Pastel Desert Ghost male shedding

[Bogertophis]

There is no set time when snakes shed their skins- it all depends on growth. Whether you buy a snake from a breeder or a pet store, many of them under-feed hatchlings prior to sale so they don't grow up too fast & out-grow the small enclosure they were kept in. FYI, I don't agree with this, & all snakes I've raised were well-fed, but this is unfortunately a common practice in the industry.

So don't worry about the lack of previous sheds in the record (-I give them credit for at least providing the feeding record!). Even if the chart shows many feedings, it's possible that the snake was only fed smaller-than-optimal prey, so the nutrition was just for "maintenance" & not enough to allow growth. They also might have just forgotten to chart the sheds.

It's very important that you initially feed your snake the same as it was fed previously, & also not right away. Give the snake some time to settle in- like a week, & with no handling. New snakes are very stressed & may refuse food given, or may consume it and thereafter regurgitate it. It's best by far to avoid that scenario, so be patient.

I can't stress this enough- don't try to make up for "lost time" by over-feeding your new snake. Only gradually increase the size of prey given- because a snake that's underfed may not be able to digest much more right off. Go slow, be patient...& understand that snakes live this way in the wild & survive just fine. Snakes that are a little under-fed are actually better off than those which are over-fed.

A young BP should not eat more often than once a week, to give plenty of time for them to fully digest. Feeding too soon, or too large a meal, means their digestive enzymes may not be able to handle it, & for a snake, the regurgitation of a meal is very bad, because they can aspirate & actually choke (to death) or get a lung infection. Please, just take it slow- I know how eager you are to do the best for your new pet, & believe me, this is the best way forward.

You didn't mention but I hope your snake has at least 2 hides also- one on the cool side & one on the warm side. BPs are shy snakes & "ambush-predators"- they need hiding places to feel secure enough to grab their prey, especially when they're trying to adapt to a scary new home.