I gotta be honest, i've never heard of a shedding problem like that but I can offer some thoughts. First, I'm assuming that you're here in AZ. The humnididty level indoorrs is often significantly lower than outdoors. You might need to offer a moist hide spot for the little guy. Try putting damp moss in a small, dark Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the side for him to enter. Also, he may be very stressed. Snakes can go a surprisingly long time without eating, if they are overall healthy. I would try leaving him alone for a full weeek. This means no feeding or handling. The shedding may also be a product of the diet. You didn't really say what kind of ground meat you were feeding. The fur and calcium of a whole animal are important parts of the snake's diet. He may be missing important minerals. If you force feed him, at least try offering pinkies. Once the pinkie is partly in his mouth, he will probably bite down and start swallowing it on his own. These guys also feed on lizards. You can try scenting the pinkies with lizard smell. You could accomlish this a few ways. One is by catching a lizard to rub on the pinkies. They are hard to catch but sometimes you can nail one with a flyswatter. After scnting, you can freeeze it. Then next time you can put the pinkie in the bag with the frozen lizard and use it again. Another way, that some friends use (very successfully) is to go to the pet store and ask to have some of the shavings from the bottom of a lizard cage. Keep it in an airtight container and put the pinkies in there for about 30 minutes before an attempted feeding. This may help stimulate his feeding. Even within species, individual snakes can exhibit a wide variety of preferences. This one may be more of a lizard feeder and need help switching to rodents.

Lastly, Senticolis are a great find adn I would love to see it work out for your boys. I live in Tucson and I'd be willing to help out if you are nearby. You can send me an e-mail if you have more questions or would like some assistance.

Later today, some other folks may have some better ideas for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

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