Saggy skin?

[Pandora]

I know there was a topic regarding this issue recently but I'm not sure if the two would somehow be related. Pandora shed about 2 weeks ago (give or take a few days) and her eyes aren't clouded over so I don't think this is a sign of shedding. Today when I went to handle her, she didn't seem as... firm/tight as she normally does... (that sounded wrong). Her body is normally a bit more tense, not from stress or anything, just the normal feel of a BP but she seemed a little saggy today. Is this a sign of dehydration? I've never seen her drink, though she does pee. She just finished digesting a rat and a mouse she ate last week so maybe it's normal for her skin to loose a bit elasticity after stretching to make room for those big lumps of rodent. Anybody have any idea what's wrong with her or if I should even be concerned?

Another thing: is it possible to shed too often? Like, what's the minimum time in between sheds? Because I know this all depends on each snake and their growth...

[simplechamp]

Has she lost weight? If you don't have a digital scale I would recommend one. I think it's really important to keep track of weight since it can be a big indicator of health issues when they start losing weight. Also digital scales are better for measuring food than the "same width as BP at widest point" method.

If she isn't losing weight I wouldn't worry. Just seeming a little saggy doesn't mean much.

[rishnack]

if you dont have a scale just use the one at the pet store most of em have one and dont mind letting you use it , check her eyes for dents (good sighnof dehydration) mine usually feel saggy right after they clear up before a shed
and my wife says she feels saggy all the time (rofl i couldnt resist)
it sounds like nothin they go through phases not eating not drinking then just fire back up

[Pandora]

Has she lost weight? If you don't have a digital scale I would recommend one. I think it's really important to keep track of weight since it can be a big indicator of health issues when they start losing weight. Also digital scales are better for measuring food than the "same width as BP at widest point" method.

If she isn't losing weight I wouldn't worry. Just seeming a little saggy doesn't mean much.

Ok, I'll definately start keep track of her weight. What's considered normal? Is there a chart or sticky of some sort than I can relate to?

Woah woah woah, slow down a minute, I didn't know I had to measure/weigh her food!! What's the the "same width as BP at widest point" method?? I've fed her rats that were a bit fatter than her and she ate them no problem. Is there really a big deal about the weight and size of her food?

[JLC]

Ok, I'll definately start keep track of her weight. What's considered normal? Is there a chart or sticky of some sort than I can relate to?

"Normal" depends entirely on the individual snake. What you want to track is their personal relative weight. Are they gaining? Staying steady? Losing? Have they had a sudden drop in weight? Gaining weight is normal for a young snake, obviously....very desired. Some snakes gain weight slowly...some more quickly. Losing weight beyond what they lose when passing waste or eggs is always undesirable, but sometimes unavoidable.

Woah woah woah, slow down a minute, I didn't know I had to measure/weigh her food!! What's the the "same width as BP at widest point" method?? I've fed her rats that were a bit fatter than her and she ate them no problem. Is there really a big deal about the weight and size of her food?

You don't have to weigh her food....but it helps to learn how to eyeball a rat's weight in grams. Some people are really picky about feeding very specific amounts of food. Some just eyeball sizes and call it good. Just know that if you frequently feed rats that are too big, she may eat more sporatically or quite eating altogether for an indefinite period of time until she remembers to get hungry again.

[Pandora]

"Normal" depends entirely on the individual snake. What you want to track is their personal relative weight. Are they gaining? Staying steady? Losing? Have they had a sudden drop in weight? Gaining weight is normal for a young snake, obviously....very desired. Some snakes gain weight slowly...some more quickly. Losing weight beyond what they lose when passing waste or eggs is always undesirable, but sometimes unavoidable.



You don't have to weigh her food....but it helps to learn how to eyeball a rat's weight in grams. Some people are really picky about feeding very specific amounts of food. Some just eyeball sizes and call it good. Just know that if you frequently feed rats that are too big, she may eat more sporatically or quite eating altogether for an indefinite period of time until she remembers to get hungry again.

Ok, that all makes sense. I was just wondering... I fed her last Friday and I plan on feeding her again tomorrow. I read that wetting the mouse/rat a bit before feeding can help with dehydration; I've never seen her drink so this might be a good idea (I feed her live). She pooped yesterday and she made a normal brown poop and also passed a urate, which, looked like a clump of dried up gum. It was a bit hard, is that normal?

[simplechamp]

Definitely don't have to measure the food weight. I just prefer to so I can record and keep track exactly how much my BP eats. And since I shelled out money for a digital scale, then I might as well use it whenever possible. When I first started measuring mouse weights I was quite surprised by the difference in the true weights compared to what I estimated them to be. You may find the same, or maybe you estimate right on. Like previously mentioned, it's good to get experience learning exact weights, which will help you eyeball better in the future. There may come a point in time when you have many BPs and it isn't practical to weigh each rodent anymore.