MY snake won't eat/shed

[MrTavares]

My Ball Python isn't eating its been 3 months..
and lately he's been having problems shedding
Like he sheds his head and most of his upper body easily but the lower half wont come off and I'm worried that he might be sick because he isn't shedding properly nor is he eating

what should I do?

P.S the temperature isn't the problem
and the humidity is around 60%

[kc261]

Shedding problems are usually humidity problems, and with it being winter, it makes sense that the humidity would be lower and possibly dip low enough to be a problem.

How & where are you measuring your temps & humidity? Those analog gauges can be inaccurate, and it is important that you aren't measuring it halfway up the side of the tank, for example, since your snake usually isn't halfway up the side of the tank.

Please tell us more history of the snake, such as how big/old it is, and whether or not it was feeding well for you before, or have you only owned it 3 months, etc.

[MrTavares]

MY snake normally eats a medium rat 2x a month
but he hasn't eaten since october! I'm really nervous that its dying =[
& Now its having trouble shedding the upper half of the body sheds but the lower half isn't coming off.

By lower half I mean like the tail end.

The temperature in the cage is fine.
i don't know the humidity.
But I do spray it frequently.

What should I do?!

[kc261]

I'm gonna copy both your other post and my reply here. It will probably help you get better responses to keep it all in one thread.

I am confused how in your last post you knew the humidity and now you don't?

My Ball Python isn't eating its been 3 months..
and lately he's been having problems shedding
Like he sheds his head and most of his upper body easily but the lower half wont come off and I'm worried that he might be sick because he isn't shedding properly nor is he eating

what should I do?

P.S the temperature isn't the problem
and the humidity is around 60%

Shedding problems are usually humidity problems, and with it being winter, it makes sense that the humidity would be lower and possibly dip low enough to be a problem.

How & where are you measuring your temps & humidity? Those analog gauges can be inaccurate, and it is important that you aren't measuring it halfway up the side of the tank, for example, since your snake usually isn't halfway up the side of the tank.

Please tell us more history of the snake, such as how big/old it is, and whether or not it was feeding well for you before, or have you only owned it 3 months, etc.

[MrTavares]

the Humidity thing in the cage read 60 when I checked it before
& I just checked it now and it says 50 so idk if thats a normal drop
or if the thing is broken thats why I said I don't know it.

Also I've had the snake for almost 2 years. I got it when it was a few months old.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

but he hasn't eaten since october! I'm really nervous that its dying =[
& Now its having trouble shedding the upper half of the body sheds but the lower half isn't coming off.

Given the animal is eating medium rats I would assume the animal is couple of years old with a good body weight which means as long as your animal is healthy and well hydrated he will be OK. Adult BP can go months without food.

Now your role is to figure out if you can do anything to help your BP resume feeding in the event this would be husbandry or stress related.

If everything is on spot (well almost everything obviously there are humidity issues) you might need to wait it out.

Address your humidity issues check everything else, try offering smaller preys weekly (small rats 50 grams or so), make sure is your BP is healthy and well hydrated and wait for him to resume feeding.

[BPelizabeth]

Have you taken a look at the care sheet on here to ensure that your temps are in line?

Do you have 2 hides?

What substrate are you using?

What are you using to heat your enclosure and what type of enclosure is it?

If you are using an under the tank heater is it regulated by a thermostat?

What are you using to measure your temps and what are the temps on the cool side and the warm side?

Sorry I posted like this to make it easier for you to answer.


If there is stuck shed there is a bunch of threads on here that you can search. A warm...NOT HOT bath usually will help. But there are allot of other ways that are very detailed.

[MrTavares]

Have you taken a look at the care sheet on here to ensure that your temps are in line?

Do you have 2 hides?

What substrate are you using?

What are you using to heat your enclosure and what type of enclosure is it?

If you are using an under the tank heater is it regulated by a thermostat?

What are you using to measure your temps and what are the temps on the cool side and the warm side?

Sorry I posted like this to make it easier for you to answer.

I've been using Aspen Bedding.
I have it in a glass take with a heat lamp on top and a under tank heater has well.

the cool side is 74 F
and the warm side is 90 F

I don't have a hide. Don't even know what that is...
sorry =[

[iCandiBallPythons]

How long have you had this BP and how old is it? Was it eating fine in this setup prior to 3 months ago?

[pliskin]

How long have you had this BP and how old is it? Was it eating fine in this setup prior to 3 months ago?

his post says 2 years.

you really should do some research on how to take care of your snake. a hide just means a place for your snake to hide, which , could be the reason your snake isn't eating. maybe its stressed out because it doesn't feel secure , therefore not eating.

and, like the other posters have said, if its not shedding properly , humidity isn't correct.