husbandry

[daniel1983]

Here is a little info on shedding frequency:

The time between sheds (shedding frequency) for ball pythons varies for each animal and is dependant upon several factors. Some of the factors that effect shedding frequency include genetics, food intake and frequency, enclosure temperature and humidity, reproductive status, level of stress, presence of skin parasites or bacteria, and the age of the ball python. Younger ball pythons tend to shed more frequently than older ball pythons. I have young ball pythons that will shed every 4 weeks and I have older ball pythons that shed once every 1.5-2.5 months. Adult female ball pythons go into a shed generally 10-14 days after they ovulate. This shed is used by most ball python breeders to predict the date the eggs will be layed. An elevated level of stress on the ball python can cause shedding to become delayed. Food intake and enclosure temperature are directly related to the growth rate of a ball python. If improper husbandry conditions and improper feeding occur, the shedding frequency can be effected. Because of the numerous factors that can effect a snake's shed, it is always good to keep records of when a snake sheds and the quality of shed that takes place. These records can give a keeper the advantage of predicting when the ball python will shed, and can also provide an indicator of sicknesses or stress.

Here is a little on getting good sheds:

The best way to prevent a bad shed is to provide proper humidity in the ball python's enclosure. The enclosure should have a humidity between 50-60% normally, but can be bumped up to 60%-70% during shed. You can also use humid hides if getting the humidity high in the enclosure is a problem. You can find information on humid hides links below

Here are a bunch of sites with shedding related info:

http://www.danielhillreptiles.com/Ar...hedprocess.htm
http://www.8ballpythons.com/journal/stucksheds.htm
http://www.joecompelreptiles.com/bal...mber/index.asp
http://www.joecompelreptiles.com/bal...shed/index.asp
http://www.joecompelreptiles.com/bal..._cap/index.asp
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=48

Concerning the feeding, a few questions need to be answered:
What are your enclosure tempertures?
What is your enclosure setup (i.e. how many hides, waterbowls, etc)?
What are you feeding?
How old, what size, and from what origin is you ball python?

The more details the better we can try to helpout