Pre-shed, Iridescence, or scale issue??

[Mojave]

hello, im new to this forum and this is my first post. im not sure if this post is in the right place on the site, so i apologize if it isnt. im posting about my baby mojave bp, Skullee. i figured id post on here instead of somewhere like yahoo answers or whatever, as you guys would be more of an expert on this topic. anyway, i got him from a breeder in cali on the 21st or 22nd. i waited a few days to feed him, so i fed him on sunday, the 24th at 1:30. he ate it with no problems and seemed happy and anxious to get back in the tank to his hide and lay on the heat. i waited a couple of days to handle him, this being on tuesday in the evening around 6, so well over 48 hours. he was fine, slithering around my fingers and up my arms, acting normal. well as this week has progressed, i began to notice his color on his head was kinda... milky blue? but the slightest hint of it. and now, feeding day (sunday) again, i put him in his feeding tub and threw him a thawed mouse and he popped at it and pinned it down, but didnt do the usual constriction thing. i came back to check on him and it looked like he moved the mouse a little, so i checked back again, and he was trying to get out of the tub as wasnt interested. ive heard that theyll do this from time to time before shed. im just concerned because the humidity is hard to regulate in his enclosure, and i wont want him getting scale rot or anything. his belly isnt pink and his eyes arent really milky looking. if i can find a way to post some pictures or a link to some, i will. if this is just normal pre-shed, please let me know so i dont freak out. this is my first snake so im super super anal when it comes to his humidity and temps and overall health.

[Mojave]

EDIT: i just took him out and his eyes do look slightly hazy, so im thinking its a pre shed thing. id still like input though please.

[albinos_rule]

Most snakes won't eat when they are going into shed, if that is what you are asking

[Mojave]

Most snakes won't eat when they are going into shed, if that is what you are asking

No, I knew that they generally dont eat before a shed. I was concerned about the coloring he has on his head and parts of his body. Sorry if I wasnt clear on all of that, I was in a rush to type it and I was on a cell phone lol.

[metallica]

No, I knew that they generally dont eat before a shed. I was concerned about the coloring he has on his head and parts of his body. Sorry if I wasnt clear on all of that, I was in a rush to type it and I was on a cell phone lol.

I am no professional by any means. When I got my BP she was in pre shed. What you are describing DEFINITELY sounds like it. From what I understand : She will hardly eat / stay in the hide / doesn't want to be handled. I would just let her be and in a couple of days she'll be 'in the blue' and you'll see her eyes turn blue. It is really cool. I wouldn't freak out or anything.

Just remember they are blind at this state so you just gotta wait it out and use a spray bottle as much as you can. Keep the humidity at 70% or as close too as possible. I usually just spray bottled mine every few hours. I know some people have tricks like putting a shirt over the screen of the cage and what not. I am sure others here have better temps. Luckly - I could keep my humidity up with quite ease and mine did a beautiful one piece shed

[albinos_rule]

Usually when mine are getting ready to shed they will be really dull looking, but I have noticed that sometimes after they shed the do kinda have an iridescence

[Mojave]

thanks for the input guys. apparently he's not going into shed, its been days since i thought i saw the colors, but it turns out his head has alot of iridescence on it, and his eye color is blue on top and then like a darker tint on the bottom half. im still a bit worried about him though.. he hasnt been moving alot or back and forth between the hot and cold sides like he usually does, and hasnt pooped or "peed" so i figured he was a little "hung up" if you will. his temps and humidity are spot on perfect, so i figured id give him a little help and i put him in a tub with about an inch of warm water (about 80-85 degrees) and let him soak for a little to loosen him up. after about 10 or 15 minutes he seemed anxious to get out, so i picked him up and when i did, out plopped a couple pieces of urates, but no feces. so i dried him off and put him back up and then did this again today, but nothing at all came out this time, so i dried him off again and put him in his hide for a little bit. i decided to try and feed him again, since he obviously wasnt going into shed. i thawed a mouse and dropped it in his feeding tub with him and gave him some space. i went to get a drink and came back maybe 5 minutes later and the moose was gone, and his tummy was a little puffy, so obviously i need to size him up on some bigger mice or switch to rats since he took that one down really fast. anyway, i put him back in his tank and he slithered around for a minute and then went in his hide that has the uth under it. i came back later on and he was outside of it, behind his vines curled up.. so this is when i get to worrying. hes eaten twice since ive had him and still hasnt actually pooped. hes not as active as he usually is, and hes not laying on his uth side after he's eaten. and again, the temps and humidity are where they should be... soooo any ideas on whats going on? i know its hard to tell whats going on over a computer, but im trying to be as descriptive as possible. another thing is, he seemed a bit "stiff" like he flexed when i picked him up the past couple days before i put him in the bath and got him to pee. could this be constipation or something? he drinks his water like he should, so i dont think hes dehydrated. should i maybe get a fiber supplement for him and put it in his mice? im puzzled on what to do. sorry if i come across las a totally irresponsible idiot lol. i just never read anything describing this in the books i have.

[Mojave]

update: i was just about to head to bed and turned the lights off when i heard a really odd noise coming from skullee's tank. i went over with a small flashlight to see what was going on, and when i shined it in his hide on the hot side, he was making all kinds of movements in there. i had no idea what he was doing at first, but then he turned around and looked at me. the little bugger was shedding after all! he was rubbing his nose to loosen up the skin. im excited and relieved now to see him shedding. its odd to me though, that he ate the same day he was going to shed his skin, and not only that, but he didnt really show any major signs of going into shed other than not eating that one day and his skin became a little dull looking on his back. his eyes didnt cloud up at all (as i stated it was his natural eye color) and he wasnt snappy or anything, and still seemed to enjoy being held and getting out of his tank for a bit. maybe this is like a one time thing, or maybe i lucked up and got one of those really good snakes like people claim they have. *fingers crossed* either way, thanks guys, you were right after all! i wish i could sit and watch him do it, but i hear it can take a while and i have to get up in 5 hours. cheers!