BP not Eating

[Bogertophis]

are you talking about that "Stuff" BP owners spray on the snakes skin during shedding? I wouldn't even think about that unless her shed process takes A Long time....

They sell something called "Shed-Aid" (I think?) but it's no better than just water- don't waste your $

[Bogertophis]

whats the new skin supposed to look like? i assume really "shiny"?

Snakes are not usually shiny, at least not BPs. (not counting those species with iridescence) But their colors look deeper, brighter & clearer, not dull as in shed.

You also need to check after a snake sheds to be sure their old eye-caps and tail tip came off in the shed. Especially keeping a BP, because they're prone to stuck eye-caps (& they cause problems like future loss of sight if ignored), and they can lose their tail tips to gangrene (death of tissue) after only one or a few missed sheds remaining.

Check a snake after every shed...it's your job as a keeper. Snakes are low-maintenance pets, not "no-maintenance" pets!

[Spicey]

[QUOTE=Bogertophis;2755899]They sell something called "Shed-Aid" (I think?) but it's no better than just water- don't waste your $ [/QUOT]


I've used Shed-Ease, but I agree, water does just as good a job.

[Thomas S]

ok i will..i was reading that the whole shed process should??? last no more than 14 days, i should be ok by this weekend but I will check to be totally sure, before i offer anything...1 more week of no eating wont hurt as much as a Mouse bite could

[Thomas S]

OR? i could go with a Blind Rat Pup which is relatively safe because their eyes are not open yet, but she might not like the way the Rat pup smells compared to a mouse, big gamble there, not worth it

[Hugsplox]

OR? i could go with a Blind Rat Pup which is relatively safe because their eyes are not open yet, but she might not like the way the Rat pup smells compared to a mouse, big gamble there, not worth it

When they're in shed it's not about what they eat, but the fact that they eat. Both shedding and digestion both take a lot of water, and snakes aren't always the best multitaskers, so you don't want to steal from peter to pay paul, so to speak. I would just leave her be until you know for sure she's done shedding.

My first bad shed with my BP came from feeding during shed. Something someone here was kind enough to educate me on. My BP surprisingly is one of my best eating snakes, and will take a feeder while in shed with no complaints, but after learning that this could cause issues, and seeing it first hand, I just started skipping meals when I knew he was in shed. Like I said before, I've had no other shed issues since then.

[Thomas S]

they say Young Ball Pythons shed the most often because they are in the growing phase of their lives, my snake is shedding already and its not growing, if anything it might have lost some weight while i had my feeding problems with her, go figure...

[Thomas S]

I remember when i was young, my snake experience was with Garter Snakes, i would catch them, keep them in cardboard boxes most of the time, feeding was easy, drop a worm in the cage and forget about it..No heat lamps, no humidity worries, and most of the snakes would shed in 1 or 2 big pieces...Ball Pythons come from far away countries and there is just soooo much that they have to adjust too, not fair when you think about it...

[RickySRonin]

they say Young Ball Pythons shed the most often because they are in the growing phase of their lives, my snake is shedding already and its not growing, if anything it might have lost some weight while i had my feeding problems with her, go figure...

I remember when i was young, my snake experience was with Garter Snakes, i would catch them, keep them in cardboard boxes most of the time, feeding was easy, drop a worm in the cage and forget about it..No heat lamps, no humidity worries, and most of the snakes would shed in 1 or 2 big pieces...Ball Pythons come from far away countries and there is just soooo much that they have to adjust too, not fair when you think about it...

Young Ball Pythons do shed more frequently than adults but you dismissing her as not growing when you've only had her for about several weeks isn't accurate either. She could very well be growing in length and not girth, especially if she is having issues with feeding recently, so you wouldn't necessarily notice it.

Also, what is not fair? Ball Pythons are definitely higher care than a Garter Snake but that doesn't make it an impossible task. They've been captive bred for decades, so most of the Ball Pythons you see were born and raised outside of their native country of Africa. What's not fair is any animal being in the care of an owner who is not fully prepared and there's not much adjustment when their enclosure is meeting all their needs that they would get in the wild and then some.

[Thomas S]

Excuse me??? I take it that you were "Fully" prepared Before you got your first BP? I admit, I am far from perfect, but i continue to read all i can because there are some topics that work for some snakes but do not work for others..I come to websites like BP Net, i ask questions, i do what i can to become a better owner.. I will probably learn more things down the road about BP care just when i might think i know it all... Nobody is perfect, except you?