Hi there !
I’m new to this forum and also a new snake owner.

I’ve had my ball python for two months now, and he has been a sweetheart to me.
He has never balled up, hissed or bit and also never missed a meal.
I switched him yesterday from f/t mice to f/t rats without the slightest issue.

He was quite thin and underfed when I got him, only weighing 250g (he is one and a half year old), he is now around 400g and slowly packing on weight.

But my only issue is that he hasn’t shed yet even though he is definitely growing, despite showing many signs of shed (stopped coming out at night, pink belly and cloudy eyes) a month ago.

A few days ago I noticed that his belly scales started flaking (1st/2nd picture), only the top layer, not the actual scales. It is very noticeable to the touch when I handle him, and pieces of skin are falling off.
He also has a white «outline» (4th picture) on half of his left eye (part of a retained eye cap from last shed ?), it was already there when I got him, along with some damaged scales on the neck (3rd picture). Should I worry about this ?









I’ve had him for 2 months now, so it’s been at the very least 2 months since his last shed, which seems quite a long time for a juvenile ball python.

HUSBANDRY :

  • Cold spot : 75-80 F° / 24-26 C°
  • Hot spot : 84-91 F° / 29-32° (I obviously have a thermostat and also two probes for the hot spot, one right on the glass and one at substrate level to make sure that he doesn’t get burnt if he digs a bit)
  • Humidity : 50-60% usually but I bumped it up to 70% since he showed signs of shed a month ago.
  • He has two identical hides, one at the cold side and the other on the warm side, along with a half log and a humidity box with some sphagnum moss inside that I mist daily even though he hasn’t used it yet.


The fact that he’s had cloudy eyes and hasn’t been out at night for a month (usually very active) along with the belly scales flaking worries me a lot. The humidity seems to be right though, and I don’t know what could’ve caused that.

His damaged scales on the neck seems to brown a bit, is it scale rot ? Should I rub him against a wet towel to remove the falling scales ? Or should I just let him alone ?

I would greatly appreciate some help or input from more experienced owners than me.
Thanks a lot !