that the “right” humidity was around 40-50, but I’m quickly learning that there really is no “right” humidity to keep them at.

I’m not too concerned about his hunger strike really, he hasn’t gotten any thinner and we were going to move him to an every other week feeding regardless. Last we checked he was ~600 grams, he’s been on one jumbo mouse a week and eating fine. The hunger strike has lasted for two weeks (this week marks the third) but I don’t want to stress him out and since he’s not getting thin or lethargic I’m waiting to try and feed him until next week.

[Bogertophis]

For BPs, most would say "40-50" % is too low, especially the 40%. Good for "most snakes" on average though. Many vets don't keep snakes & never did- so keep that in mind- they specialize in medical & surgical care of injuries & diseases, but may know very little about routine husbandry, which is what we do here. (Routine care takes time to discuss & delve into, & they don't make any money on it either- other than the office visit.) BTW, that includes one vet I used to know personally- he did snakes, birds & other exotics, but I had to teach him how to incubate snake eggs when one of his laid eggs, & other things too. Keep in mind that a vet that's older & has been in practice a long time may also not be up on "everything"- snake care has improved a LOT in recent years. Doesn't mean they're not a good vet, & mean well, but it's just something to keep in mind.

Suggestion- do NOT feed "jumbo" mice- they're retired breeders & very fatty. You want to feed lean adult rodents of the appropriate size as much as possible- otherwise your snake can pack on too much fat, & that's not good for them (they can even get fatty liver disease). That's probably why he's refusing food- fatty foods are harder (slower) to digest, & curb the appetite. Feed regular adult mice only, or switch to small rats when he's big enough. And there's nothing wrong with feeding him every other week, if that's what he wants. It's probably enough.

(And yes, I know this chart mentions jumbo mice- )

[PecanPied]

Thank you very much! I’ll look into getting him some regular adult mice or small rats instead to see if that helps with his appetite at all, and I’ll be keeping his humidity in a higher range. I appreciate the help!

[Bogertophis]

Keep in mind that if you already have some jumbo mice on hand, you don't necessarily need to throw them out, but just don't feed them all the time. It's perfectly fine to change up the prey from one meal to the next- maybe feed a jumbo mouse just once in a while (with leaner meals in between) until you use them up (& I'm hoping you don't have a huge supply, lol). In human terms, it's like having a BIG MAC* now & then, but not every day for your own best health. (*just a fast-food example- I'm not picking on McDonalds)