little kinked guy!

[dmaricle]

ok im sure most of yall remember my little kinked normal that was born over a month ago, well he still has not shed. he is very active, and i even offered him food cause im very worried but nothing. what do yall think i should do?

[ItsMichael805]

i dont reeally know what to do since im still new to ball pythons, but just dropping on to say hope hes al right

[RichsBallPythons]

He may not eat on his own. You may have to try feeding him manually and start the meal in his mouth for him. He should continue to swallow it. He needs to get something in him to get his strength up since hes still young.

That that dont work you can always try the syringe method

[lillyorchid]

Have you tried offering him a hopper mouse, a rat fuzzy, or an African soft furred rat hopper? Was it live? If not it may have to be. Also you can sometimes place that prey item in the snakes mouth and it just "clicks" and they coil and eat it. Try different prey items. He may just need a different one to get him started. Some babies are tricky and some who have problems are much more. I know I spent about six months working with one ball python who was born with a bad neurological problem and next to no head/neck motor controls. It took a long time to get him eating on his own and let me tell you... these snakes are pretty hardy little things. I later was given him due to his problems. He today still has issues with his motor controls but no where near as what they were a few years ago. Keep on trying, do not give up. I've seen snakes with worse looking kinks then that and they are a live and well functioning like a normal snake. I think this guy will be okay once started. Please no not attempt to tube feed him. That should only be used as an absolute last resort. Best of luck to you guys. Keep us updated!!!

[dmaricle]

thanks all. but does it matter that he has not shed yet. i have tried several different items as food. i do have a pre killed small mouse that im going to leave in his tub over night to see if he might take it but we are praying he starts eating and shedding soon. he did have a small bowle movement so that seems to be working fine.

[mechnut450]

he won't really shed until he starts to grow so once eating shedding will come. I know my one amale who had stopped eatign only shed once the entire 4-6 months, and since he ate he shedding again I have hopes that after he shed he keeps eating cause i won't coutnt him eating until I know he got 2-3 meals in him in a row.

I do hope you little guy does eat for you . I know some of my were pickie and had to be left alone with the food before they eat .

[Mike Cavanaugh]

how bad is the kink? Sorry, not familiar with the history on him...

Personally, if I produce a bad kink, it is going in the freezer.

[twistedtails]

I would try and assist feed him. I did it for a het pied female the other day. It worked great and seemed to have put her in feed mode instantly. Here is a little help on how to do it. Disclaimer: I am NOT a vet this is merely a method I have used to feed a snake that was jepordizing its health due to not eating. It HAD to be done. Have a bowl ready to cover the snake after you get him started. Oh Yeah, make sure to use a smaller than usual prey item to complete this procedure. 1. Just hold him like you would a venomous snake(you thumb behind one side of the jaw and you index finger behind the other side of the jaw). 2. Thump the pinky so it is dead. 3. Use the head of the pinky to open the mouth of the snake. Once you get the mouth semi-open the snake should kinda open the mouth and allow you to put the head of the pinky in. 4. Push the head of the pinky GENTLY to the back of the snakes throat(you should make sure the head of the pinky goes far enough down the throat of the snake that it is about even with where your fingers are behind the head of the snake, remember you can't choke the snake they are designed to eat and breathe at the same time). 5. Put the snake down quickly and gently, cover the snake with the bowl and leave him be for a few mimutes. If you put the pinky in far enough the snake should have swollowed the pinky. If you use this method keep me posted on how it worked out for you. Good luck on you little guy

[Lucas339]

this same thing happened to me this year with my first hatchling. after a month, i started to offer food even though it had not shed yet. it wouldn't take food and didn't show any signs of shed for another week. i started to force feed it and within 2 weeks (2 meals) it shed. it has yet to eat on its own yet so im hoping that it will come around soon. i have tried every trick in the book and have tired ASF and regular rats and mice with nothing.

i say force/assist feed it and it will shed out soon.

[frankykeno]

Are you keeping him on damp paper towels as a substrate?