3 months old now, and five weeks without a shed?

[Shamri]

I have been waiting patiently for Atticus to shed since we got him. According to his breeder, he shed the week before the reptile expo, so that would be about five weeks ago. Atticus has been eating and pooping regularly. His warm hide is regulated at 90 degrees with the UTH. Ambient temp in his tank stays at about 80. Humidity is generally between 50 and 60. I switched him to adult mice for his last feeding on Tuesday, and he did just fine. When I took him out for his feed, I noticed flaky scales, and his belly was somewhat pink. I have tried to bump the humidity a bit just in case he is going into shed, but two days later his eyes are still clear, and nothing seems to be happening. Long story short, 5 weeks seems like a long time for a young snake to go without shedding. Should I be concerned?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

She'd is related to growth, growth is related to food intake.

So it all depends on the prey size and feeding frequency.

[kiiarah]

I just pulled up my 3.5 month old bps tracking records and he shed on 9/29 and shows no signs of another. I think it is much like growth, it just varies depending on the snake. Seems like there are almost no hard and fast rules about bp development. I have spent lots of time looking for timelines of how often he should do things and when various things should occur, but all I can seem to find is a lot of people saying it varies and there is no very solid guideline. As for the actual shedding process, this too depends on the snake. It is possible that he could have a pink belly for a couple of days without the cloudy eyes developing yet if you caught the color change early. Check to see if his skin looks at all dull/milky and if he has looser skin behind his jaw on his neck. It should look like little pointy folds when he turns his head to the side. This is a pretty good indicator that the shed cycle is beginning. I have been watching my boy closely and he doesn't have a pink belly but I am noticing his color is less vibrant than usual. No eye cloud or skin folds yet but it would make sense that it would be coming up soon. Hope this is somewhat helpful. I would say if he is eating well and everything seems to be good you don't need to worry about it. Shedding is one of those things that they are going to do when they are ready, I haven't read of any snakes failing to shed. I can't say with certainty that this has never happened, but I have read a ton at this point and have never seen it mentioned.

[Shamri]

Thanks all - I appreciate the feedback, as usual. I'm sure Atticus is getting sick of me staring at him, and to coin a phrase, "A watched python never sheds." I will once again attempt to let him move at his frustratingly cold-blooded pace through life

P.S. I feel the need to periodically mention how great this forum is! I called my breeder last week to get some of Atticus' stats (last shed, last feed, etc), and he was at first leery when I mentioned that I had joined an online community. He said that certain groups can be very intolerant of and cruel to newbies. When I mentioned that I had joined ball-pythons.net, he was relieved! Your reputation precedes you

I'll also put in a plug for JSA Reptiles in Minnesota. They have been really great to work with, and they are very accessible when it comes to questions, even when it is only a $15 sale.